Though our lived-in ethics projects are coming to an end, there are several things that I learned throughout my project that will surely stick with me for a long while to come. Many of the significant things I learned I have written about in previous posts such as bioregionalism, the joys of getting your hands dirty, the sense of accomplishment that comes from planting a tree, and ideas for increased sustainability on campus. Another big component of the project that will remain with me beyond this class, is the Shooks Run Agro-Forestry project itself, which I plan to continue next year and hopefully beyond that as well.
I gained a lot from this project but in retrospect there are some things that I wish I had done differently. One of these things came to me after reading the article by Walter Sinnot-Armstrong, which for the most part I do not agree with, however, I found his argument about the responsibility to advocate for large scale, institutional, and political change to be very valuable. I wish I had incorporated into my project time to write letters and make phone calls advocating for important environmental causes.
Regardless, the project also made me think about all of the different feasible ways, some more ambitious than others, I can continue practicing lived-in ethics. On a smaller scale, I would like to make a conscious effort to take more time eating meals and being fully present in conversation, two things that Schor discusses the importance of in True Wealth. On a larger scale, for the next 3 years at CC (and hopefully beyond those), I would like to avoid taking planes back and forth from home. There is a train that runs from here to Boston and the only reason I wouldn't take it is because it is less time efficient. It is, however, significantly more sustainable than plane travel and allows you to see the country in a way that planes do not.
Overall this project, and this class in general, has been a very beneficial experience for me and I feel that I have gained a lot of insight and further developed my own, personal, environmental ethic.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Wrapping up with Rapp
Last week marked the end of my time volunteering with the Shooks Run Agro-Forestry project (for the time being at least). The highlight of my time with Gary last week was hearing his suggestions in regards to sustainability initiatives on campus. I pitched to him a few of the ideas that our class came up with last week (ie: green roofs and farm plots outside the dorms) and he was very enthusiastic about these. Although he did say they sounded of similar nature to the ideas he had when he was younger that no one would listen to.. Yet he persevered so so can we! One idea that I have pondering that was not brought up in class, is that whenever facilities is planning to plant a new tree, shrub, etc. they should chose fruit bearing trees and bushes. I asked Gary if he thought this was feasible and he directed me to Colorado Spring's Landscape Code and Policy Manual.
This is a very helpful resource because it goes into detail about which species are native to the different ecosystems in Colorado Springs as well as the historically adapted species. The most relevant parts of the manual are Appendix A: "Native Plant Communities," Appendix B: "Selected Plants," and the Signature Landscapes Design Manual addendum. He also sent me a set of maps of the city's Native Plant Communities, Climate Zones, and General Vergetation and Soil Associations, which I found to be pretty interesting.
Another great resource that Gary referred me to is the Pikes Peak Urban Gardens organization:
http://ppugardens.org/
They are doing great things and I am sure they could be very helpful in on campus initiatives, such as the dorm farm plots. Next year I will be living in the Local Living and Learning Community and my goal is to undertake this idea and hopefully make it happen.
This is a very helpful resource because it goes into detail about which species are native to the different ecosystems in Colorado Springs as well as the historically adapted species. The most relevant parts of the manual are Appendix A: "Native Plant Communities," Appendix B: "Selected Plants," and the Signature Landscapes Design Manual addendum. He also sent me a set of maps of the city's Native Plant Communities, Climate Zones, and General Vergetation and Soil Associations, which I found to be pretty interesting.
Another great resource that Gary referred me to is the Pikes Peak Urban Gardens organization:
http://ppugardens.org/
They are doing great things and I am sure they could be very helpful in on campus initiatives, such as the dorm farm plots. Next year I will be living in the Local Living and Learning Community and my goal is to undertake this idea and hopefully make it happen.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
True Wealth and the Reclamation of Time
There are many parts in the book True Wealth, by Juliet Schor, that directly relate to my lived-in ethics project. Most prominently, the fact that the first principle of plenitude is the reclamation of time. Though perhaps not perfect, I loved Schor's ideas on the ways that society and our values can shift in order to become a more sustainable, stable, happy global community. The fault that I found in her proposal is that it may not be realistic. Her proposed change of priorities from ones related to work, consumption, and monetary achievement to ones about relationships, serving one's community, creating more, and becoming more self proficient, are incredibly appealing to me.
For the past few days I have kept Schor's vision in mind but the things that she makes seem easy have been proving quite difficult. For example, simply slowing down in general and spending less time working and more time connecting with people. These are very difficult tasks in the context of Colorado College. The times last week that I chose to converse with friends, practice yoga, or to spend time painting, instead of getting straight to my homework, only resulted in my being significantly more stressed out when it came time to get to work. This, of course, is the opposite of what Schor intends with her proposed lifestyle changes. Another issue is that there is so much that I want to do and so many opportunities that I want to take advantage of and I think hat my life would be less satisfying without all of these activities. Yet, this rarely allows me time to sit back and relax which is a key component of plentitude. I love her ideas I want to slow down and live that way but it involves sacrifices that are not realistic. Regardless of these flaws, many of Schor's ideas have promise and, if anything, provide initiatives to strive towards whether or not it is realistic for an individual to accomplish all that plentitude entails.
For the past few days I have kept Schor's vision in mind but the things that she makes seem easy have been proving quite difficult. For example, simply slowing down in general and spending less time working and more time connecting with people. These are very difficult tasks in the context of Colorado College. The times last week that I chose to converse with friends, practice yoga, or to spend time painting, instead of getting straight to my homework, only resulted in my being significantly more stressed out when it came time to get to work. This, of course, is the opposite of what Schor intends with her proposed lifestyle changes. Another issue is that there is so much that I want to do and so many opportunities that I want to take advantage of and I think hat my life would be less satisfying without all of these activities. Yet, this rarely allows me time to sit back and relax which is a key component of plentitude. I love her ideas I want to slow down and live that way but it involves sacrifices that are not realistic. Regardless of these flaws, many of Schor's ideas have promise and, if anything, provide initiatives to strive towards whether or not it is realistic for an individual to accomplish all that plentitude entails.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
More Adventures with Gary Rapp
For the past few weeks Gary and I have been working on planting Cottonwood poles and Box Elder Maple Trees, while making sure that other newly planted trees are getting enough water and care. Getting my hands dirty has been a very refreshing and rewarding experience, but I've realized that what I benefit from the most is the conversations that Gary and I have. He is incredibly knowledgable about the Colorado Springs area and eager to share his knowledge.
Learning from Gary I feel that I have gained a better sense of bioregionalism. When we discussed the bioregionalism quiz in class a few weeks back, I realized how little I knew about the area's ecosystems, but over the past few weeks I have acquired a pretty good sense of Colorado College's bioregionalism. For example, I can tell you 5 grasses prevalent in the area (blue grama grass, buffalo grass, kentucky bluegrass, crested wheatgrass, and curly mesquite grass) and that the Siberian Elm trees that are now one of Colorado Spring's dominant tree species, were brought over from Siberia in 1872 by Gen. Palmer because of their drought tolerance. All of this has definitely given me a new appreciation and sense of connection towards the plants I see in passing everyday.
The other day, when deciding where to plant our first Cottonwood pole Gary told me to go with my first instinct. He later elaborated that he has been thinking a lot about the idea of the "shared unconscious" and that perhaps my first instinct was based on the unconscious connection I have with the earth. This is a pretty cool idea to me and here is a link Gary sent me about it if anyone is interested in looking further:
http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/Gregory_Bateson.pdf
Learning from Gary I feel that I have gained a better sense of bioregionalism. When we discussed the bioregionalism quiz in class a few weeks back, I realized how little I knew about the area's ecosystems, but over the past few weeks I have acquired a pretty good sense of Colorado College's bioregionalism. For example, I can tell you 5 grasses prevalent in the area (blue grama grass, buffalo grass, kentucky bluegrass, crested wheatgrass, and curly mesquite grass) and that the Siberian Elm trees that are now one of Colorado Spring's dominant tree species, were brought over from Siberia in 1872 by Gen. Palmer because of their drought tolerance. All of this has definitely given me a new appreciation and sense of connection towards the plants I see in passing everyday.
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| A Siberian Elm tree |
The other day, when deciding where to plant our first Cottonwood pole Gary told me to go with my first instinct. He later elaborated that he has been thinking a lot about the idea of the "shared unconscious" and that perhaps my first instinct was based on the unconscious connection I have with the earth. This is a pretty cool idea to me and here is a link Gary sent me about it if anyone is interested in looking further:
http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/Gregory_Bateson.pdf
Another interesting link Gary referred to me is about The Land Institute located in Salina, Kansas. This is an area that has developed "natural systems agriculture" for prairie ecosystems. This idea of natural systems agriculture is what Gary is trying to instate in the Shooks Run Park ecosystem. The link is an episode of This American Land and minutes 6:44 to 12:02 discuss the Land Institute:
Enjoy!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Week One in Review
The lived-in ethics project has consumed much of my thought this week. Since the project began I have been analyzing every one of my motives, actions, and decisions and trying to determine how well they correlate with my beliefs in general, and specifically about the environment. The more I read about biocentricty the more it appeals to me, however there are some things that it would require giving up that I am not willing to sacrifice. This, and the morality of it, is something I have been thinking about quite often of late.
My specific project of reevaluating my time allocation has been going great!
Deleting my facebook has eliminated the mindless and unproductive time spent on the internet which has been wonderful. I also had the privilege of spending a lot of time outside this week, as well as a lot of time around animals. Specifically Shadow, a lovely retired sled dog, who I dog-sat for the week.
Being in the constant presence of an animal while reading Peter Singer and the like was so interesting. I tried to be mindful of taking her interests into equal consideration as my own. I also pondered many epistemic questions, wondering what the capacity of her thoughts were, how she was feeling, what she was aware of and how much she could perceive about those around her.
In addition, I spent four hours this week with Gary Rapp, who is quickly becoming my new best friend. Gary is an incredibly intelligent, mindful man, who knows more about Colorado Spring's ecology and history than I ever thought was possible. Gary is an avid practioner of native agro-forestry, the reintegration of native plants and eradication of invasive species in order to help ecosystems thrive. He is determined to restore the Shooks Run Park System, whether or not he has to do it all by himself.
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| A section of Shooks Run Park |
While perusing Gary's tree nursery one afternoon, the topic of Aldo Leopold came up. He was excited that we were reading him, for Leopold has been the inspiration for much of his work. Gary loves the idea of being a member of a community that includes all living species. The amount of time and energy that he expends to assist and protect the environment demonstrates how strongly he subscribes to eco-centricity and puts this belief into practice on a regular basis.
It has been very inspiring to witness his dedication and thoughtfulness regarding nature. My time spent trimming trees and inspecting Siberian Elm with Gary has also been incredibly helpful in my personal evaluation of what is important to me. The two afternoons I spent working in Shooks Run Park put me in the best mood. Making actual physical contact with nature is very calming and always puts things into perspective for me. Knowing that such a simple thing can make me so happy has made me realize that perhaps I would be willing to forego the things I have been reluctant about sacrificing, such as skiing and travel by plane, if it meant preserving the wild for myself and others down the road.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Better Time Allocation Here I Come!
Brainstorming for the lived-in ethics project has provided a wonderful opportunity for me to reevaluate my decisions, actions, and overall lifestyle, and how they align with my beliefs and values, specifically those related to the environment. I was lucky enough to grow up with two incredibly environmentally minded parents. My dad directs the state of Massachusetts in making environmentally sound investments and my mom runs programs to introduce people to urban farming. Because of this, and other factors, I consider myself to be a fairly environmentally conscious individual. I have been a vegetarian for two years and have been called a "light nazi" for the lengths that I sometimes go to to make sure that every unnecessary light is turned off. Of course, there is always more to do, and for my lived-in ethics project I would like to focus on better allocating my time. As we discussed in class one morning, time management is a crucial thing! Upon examining how I currently use my time, I think that for the most part I use it well, however there is certainly room for improvement. For the next two blocks, I will not engage in activities that have no apparent benefit to me, the community, or the environment. On the same note, I will spend more time giving back to mama Earth!
My plan to cut down what I perceive to be meaningless activities is to, first off, delete my facebook. Although I do not consider myself a facebook addict by any means, I certainly spend more time on it than is necessary. Time spent on facebook, typically means time spent indoors, and certainly means time using electricity when it is not absolutely necessary. In addition, I will start timing my showers in an effort to make them as efficient as possible. I will also not use electronics, as well as electricity in general, when it is not necessary.
The aspect of my project that I am most excited about is the giving back part. I already volunteer somewhat regularly at the CC farm but I am going to commit to going to at least one of the two hour work days every week. I will also make an effort to get as many of my friends as I can involved as well because the farm can always use more support!
Additionally, I have been in contact with Gary Rapp, of the Shooks Run Agroforestry Project, about volunteering with him and his team. The project operates throughout the Shooks Run Park system a few blocks away from campus. It has been advertised as "working outdoors with woody plants to enhance the streamside forest ecosystem of our watershed neighborhood." In the few conversations I have had with Gary it is clear that he is very knowledgeable in regards to plant biology and ecosystems, something that excites me even more about the project because it will be great to learn more about local ecosystems and agro-forestry in general. Gary goes out several times a week to work on the project and he has said that he is looking for one more volunteer to join him and his team. There is an application for the position which I have sent in this morning and Gary said he will get back to me by tomorrow and with any luck I'll be working with him by the end of the week! I would like to volunteer with the project for at least two hours every week for the rest of the school year.
My hope is that this better time allocation (better in my opinion at least) will become habit by the end of the school year and I will be able to continue it through the rest of my time at CC.
My plan to cut down what I perceive to be meaningless activities is to, first off, delete my facebook. Although I do not consider myself a facebook addict by any means, I certainly spend more time on it than is necessary. Time spent on facebook, typically means time spent indoors, and certainly means time using electricity when it is not absolutely necessary. In addition, I will start timing my showers in an effort to make them as efficient as possible. I will also not use electronics, as well as electricity in general, when it is not necessary.
The aspect of my project that I am most excited about is the giving back part. I already volunteer somewhat regularly at the CC farm but I am going to commit to going to at least one of the two hour work days every week. I will also make an effort to get as many of my friends as I can involved as well because the farm can always use more support!
My hope is that this better time allocation (better in my opinion at least) will become habit by the end of the school year and I will be able to continue it through the rest of my time at CC.
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