Sustainability vs. Culture
Taught by John Messerschmidt
John Messerschmidt is a green building consultant and founder of Four Points Consulting Group. He provides green construction management on residential projects in New York City and the Hudson Valley, energy efficiency auditing, building science, and energy design services. He has 25-plus year's experience in construction and over 10 years specializing in green building.
John is very active in the environmental community of New York City and the Hudson Valley. He is a founding member of two environmental non-profit groups. The Green City Challenge connects the public with green businesses and other non-profits with the goal of educating the community. The Plastic Planet focuses on plastic and the impact of plastic waste on our oceans and planet. He also sits on the Environmental Conservation Commission for the Town of Rochester, NY.
So many people these days are talking about sustainability, but what does it mean? How do people live sustainably in today's world?
How can YOU do it? It’s not as hard as you might think. The first step is to learn what impact our current lifestyles have on the environment. Then you can learn what you can do to lessen this impact.
Ok, it would require taking some kind of action, but the good news is that you don’t have to be a fanatic about it. There are simple changes you can make that will gradually transform your lifestyle into one that is more sustainable and harmonious with the planet. But first you need to be informed!
This 3 session course does just that. We will examine 3 basic elements of our culture and their impact on the planet. Then we can talk about what we can do as individuals to make a difference.
Plastic
The first class will follow the history of a plastic product from its birth as a raw earth resource through its manufacture and transportation to get to your hands. The product’s trail splits from there. One leads to a landfill and the other becomes an environmental contaminant.
Shelter and Heat
The second class is about how we heat our homes and the impact this has on the environment. We will discuss renewable energy, fossil fuels, green building and energy efficiency.
Food
The third class will be about how the human race has fed itself in the past, how we are doing it now and how we might be able to feed ourselves in the future.
Email us if you'd like to join for Session 2 or 3!
