It's been awhile since we've discussed the subject of green with our environmental science student. It's a jungle in there. As with many advanced placement courses, there's a degree of difficulty built into any class of this nature (no pun intended). 

Such is the case with the advancement of green studies on the high school level in Central California, so our observer has been deep in study with little time for green observation.

While or student struggles to find a "green" balance; the environmental information keeps coming-faster and faster.

Al Gore is front an center in the class now. Gore's movie "Inconvenient Truth" is required viewing. Our student observer is fully considering Gore's data and story line about global warming. 

Many in the class find the movie to be a hoax (though they would never say it out loud).  Our student, however, feels Gore's information has some merit. The class reaction illustrates how global warming seems more a political debate than scientific study these days.  Both sides lining up evidence to prove the other wrong. 

In the meantime many in the middle, like our student, simply ask for facts and figures to make an informed decision. It seems a great number of people prefer to keep politics out of their science. 

That may be at the heart of the struggle in a class of this caliber. Science butts heads with politics and no one knows who to believe. It's even more confused when politicians make the science movies. 

P.S.

Nothing confusing about this, a hand full of classmates left the comforts of home on Saturday November 13, 2010 to help along the San Joaquin River. Students from our class planted Vally Oak trees and Boxwood shrubs to help restore the river's green growth. That's the kind of learning the students could get their heads and hands wrapped around.