Alternative Energy and Development

Because of a snow day we were unable to hear our planned guest speakers for Week 7.  I was most excited about the possibility of learning more about community gardens and urban agriculture in Detroit.  What are the possibilities of  urban gardening to helping to develop and redevelop depressed urban communities? How do we ensure that these gardens remain in community control and serve the needs of the community?  Is there a possibility to create an agribusiness model that does not stifle community involvement and maximizes resources and economies of scale?  All of these are questions that I hope the students were able to think about as they did the reading on Community Gardens.

Concerning larger issues of alternative energy, a question might be raised both about the importance of policy but also about the political will.  What political will  exists to make the necessary changes to create a more sustainable energy environment.  I think on some levels we can all agree that the current model, while enriching a very few is certainly not sustainable.  What would sustainability look like and how might we encourage those in the energy business to shift from unsustainable to more sustainable energy practices. 

During Week 8 we had a variety of interesting speakers.  The students seemed highly motivated by seeing presentations from students who were not too much older than themselves.  I was pleased that they had an opportunity to hear from young people who were motivated and working on making positive changes to their world.

Concerning the readings for this week, what I really wanted the students to get from the readings were two main points

a) the need for true community participation in alternative energy production, resource allocation and retention.  What we learned in much of the reading was that many of these projects, no matter how well intentioned  often had the effect of alienating the communities they purported to support and 'develop.' 

b) I also wanted the students to think seriously about the issue of 'enclave tourism'  The article is listed in the readings so please go to the public website for the course www.netvibes.com/adpbotswana and check the class Wiki.  I know that many of the students are excited about the possibility of visiting a game park or going on safari while we are in Botswana.  To that end I want them to think about these experiences quite critically while they are enjoying these experiences.  Who benefits from these enclave tourist spots? How might we more effectively funnel our tourist dollars to the local communities.  How can locals be better incorporated at the higher levels of the tourist industry (i.e. in management positions, as owners etc.) What responsibility, if any does the Botswana government have to make sure that local Batswana can partake in the tourist industry of their country?

Well this will be the last blog entry before we depart to Botswana.  I am looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones.