Carleton College Environmental Studies students examined the motivations behind the practice of backyard chicken raising, using Northfield as a case study. The study explains the practice as an example of “ultra-local environmental citizenship.”
Category Archives: Resource
Should We Ban the Bottle?
Students in Prof. Smith’s 2016 Environmental Ethics course examined the ethical case for banning the sale of bottled water at Carleton College, using a corporate social responsibility framework.
Ethics of Carleton College Deer Hunt
Students in Prof. Smith’s 2016 Environmental Ethics course evaluated the ethics of using a two-week deer hunt to manage the deer population in Cowling Arboretum. The analysis considers both ecosystem value and animal welfare concerns.
Evaluating the Ethics of Carleton College Investing in Community Solar
Carleton College recently committed to being the primary investor in a local community solar array through Northfield Area Community Solar, and is considering investing in a larger project. Although on first glance these projects seem to align perfectly with Carleton’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, the reality is that the energy from these community solar projects cannot be counted towards Carleton’s carbon neutrality goals. Is it ethical for Carleton to invest in the large community solar project when the energy produced cannot count towards Carleton’s carbon neutrality goals? This paper analyzes this question using a corporate social responsibility framework.
Animal Rights: A Deontological Perspective
Tackles the ethics of local chicken farming (small, sustainable farming operations), providing a philosophical argument for the view that it is morally wrong to kill chickens for food.
Ole Thrift Shop
Founded in May 2013, the Ole Thrift Shop is a student-led business committed to increasing the sustainability of St. Olaf College by extending the life-cycle of goods that would normally be discarded.
We are dedicated to empowering students with the knowledge of how their purchasing choices can be both environmentally conscious and economical, and aim to establish responsible consumerism as a practice that is continued by students throughout their lifetime.
Ole Thrift Shop collects gently-used goods on St. Olaf campus for a week during May. During the next school year Ole Thrift Shop holds sales open to the Northfield Community in order to recycle these goods.
Assisted Colonization of the Dwarf Trout Lily in the Cowling Arboretum
Climate change and other pressures threaten the endangered dwarf trout lily. Some have suggested that the plant might be preserved through “assisted colonization”–introducing the plant into a more protected area like the Cowling Arboretum. Students in Kim Smith’s Fall 2014 Environmental Ethics course evaluate the ethical dimensions of this idea and offer a recommendation.
Carleton’s Obligation to Pursue Carbon Neutrality
Students in Kim Smith’s Fall 2014 Environmental Ethics class analyze whether Carleton should pursue the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, taking into consideration the College’s corporate responsibility and the costs and benefits of the policy.
Humane Pork Sourcing at Carleton College
Students in Kim Smith’s Fall 2014 Environmental Ethics analyze Carleton College’s guidelines for sourcing it pork products. It considers whether the College’s practices meet ethical environmental and animal welfare standards, and how better to achieve ethical standards in pork consumption.
What is the Ethical Value of Carleton College’s Japanese Garden?
Do gardens teach important environmental values, or do they represent human domination of nature? Does a Japanese garden serve the environmental and liberal arts mission of Carleton College? Students in Kim Smith’s 2014 Environmental Ethics course consider these questions in their ethical analysis of the Carleton College Japanese garden.