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. 

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. 

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.