Humanics and the Environment- Powerpoint- Frank J. Torre (c. 2002)

Humanics is a word that has a special meaning in the history and philosophy of Springfield College, as well as in the college’s motto of “Spirit, Mind, and Body.” The Oxford English Dictionary defines Humanics as, “the subject or study of human affairs or relations, especially of the human element of a problem or situation as opposed to the mechanical.” In 1962, Dr. Glenn Olds, President of Springfield College at the time, began to wonder why this name was given to the intended philosophy of the college by Dr. Laurence Locke Doggett, Springfield College’s first full-time president. Olds acknowledged that the practices of the faculty were in large part consistent with the Humanics philosophy, but he believed that a more self-conscious application would improve chances of its continuity and survival. To ensure this, a Distinguished Professor of Humanics position was created at the college, first filled by Dr. Seth Arsenian from 1966-1969. The purpose of this position was to catalyze a renewal of consciousness in the philosophy. This was done by annually mandating the Distinguished Professor of Humanics to give a Humanics lecture on the definition of Humanics and what the concept means to them. Arsenian started this tradition in 1967 with his speech titled, “The Meaning of Humanics,” in which he described the concept as a set of ideas, values, and goals that make our college distinct from other colleges and make commitment and unity toward commonly sought goals possible.

This document titled “Humanics and the Environment” is the PowerPoint that accompanied the Humanics Lecture that was given at Springfield College by Distinguished Professor of Humanics Frank J. Torre on April 22, 2002. It consists of 21 slides that help to supplement the information provided in his lecture. Torre, a Chemistry Professor at Springfield College, explains that he chose April 22nd to present his Humanics lecture in order to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of Earth Day. He explains that Earth Day is a celebration of the environment and then poses the question, “How does the environment relate to Humanics?” Torre goes on to explain his definition of Humanics as people caring about other people. He states that if we are humane to each other, we must care about the planet that we inhabit. He states that the earth is our spaceship, it supports our lives, gives us the air that we breath, the water we drink, and food to eat. Torre goes on to state that the earth also presents environmental disasters, and he suspects that the people involved in those environmental disasters did not know or care about Humanics. Displayed on slide 3 is a picture taken from NASA’s Apollo 11. Torre explains that Apollo 11 landed on the moon on Nov. 20, 1969. He states that “it is a remarkable picture of a spectacular planet. Earth is a beautiful, bountiful planet – a prolific, hospitable world that supports a rich diversity of life. There are plentiful supplies of clean air, fresh water and fertile soil. There are millions of beautiful and intriguing species that populate the earth and help sustain its environment.” Torre’s following slides (slide 4, 6, and 7) go on to describe Earth Day 1970, 1990, and 2000. In 1970, Torre states that over 20 million people participated in Earth Day events, listening to speeches, holding seminars, and taking practical action to clean up the environment. Twenty years later on Earth Day 1990, 200 million people from 140 countries took part showing once again that they care about the protection of our planet’s environment. By Earth Day 2000, Torre goes on to address that although between 1970-1999 there was encouraging environmental news, such as the decline in emissions of air pollutants and volume of oil spilled, there was still an endemic occurring to our highly developed society that grows with both population and economy and was the focus of Torre’s Humanics project – waste. Slide 8 highlights that there is 600,000 tons of trash per day, amounting to 4.2 pounds per person. The question that Torre poses is what do we do with it? He goes on to state that there is not enough room on the earth to bury it, and it is not practical to burn it or take it somewhere else (slides 9-13). Torre poses the answer to his question: recycling. Torre states that with little fore-though, we could reuse or recycle more than 70 percent of our waste. He goes on to discuss points that recycling feels good, and it saves natural resources, energy, our environment, as well as disposal costs (slide 16).Torre provides a list of some things we can do to reduce, reuse, and refuse, including: use of email, use of both sides of the paper, use of reusable items instead of plastic throwaways, the reuse of old file folders, boxes, and envelopes, as well as the refusal of plastic bags and bubble packing (slides 17-19). Torre concludes with a slide (slide 20) on the Four Laws of Ecology by Barry Commoner.