This is my getting-started post. I am getting started with this fairly labor-intensive project (Ms. Oberman's class is writing letters that are turned in sealed), and I'm going to use this opportunity to pick up a book that I've been wanted to read for a while now, Green Metropolis. This book is about a man who studies the sustainability and energy consumption patterns of different types of living spaces: cities, suburbs, rural areas, etc. Because this topic bases itself in pretty scientific material, it's going to be interdisciplinary, which is so in right now. I think it'll end up writing a lot of poems, really as many poems as I possibly can because I like poetry. I'm much more a fan, in general, of the short and concentrated and powerful in the face of the lengthy, the laborious, the stretched. So that's one reason that I love poetry! (No villanelles, though).
Anyhow, this book feels almost like a utopian novel, The Giver or 1984, which are dystopian -- so in right now. These types of books outline different types of worlds: the urban and the rural and their respective strengths and drawbacks. In an urban setting, things feel much more polluted and energy-intensive because many processes are taking place in a small area. However, New York City has the lowest energy consumption per capita of any area of similar size in the United States. This book gives me hope that I'll be able to live in a city, which is a view I have for myself of my later years, and not ruin the environment in the meantime.
There's a possibility that I make some sort of pictographic for this presentation as well because I do think that it would add to the comprehension of the topic. Much of these data, I think, are representative of trends and figures that, when portrayed visually, are even more striking. I also have to write the commencement speech for graduation which is the more important task (as opposed to this project), so I will be devoting a significant portion of my English energies to that. I hope that there might even be some intersection between that endeavor and this; the WWF recognized Evanston as one of the greenest, most habitable cities across the globe (we rock). Evanston, it feels, is a happy medium of the city's environmental efficiency and the beauty of the countryside. In Wyoming or Idaho or West Virginia, you're surrounded by trees and country roads and almost no other cars or neighbors. That can make the surroundings feel ecofriendly, but when you have to drive 20 miles to the bookstore, that negates some of the "living-in/with-nature" sentiment. I'm excited to see how my city fits in the context of this research upon which I am to embark!
Ok. So, why no villanelles? And remember you are "Romano students" so you have to live up to that and not compare yourself with other classes. I also had no idea that so many scholarly things are in right now. Good to know. It would be good if you had some intersection between the speech and this project. Could be intriguing... And the killing of two birds with one stone, and I am all about that.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting that we are actually more energy efficient in a completely built environment. I think visual representation of the data in the book would really help get the points across and make your project diverse. I love dystopian novels, it's kind of interesting to think about how our energy infrastructure can have an impact on things you wouldn't expect. Perhaps a crazy dictatorship like in 1984 could unify people against global warming, albeit by force. Congrats on the commencement speech! My only advice would be to underscore whatever you discuss with the fact that: 1. we have lived through highschool and come out, on top, with a whole lot of valuable experiences in our pocket, and 2. that the next year is so full of opportunities, try everything. If there has ever been a time to try, it's now.
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