a few updates.

I graduated college!

I am medically qualified for Peace Corps service! No more appointments (hopefully) or anything else on my end to do except send them updated experience/resume stuff!

I will NOT be leaving in june for Peace Corps service.

I am panicking trying to find good, quality jobs that will help boost my experience.

I need to finish my online french class.. I’m kind of getting better at this language?

 

20 years later, this is still relevant.

This video is an amazing representation of all that my graduating class wants to do.  Whether it be species protection, environmental justice, conservation, climate change science, natural resource management, or communications: the values of this young woman resonate within the heart of my graduating class.

I’m willing to bet this video is from the Rio Summit (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) in 1992.  At this conference, Agenda 21 was developed- I’ve spent a lot of time in a lot of my classes studying and analyzing Agenda 21.  Abridged, it’s a how-to for sustainable development.  This year the conference will be held, again, in Rio.  Here’s a link to the official website.

From the 1992 summit, sustainable development is

“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

It’s disappointing, though, to realize 20 years has passed since the first Earth Summit, and environmental degradation far exceeds environmental successes.  Hopefully we can get our act together in the next 20 years because as a collective human population, we have one common future.  Native Americans point 7 generations forward when performing cost/benefit analysis- and that should be the standard for ALL decisions.  I’ve said it before, but environmental health is one in the same with human health.  It’s time to move the word sustainability from its place as a catchy buzzword to a legitimate goal for a healthier, more equitable future.

My best friend’s mom sent her a link ..

..to the sermon her pastor gave at the Norrisville United Methodist Church on Earth Day.  This was the end story to the service.  I think you’ll really enjoy it and begin to re-think some of the sillier things we do as consumers.

Upon observing the way we waste our precious natural resources, imagine the conversation The Creator might have with St. Francis: “Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there? Where are all of the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I planted eons ago? I had the perfect no-maintenance garden plan. My plants grew in any type of soil; they withstood drought, and multiplied with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracted butterflies, honeybees, and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of color by now, but all I see are these green squares.” “It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers ‘weeds’ and went to great extent to kill them and replace them with grass.” “Grass? But, it’s so boring. It’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract birds or bees, only grubs and sod worms. It’s temperamental with temperatures. Are you sure they really want all that grass growing there?” “Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it, and keep it green. In the Spring they fertilize the grass, and kill any other plants that crop up.” “The spring rains and cool weather probably make the grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.” “Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little – they cut it.” “Cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?” “No, not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.” “Oh. Is it a cash crop? Do they sell the bags?” “No sir, just the opposite. They pay taxes for the bags to be hauled off.” “Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize the grass so it will grow, and when it does grow they cut if off and pay to throw it away?” “Yes, sir.” “Then, these suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.” “Sit down, Lord. When the grass stops growing, they drag out the hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to have it hauled off.” “What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the Autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form a compost to enhance the soil.” “You still sitting, Lord? The Suburbanites have grown a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them, bag them, and pay to have them hauled off.” “You’re kidding! What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter, or keep the soil moist and loose?” “After the leaves are hauled off they buy something they call mulch and spread it around under the trees.” “And where do they get this mulch.” “They cut down the trees and grind them up.” “ENOUGH! I don’t want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you’re in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?” “Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It’s a real stupid movie about…” “Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story.”

hiatus!

I’m making a commitment to dirty laundry, long library nights, fights with computer programs, and a temporary coffee addiction.

I will be in rare form for the next 10ish days, and hopefully the next time I post it will be in celebration of graduation. Fingers crossed I will survive.

Also, I’m 22 tomorrow.  I really hate how my birthday conflicts with finals EVERY year.  I mean, I’m happy regardless, but sometimes I want to party like everyone else & not get overlooked.  It’s alright.. my school hosts TG’s (thank goodness it’s friday) and tomorrow is a TGIO (thank goodness it’s over).  Free beer, good friends, and birthday semi-celebrations.

later, dudes.

happy earth day!

Things have been a little crazy here in Syracuse, and I apologize for not sticking to my plan.  Fear not, because I will provide you environmentally-minded links to great things to make up for my lack of posts.

As I said before, this week is Earth Week at my school.. and it went really considering all that has happened.  Wednesday evening, my dear friend Jess passed away.. and I think Earth Day is a good day to reflect on the more difficult parts of the natural cycle: death.  I think our student body understands the perfectness of nature and its cycles, so we can find some comfort knowing that all things eventually return back to the Earth- and even though she is gone, she is in a better place.  She was an amazingly cheery, peppy, and incredibly brilliant young woman.  She would have graduated this spring with me with a degree in Forest Resource Management- one of the most difficult majors here.  With her outgoing personality and knack for having the best advice, the news of her death hit everyone very hard.

The Spring Banquet was this weekend, and she was head of the planning committee.  Everything about the event was wonderful, and just as our college president said, she would have wanted us to celebrate and have a good time.  Her decorations were beautiful, and everyone truly enjoyed themselves- even my parents!

So here is Friday’s information: it’s a link to the 350 website.  Created by Bill McKibben, 350.org is an organization that seeks to educate and motivate the global community about the climate crisis.  350 represents a healthy concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere: 350 parts per million of atmospheric CO2 is the ultimate goal.  From the website..

350 means climate safety. To preserve our planet, scientists tell us we must reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from its current level of 392 parts per million to below 350 ppm. But 350 is more than a number—it’s a symbol of where we need to head as a planet.

This video is a great communication tool (I am an environmental communications major).. it’s easily understood by nearly all groups: non-English speakers, lay public, scientists, everyone.  Please watch it, it’ll do you a world of good.. pun intended.

Saturday’s post focuses on environmental justice.  Majora Carter is a strong advocate in defeating environmental injustice.. in this video she talks about one of her projects: Sustainable South Bronx.  Her message is inspiring, and as I’ve said before, I really hope to work within the environmental justice movement because I believe all people deserve the right to a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life- personal health is one in the same with environmental health.  Here’s the link.

And finally, for Earth Day, here’s a simple yet powerful picture.  It helps put all things in perspective.. we only have one planet, and we must take action to protect and respect it.

Happy Earth Day, everyone.  As members of the global community, we have a responsibility to each other to protect the only known place to support life.

Thursday!

I thought I’d share a link today.. it’s the Environmental Working Group’s website where you can search any bath/beauty product to determine how toxic it is for you and the planet.  It really helps when you’re at the grocery store and you remember that the shampoo you’ve just ran out of isn’t really a great thing to re-purchase.  I encourage you to search one of your favorite products.. maybe it’s a champion of health or maybe it’s chock-full of endocrine disrupters!

 

In honor of Earth Week, I have a proposition..

.. I post a link to an article or video or podcast, each day, regarding something concerning our planet.  Sounds good? Wonderful!

Because I didn’t post on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, I will offer you four morsels of interest The first is a story linking our growing waist-lines with the massive dead zone within the Chesapeake Bay.. an interesting story that’s fairly close to home for some of us.

The skinny on Bay’s decline? Our unhealthy appetite for fossil fuels, fertilizer

Interestingly enough, I had to read a book by the same guy in 7th grade.  We were preparing for a stay-away trip on Smith Island, a tiny community in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.  That’s when I first became familiar with the consequences that fertilizers, cow farms, soaps, and detergents -all things I’m sure we see each day- have within aquatic ecosystems: eutrophication!

Monday’s pickin is a little gem from the good people at TED!  Sign me up for land rights, boreal forests, indigenous culture, and Tar Sands conversation- I warn you, I succumbed to tears.. and it’s a possibility you will, too.

Tuesday is a lil’ sumpin sumpin that I first watched in one of my favorite classes: Nature and Pop Culture.  It’s called the story of stuff, and it’s a fairly straightforward definition of all things consumer culture.  Personally, I find of kitschy, but I think it’s a good communication tool for someone that may never have given it any thought until they watched it.  It’s a tad long, but you’ll feel more knowledgable afterwards!

And finally.. Wednesday’s choice was published in 2008, just after Obama had won office.  I read it in a couple of my classes as Michael Pollan is a stockpile of worthwhile food facts. He’s a genius, really & if you like what he had to say here, check out Food Inc.  Regardless, it’s been 4 years since this was printed- do you think things have changed?