Introduction
Welcome to Burnet, Texas’ high school environmental science class, where we’ve tailored this course to our tiny farming and agricultural community’s unique difficulties and potential. Understanding the connection between environmental preservation and livelihoods is critical for our future, with a graduating class 300 and a town population of 3,700. Today, we’ll discuss “Just Sustainability” and “Jobs vs. Environment,” to help you understand the complex balance we must strike.
Concept 1: Just Sustainability (Agyeman, 2008)
Definition: Just Sustainability is an idea that emphasizes fairness, equity, and justice in environmental and sustainability efforts. It involves everyone in decision-making and policy-making regarding the environment, leaving no one behind (Agyeman, 2008). Therefore, Just Sustainability implies that preserving the environment does not necessarily mean compromising on the welfare of our people.
Example: Let us say there is a project establishing a wildlife reserve near Burnet. The involvement of local farmers, Indigenous communities, and all residents would make Just Sustainability work efficiently. It means that those benefiting from it share the project’s benefits equally without infringing on people’s rights and needs. This may include dedicating certain parts to indigenous farming as necessary for our local economy while at the same time dedicating other parts to environmental conservation.
Concept 2: Jobs vs. Environment (White, 1996)
Definition: The concept of Jobs vs. Environment explores the tension between creating job opportunities and protecting the environment. Such works are farming and logging, which can cause harm to the environment, and the others focus on saving the environment. However, this should be done keeping in mind that it should also be a way of promoting the preservation and conservation of our environment to allow for job creation to sustain the future needs.
Example: In our community, jobs vs. this is demonstrated through different instances of the environment. For example, our farming practices may boost our local economy, but they may also negatively impact water and soil. However, eco-tourism generates jobs based on conservation and may support the local economies. Indeed, this situation shows the need to come up with solutions that can prevent the negative aspects associated with farming activities and, at the same time, encourage benefits from eco-tourism.
Connecting the Concepts:
These two concepts may seem to be at odds, but they are closely related:
- Just Sustainability can help us find a balance between jobs and environmental conservation. We can facilitate economic growth while maintaining a healthy environment by ensuring that environmental policies are fair and equitable. This translates as enhancing environmental protection by conserving our farmlands simultaneously, creating an equitable distribution of economic gains to all the community members.
- When making decisions about the environment, considering Jobs vs. Environment helps us recognize that some jobs may impact our surroundings. We can reduce these effects through Just Sustainability, for instance, by introducing sustainable agriculture practices which will sustain the life of the people while conserving the natural resource base. As an example, they can use eco-friendly farming techniques for less impact on the environment.
Bringing it Home
Our small agricultural community in Burnet, despite environmental challenges, also offers us opportunities. Through Just Sustainability, we can look at how we can safeguard our natural resources and provide opportunities for jobs to locals. We can always find answers that will ensure sustainability in agriculture or eco-tourism.
Lesson Plan:
- Introduction (5 minutes): Begin by highlighting the singularity of Burnet by stating its importance for not only jobs but also the surrounding environment. We need to strike a balance between these two elements to maintain our community.
- Concept 1: Discuss how the Just Sustainability theory applies to the example. Highlight the imperative of fairness, equality, and justice in preserving nature. Discuss how this idea may inform our communities.
- Concept 2: Jobs vs. Environment (15 minutes): Define Jobs vs. Environment and share the example. Analyze the manner in which various jobs in our society impact on the environment. This idea makes us question ourselves on how we act.
- Connecting the Concepts (10 minutes): Describe how these concepts can be used synergistically to assist students in thinking of ideas on how to attain Just Sustainability in Burnett. Offer illustrations unique to our part of the world, such as sustainable farming and nature-based tourism.
- Group Activity (20 minutes): Divide the class into groups. Design specific situations involving community-based environmental issues like water conservation or land use. Request students to apply the principles to such incidents and suggest environmental-based solutions that will create jobs.
- Discussion (10 minutes): Let each group show their solutions and have a class discussion. Foster the consideration of the balance between jobs and environmental conservation.
- Conclusion (5 minutes): State the major conclusions and indicate how these ideas can direct our community to the sustainable future that I’ve envisioned.
With knowledge of Just Sustainability and the relationship between jobs and the environment, you would be pivotal in defining Burnet’s future where livelihoods and the environment could co-exist. The lesson has been specially designed for our community, considering its particular challenges and possibilities.
References
White, R. (1996). “Are You an Environmentalist or Do You Work for a Living?”: Work and Nature.
Agyeman, J. (2008). Toward a ‘just’sustainability?. Continuum, 22(6), 751-756.
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