This Earth Day was probably the most involved I've ever been in the event. I do have this class to thank for that, but I've always observed it in one way or another. This year I actually got my three other roomates to agree to pick up a free lightbulb from Home Depot. It's about the most I could ask from them. I continued with my vegan dieting, save for some crickets I ate, and made the subject of the Earth my topic of conversation with whatever friends I happened to encounter.
(If you couldn't tell by that last little line, I was part of the group that researched and presented the Edible Insects booth for Earth Day. Some of the most fun I've ever had on a class project!)
I think Earth Day is a good thing. People I talk to dislike how commercialized it's become, like Christmas or Easter, but is it really bad to buy green? And this economy can use all the stimulus it can get. Buying Chinese toys made of plastic and which will probably get less than a month's use out of seems counter-productive to grabbing a cloth grocery bag, a flourescent lightbulb, or a reuseable water bottle. Earth Day is also something the whole planet can celebrate. You can't say that about any of the religious holidays.
Is Earth Day necessary? I'll say yes. For now. In a perfect world everyone would be aware of the plight of the environment and global climate change, but nothing's ever perfect, and public awareness is biased by the constant presence of the media. When you have schools promoting Earth Day, children get exposed to something they might not otherwise learn about. There are parents today that don't have time to teach their children anything, let alone that our ecosystems are disappearing. And when those children go home and tell their parents what they did that day in school, maybe the parents will learn a thing or two.
Let's hope that some day Earth Day disappears, but only because we've started treating every day, like Earth Day.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Extra Credit - Cleanup the American River
Saturday morning, at a quarter to 8, I arrived at the North Fork of the American River in Auburn, down that windy valley off of Highway 49. There were already maybe some 50 people gathered, and despite the chill everyone was smiling and active. I didn't want to just stand around and do nothing, so I offered to help finish setting up the volunteer booth and all the handouts they were, well, handing out, to people. After about maybe 30 min everyone was instructed to grab a trash-picker-upper-thingy and a couple bags and proceed under the bridge.
After a bit of a lengthly safety meeting and upcoming announcements chat we were OFF! Racing through the canyon at top speed, our trash-grabbers flailing about with lightning refle... oh, wait, nevermind... I forgot, my trash collecting began with grabbing dozens of cigarette butts lying beneath our very feet! They were everywhere. Some pushed into the earth, some hidden under rocks, and some just lying about. I even found a fully wrapped cigar! By and large these little scraps of garbage were the most numerous all up and down the river. More so than bottles, cans, or plastic bags.
But the most surprising finds were the biggest ones. We found shopping carts, wooden pallets, tires and bicycle parts, but we actually found the remains of an old car, too. Heavily rusted, mostly buried, and scattered over several hundred square yards was the frame, gas tank, roll cage, center console, steering wheel, ashtray, and 8-track tape player of some unknown make and model. We had to shovel out the frame, roll-cage, and gas tank, and it took three of us to carry the dang things over to where the Park Service could pick it up with their trucks. It became almost like our trophy for the day, sitting there drying in the sun for all to see.
I actually ended up staying until noon. They served us lunch and handed out little freebies for showing up. I got a water bottle, a loaf of bread, a t-shirt, a hat, and a fancy certificate saying I performed 4 hours of community service. The whole day actually turned out to be pretty fun.
But driving away I remembered something someone had told me earlier that day. This cleanup is performed twice a year: during spring and fall. Despite everything we picked up Saturday, the spring cleanup is usually easier than the fall. Summer is when swimmers bring their picnic lunches and leave behind cans, bottles, and wrappers. And cars, apparently. If it only took us 4 hours to pick up everything this time, and the river was cleaned up just 6 months ago, how much more garbage would be left 6 months from now?
It's kind of depressing, really. And there were plenty of signs citing the $1000 littering fine. I asked if garbage cans could be brought down to the river and chained up. At least then some of the larger litter would be disposed of. But the answer was kind of sobering: there just isn't any money for it. You need to pay someone to empty the cans, and you need to pay for the cans in the first place. Even if it was in the makes, the river doesn't stay at the same level all throughout the year. The last thing you want is a trash can carried off by the water, or its contents flushed away.
And that's why you have what we had Saturday. It was good to see so many people there for a good cause. I'll probably make a note in my planner to attend again later in the year. You all should, too =)
After a bit of a lengthly safety meeting and upcoming announcements chat we were OFF! Racing through the canyon at top speed, our trash-grabbers flailing about with lightning refle... oh, wait, nevermind... I forgot, my trash collecting began with grabbing dozens of cigarette butts lying beneath our very feet! They were everywhere. Some pushed into the earth, some hidden under rocks, and some just lying about. I even found a fully wrapped cigar! By and large these little scraps of garbage were the most numerous all up and down the river. More so than bottles, cans, or plastic bags.
But the most surprising finds were the biggest ones. We found shopping carts, wooden pallets, tires and bicycle parts, but we actually found the remains of an old car, too. Heavily rusted, mostly buried, and scattered over several hundred square yards was the frame, gas tank, roll cage, center console, steering wheel, ashtray, and 8-track tape player of some unknown make and model. We had to shovel out the frame, roll-cage, and gas tank, and it took three of us to carry the dang things over to where the Park Service could pick it up with their trucks. It became almost like our trophy for the day, sitting there drying in the sun for all to see.
I actually ended up staying until noon. They served us lunch and handed out little freebies for showing up. I got a water bottle, a loaf of bread, a t-shirt, a hat, and a fancy certificate saying I performed 4 hours of community service. The whole day actually turned out to be pretty fun.
But driving away I remembered something someone had told me earlier that day. This cleanup is performed twice a year: during spring and fall. Despite everything we picked up Saturday, the spring cleanup is usually easier than the fall. Summer is when swimmers bring their picnic lunches and leave behind cans, bottles, and wrappers. And cars, apparently. If it only took us 4 hours to pick up everything this time, and the river was cleaned up just 6 months ago, how much more garbage would be left 6 months from now?
It's kind of depressing, really. And there were plenty of signs citing the $1000 littering fine. I asked if garbage cans could be brought down to the river and chained up. At least then some of the larger litter would be disposed of. But the answer was kind of sobering: there just isn't any money for it. You need to pay someone to empty the cans, and you need to pay for the cans in the first place. Even if it was in the makes, the river doesn't stay at the same level all throughout the year. The last thing you want is a trash can carried off by the water, or its contents flushed away.
And that's why you have what we had Saturday. It was good to see so many people there for a good cause. I'll probably make a note in my planner to attend again later in the year. You all should, too =)
Extra Credit - The John Muir Experience
I went to the "John Muir: Among the Animals" performance by Lee Stetson on Friday night, and I enjoyed every minute of it. To give a visual of the scene, the stage was set up with the props of a 19th century living room: wood stove, leather luggage, potted plants here and there, an old wooden dresser, a hat rack, a woven rug, and in the center of it all a wooden chair with a footstool and a loaf of bread.
This chair was what Stetson would routinely sit down in and get up out of with shaky legs and arms. The performance was believable. He would grab a cup of water, move around and read from various letters or articles, and all while looking for his lost set of housekeys. The audience was portrayed as being a housesitter to which "Muir" was giving us detail on feeding his cat, watering his plants, and telling us of his neighbors. And while waiting for a friend to pick him up, he told us of his travels to kill the time.
The stories themselves weren't of any sort you would hear today, and the characters he described were different from any movie I've watched. The biggest difference being the viewpoint presented - that of a man from the 1800's. It's hard to describe, but just how he spoke to the animals in his stories like they were people, calling a rattlesnake "embarrassed" to be found by him, or the emotions attributed to all the wild animals he came across, it was not as people today act.
Or maybe what really struck me off cue was his description of the wilderness itself some 150 years ago. Especially the Passenger Pigeon. The swarms of millions that could be struck from the sky by a simple pole. And I didn't catch it until the end, but during the play, if he ever referenced something in despair, he said the words "Oh, Martha". It gave me chills when he read the last article of the night, which reported that "Martha", the last female Passenger Pigeon alive in captivity, had just died. And here I thought Martha was his deceased wife.
Reading the flyer, apparently Lee Stetson does a few other plays as well, and three involving different times in Muir's life. I think I'll keep an eye out for them in the future =)
This chair was what Stetson would routinely sit down in and get up out of with shaky legs and arms. The performance was believable. He would grab a cup of water, move around and read from various letters or articles, and all while looking for his lost set of housekeys. The audience was portrayed as being a housesitter to which "Muir" was giving us detail on feeding his cat, watering his plants, and telling us of his neighbors. And while waiting for a friend to pick him up, he told us of his travels to kill the time.
The stories themselves weren't of any sort you would hear today, and the characters he described were different from any movie I've watched. The biggest difference being the viewpoint presented - that of a man from the 1800's. It's hard to describe, but just how he spoke to the animals in his stories like they were people, calling a rattlesnake "embarrassed" to be found by him, or the emotions attributed to all the wild animals he came across, it was not as people today act.
Or maybe what really struck me off cue was his description of the wilderness itself some 150 years ago. Especially the Passenger Pigeon. The swarms of millions that could be struck from the sky by a simple pole. And I didn't catch it until the end, but during the play, if he ever referenced something in despair, he said the words "Oh, Martha". It gave me chills when he read the last article of the night, which reported that "Martha", the last female Passenger Pigeon alive in captivity, had just died. And here I thought Martha was his deceased wife.
Reading the flyer, apparently Lee Stetson does a few other plays as well, and three involving different times in Muir's life. I think I'll keep an eye out for them in the future =)
Monday, April 20, 2009
ANWR uncovered... well, not yet at least.
During the election last year was when I first became aware of the issue revolving around the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and I did my homework then. Whenever I got stuck in a political debate I had my figures down, and watching the recording of Joe Medeiros brought back memories of debates past. It's always nice to hear your viewpoints echoed by someone so knowledgeable.
The whole speech pretty much hit the nail on the head: 9-12 months of supply and somewhere around a decade before we could benefit from it. And we would basically be destroying one of the most pristine environments left on earth, even if it is only active for 3ish months out of the year. I didn't know this area of the arctic was devoid of invasive species. I'm all for keeping it that way.
One question I still have, although I hope I never learn the answer to, is what impact this development would ultimately have on all the species that reside or migrate there. There is no question in my mind we would lose some, if not most, but I'm actually curious for the Porcupine Herd in particular. Would a decade of industrial development in their breeding grounds force the herd into extinction? The average lifespan of a caribou in the wild is only 8-10 years. If this oil development stresses the herd too much, I can't imagine a better scenario for them.
All in all, great lecture. I'm never let down by Mr. Medeiros, and the majority of the speakers this semester have been great. It's hard to believe we're almost done!
The whole speech pretty much hit the nail on the head: 9-12 months of supply and somewhere around a decade before we could benefit from it. And we would basically be destroying one of the most pristine environments left on earth, even if it is only active for 3ish months out of the year. I didn't know this area of the arctic was devoid of invasive species. I'm all for keeping it that way.
One question I still have, although I hope I never learn the answer to, is what impact this development would ultimately have on all the species that reside or migrate there. There is no question in my mind we would lose some, if not most, but I'm actually curious for the Porcupine Herd in particular. Would a decade of industrial development in their breeding grounds force the herd into extinction? The average lifespan of a caribou in the wild is only 8-10 years. If this oil development stresses the herd too much, I can't imagine a better scenario for them.
All in all, great lecture. I'm never let down by Mr. Medeiros, and the majority of the speakers this semester have been great. It's hard to believe we're almost done!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Ray Darby, the "Energy Guy"
Ray Darby's topic on Sustainable Energy Solutions didn't "grip" me as much as past speakers have. He had some great points, and seemed very competent, but his speech got off to a slow start. When he brought up the U.S. Energy Flow Chart for 2002, I thought he was just going to touch on it, say the major points, be done with it, and move on. But half of his speech involved a topic that we had already been made aware of during last week's speaker. Yes, roughly 2/3's of our energy is lost in either production or transportation. Yes, we're a wasteful energy society, but I was hoping more of his speech would be focused on the solutions aspect.
The second chart he posted up for us to see was a bit more interesting, and got me to wake up from my earlier state. Environmental impacts divided up into categories had my pen burning ink. Utilities, Food, and Transportation were the 3 biggest categories, accounting for, on average, 80% of our energy use. The food aspect alone had me thinking more about my recent choice to convert to veganism, as referenced in my previous post.
What I found most interesting was Mr. Darby's recounts of his home remodel back in the 80's. My dream is to one day settle down and raise a family in as much of a green house as is possible. I would ideally love to build my own home, and his ideas for window placement and energy solutions spoke levels to me. I found it funny that "Design with climate in mind!" was an advertising slogan in the 50's. What happened between then and now?
To give him credit, there was no way to know what our past speakers have touched on, so I can forgive Mr. Darby for his lengthly presentation of material already presented to us. I was hoping he would highlight more green technology for commercial and residential use, like a documentary I saw on the Science channel recently about using Aerogel as a window insulator. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I'm such a geek as to research these sorts of topics before the speaker even comes into class!
The second chart he posted up for us to see was a bit more interesting, and got me to wake up from my earlier state. Environmental impacts divided up into categories had my pen burning ink. Utilities, Food, and Transportation were the 3 biggest categories, accounting for, on average, 80% of our energy use. The food aspect alone had me thinking more about my recent choice to convert to veganism, as referenced in my previous post.
What I found most interesting was Mr. Darby's recounts of his home remodel back in the 80's. My dream is to one day settle down and raise a family in as much of a green house as is possible. I would ideally love to build my own home, and his ideas for window placement and energy solutions spoke levels to me. I found it funny that "Design with climate in mind!" was an advertising slogan in the 50's. What happened between then and now?
To give him credit, there was no way to know what our past speakers have touched on, so I can forgive Mr. Darby for his lengthly presentation of material already presented to us. I was hoping he would highlight more green technology for commercial and residential use, like a documentary I saw on the Science channel recently about using Aerogel as a window insulator. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that I'm such a geek as to research these sorts of topics before the speaker even comes into class!
My perspective has been greatly enhanced =)
I'll open up this post by proudly exclaiming that I am converting to becoming vegan - and I have this class to thank for being one of my biggest influences. Going either vegetarian or full vegan is something I've considered for several years. The fact that I'm finally pursuing it now while being enrolled in a class on the environment would seem more than a coincidence.
I've professed myself as being a "nature geek" before on this forum, and my respect for all forms of life has always been profound. Even as a kid I didn't see much difference between an insect and a mammal ethically. I was well aware that spiders and even mosquitos have their uses, and that everything in life is interconnected. I raised praying mantises as pets all through highschool, and I don't mean just captured adults, I mean sucessfully rearing four generations of them! I grew an emotional attachment to them akin to someone who breeds dogs, although I can't remember anyone still to this day that understood my thinking. I guess I've always been unique like that.
My point for referencing my past like this comes full circle to understanding how we treat other living creatures in our society today. Factory farming, cruel confinement, "humane slaughter", I was always aware of these, but simply chose to ignore what was really going on. Most Americans don't think about how the food they're eating gets on their plate. I remember watching my first PETA undercover video when I was 22 or 23, and I've seen several more since. It's pretty bad what goes on behind the scenes, and I don't think I can ignore it anymore.
But what this class has really done for me is point out the fact that the way we live today is simply not sustainable. From the very first blog topic involving our carbon footprint I have been surprised by how inefficient our society is. And for me to say that is pretty profound. When the world you know is all bright and pretty like a new mall, you're going to assume everything's alright. I love college, it simply shatters your known world into millions of tiny realities that you otherwise may have never been able to discover on your own.
In the short couple weeks since I've begun making a conscious effort to cut animal products out of my diet I've been surprised by the backlash I've gotten from the people I know. All of the sudden I'm some "radical tree hugger". The most common question I get is "Why?", and the number of reasons is just too long to phrase into one answer. My imediate thoughts are "Well, if you took this class, did some research, and thought about it for a bit, you would change your ways, too!"
To get a general college education you need to have a certain number of math, english, and science requirements, but I don't think there's any requirement to better understand your environment. It doesn't even fall under world studies, to my knowledge. But if this very class became required, I think it would vastly help change our society's understanding of how things really work. And I think now would be a great time, too, since the economy is forcing so many older students into the system, like myself. You can listen to the media day in and day out about how bad global climate change may be, for example, but if you were actually forced to take a class about it, I gaurantee public opinion would begin to change.
I've professed myself as being a "nature geek" before on this forum, and my respect for all forms of life has always been profound. Even as a kid I didn't see much difference between an insect and a mammal ethically. I was well aware that spiders and even mosquitos have their uses, and that everything in life is interconnected. I raised praying mantises as pets all through highschool, and I don't mean just captured adults, I mean sucessfully rearing four generations of them! I grew an emotional attachment to them akin to someone who breeds dogs, although I can't remember anyone still to this day that understood my thinking. I guess I've always been unique like that.
My point for referencing my past like this comes full circle to understanding how we treat other living creatures in our society today. Factory farming, cruel confinement, "humane slaughter", I was always aware of these, but simply chose to ignore what was really going on. Most Americans don't think about how the food they're eating gets on their plate. I remember watching my first PETA undercover video when I was 22 or 23, and I've seen several more since. It's pretty bad what goes on behind the scenes, and I don't think I can ignore it anymore.
But what this class has really done for me is point out the fact that the way we live today is simply not sustainable. From the very first blog topic involving our carbon footprint I have been surprised by how inefficient our society is. And for me to say that is pretty profound. When the world you know is all bright and pretty like a new mall, you're going to assume everything's alright. I love college, it simply shatters your known world into millions of tiny realities that you otherwise may have never been able to discover on your own.
In the short couple weeks since I've begun making a conscious effort to cut animal products out of my diet I've been surprised by the backlash I've gotten from the people I know. All of the sudden I'm some "radical tree hugger". The most common question I get is "Why?", and the number of reasons is just too long to phrase into one answer. My imediate thoughts are "Well, if you took this class, did some research, and thought about it for a bit, you would change your ways, too!"
To get a general college education you need to have a certain number of math, english, and science requirements, but I don't think there's any requirement to better understand your environment. It doesn't even fall under world studies, to my knowledge. But if this very class became required, I think it would vastly help change our society's understanding of how things really work. And I think now would be a great time, too, since the economy is forcing so many older students into the system, like myself. You can listen to the media day in and day out about how bad global climate change may be, for example, but if you were actually forced to take a class about it, I gaurantee public opinion would begin to change.
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