Ecohouse Terps Journal

The School Year Begins

2009-09-16T09:19:00.002-04:00

It is now September 16th and the fall 2009 semester is in full swing. Although Rebecca and I are no longer living in the EcoHouse that does not mean that the EcoHouse has ended. I swung by earlier this week with current Commons-mate and fellow EcoHouse Alum Emilie to check out our old apartment and steal some water (we had just gone for a brutally hot run.) The EcoHousers are doing well, the apartment is both new and eerily familiar. They have already gone on the famed Anacostia Watershed Field Trip (no word if they were again dazzled by the hot environmentalist Lee) and have had a social bonding event hosted by Emilie's old roommate Natalie.

As much as I have enjoyed contributing to this blog I hope that within the next few days some new members will take up the mantle, there is nothing like a first hand perspective! I will continue to contribute occasionally, however, so fear not... just "Fear the Turtle!"

Summer After Ecohouse

2009-06-22T14:50:00.005-04:00

But you never really leave Ecohouse. I'll explain my meaning.

I'm spending the summer in a house that my friends and I are leasing in College Park for the year. I've been trying to secure this house for five people since January; however, people's plans (including mine) kept changing. In April, mere weeks before the end of my housing agreement, myself and three friends stood in what was hopefully to be our house, stumped. We'd exhausted all the possibilities for a fifth housemate, including a number of possibilities who had been in Ecohouse with me. Then it hit me. An energy-efficient lightbulb lit over my head.

"Phil!" I said, in the tone usually reserved for shouting "Eureka!"

I then explained that my friend Phil was looking for a place to live. I met Phil one day on campus. I saw him walk by and felt a pressing need to talk to him. I like to think this was psychic intuition; however, it may have just been the long hair that pulled me towards him. You decide: am I a gifted mystic or a shallow young lady with a thing for long hair? Anyway, I was about to introduce myself to him when he asked me if I was in Ecohouse. I may have done a double take, checked to see if I was wearing my Ecohouse shirt (I wasn't), before answering yes. It turns out that he had been in Ecohouse the year before me, and he remembered seeing me at the orientation we'd had.

So immediately we had something to talk about. A week or so later, when my friends and I stood in our house mulling over the housemate issue, I had known him just long enough to know that he was looking for housing and that he'd fit in with our group. I'm sitting in the house now. We're all moved in. It's good to be home: our home with the power strips and canvas grocery bags and bikes locked outside and two cars among the five of us. We're walking distance from the metro and the farmer's market, and in the fall we'll be next-door neighboors with Xenia, who was my next-door neighbor in 247 Leonardtown, home of Ecohouse.

So there's that.

Then there's the spontaneous camping trip I took. You see, I had been working at a local restaurant that has a no calling in sick policy when suddenly I was stricken with the plague. On my day off I ended up in the ER less than 12 hours before my next shift. My job might have been spared if I could have found someone to cover for me. But if it seems unlikely to you that a severely ill person would be able to find someone willing to cover a 9am weekend shift on the eve of said shift, you have a pretty good grasp of reality. I was fired. That's okay. Prospects for another summer job look slim but hey: living simply gets a whole lot simpler when you can't afford to live any other way. :)

I spent the next several days recovering (it was some kind of stomach flu). Then I decided to run away to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia for a while. I needed some alone time. It's amazing how well I can organize when I'm not severely ill: I managed to reserve a campsite for three nights, coordinate with my housemates so I could have my car for the weekend, buy food and a few supplies, pack the necessary stuff, finish errands and chores, and rent a tent and sleeping pad in 24 hours. That psychic intuition/ridiculously good luck thing kicked in too: I just so happened to pick a weekend when park admission was free. (They're having more free weekends on July 18-19 and August 15-16; read more here.)

Having just been fired, I needed to keep the trip low-budget. The Outdoor Recreation Center rents camping gear to students for cheap, as in $10 total for the weekend. I walked in, only to be greeted by Beth, another Ecohouse alum who is currently pet-sitting for our Ecohouse instructor. Also, I was wearing my Ecohouse shirt. I told her about my Ecohouse housemate, and all of that is why I say that Ecohouse doesn't really end after two semesters. Tonight I'll be returning the tent to Ecohouse Beth, and soon I'll be checking on the Ecohouse garden, which hopefully isn't too overgrown. Ecohouse Ecohouse Ecohouse. I hope those of you who aren't in College Park are doing exciting things, and that your Ecohouse knowledge and experience and friends have linked positively to current events in your lives too.

Here are some low-quality cell phone photos of Shenandoah, because my camera ran out of batteries and I use film anyway:

White Oak Canyon. This is the view from where I ate lunch on Saturday. It had rained in the morning, but by this time the sun was out and the rocks in the middle of the stream had dried off. There was a waterfall behind me. That glare in the background is actually blue sky and a ridge. This picture really doesn't do the scene justice, especially since it doesn't come with sunshine and a mountain breeze.

It liked my shirt, and my Nalgene, which is also blue.

Pass Mtn. overlook after watching the sunset.

Natalie and I answer a WikiAnswer on Sustainablilty!!!!

2009-05-16T22:41:00.005-04:00

What are the primary components for sustainability?

There are four pillars of environmental sustainability commonly recognized: society, ecology, government, and economy.

More specifically, societal sustainability is concerned with the well being of current people but also future generations. Though common reference to societal sustainability is the "seventh generation" stewardship, which requires that in all actions you consider the needs of the next seven generations, not just your and your own generation's needs. It also includes the need to incorporate sustainable practices into cultural norms in order for the society to persist.

Ecological sustainability is concerned with the health of the natural environment, the conservation of natural resources, and the preservation of ecosystem functions performed by individual members and the ecosystem as a whole. It requires that use of natural resources not exceed the capacity of an ecosystem to regenerate them, known as the carrying capacity. Ecological sustainability also includes preservation of biological diversity, which includes genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.

Governmental sustainability primarily pushes for legislation that furthers the other three components of sustainability, acting as a steward of common resources and the public well being for many generations, not only the present constituents.

Economic sustainability uses the construct known as the triple bottom line, as opposed to the traditional "bottom line", which only concerns itself with monetary success. The triple bottom line considers economic profitability compared to environmental harm or profitability compared to societal harm or profitability.

Here is the link!!!!! And yes, we know we did this at 10:44 on a Saturday night... shut up we are awesome! We think this was a fitting test, a final for EcoHouse in real life if you will... and we will.

I (Maura) also had a wonderfully amazing experience today with my job as an employee at "Good Tidings" the catering company of the University of Maryland. We are slowly but surely becoming green but sometimes it feels like an uphill battle, throwing away disposable plates, watching clients not reycle their bottles, or not having enough staff to do composting. HOWEVER, today even though my AMAZING co-workers Jamall and Hey-xi decided that even though they had been working since 4 AM and it was now 3 PM that they were going to SET UP A BAG FOR THE COMPOST!!!!!!! And I quote "The reason that we decided to set up a compost bag was because we knew that it would make you happy Maura" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was an so COOL to see my INDIVIDUAL contrubution of nagging for compost to PERMEATE into the world! One person CAN make a difference!!!!

Also, being the environmental activist that I am I was dumping out half drank and then abandoned water and juice bottles and soda cans in the bathroom sink when one of the clients asked me "Why are you doing that, do they tell you to?" Scared, thinking she was mad that I was dumping stuff that might make the sink sticky (even though I was rinsing it out), and not wanting my boss or the catering company to get in trouble I truthfly confessed, "No I am just doing this of my own accord. I am an environmental major." Then something magical happened... she said, and I quote, "Oh my gosh, I am always the one at parties doing this too! Thanks so much. I thank you, my children thank you, and my children's children thank you!" I said "Best thank you ever!"

So the moral of my true story is that you should always do what you can to help the environment, you will help to permeate change in unespected places like work, and you will meet kindred spirits in unexspected paces like in the bathroom. Although I got a multi-generational "thank-you" this time around most of the time no one sees you pick up the trash as you walk to class, no one sees you compost your coffee grounds, and no one sees the extra money you spend on organic products. So I, Maura Donovan would like to say

I THANK YOU!!!

My Eco- New Year's Resolution is Victorious

2009-03-31T16:33:00.014-04:00

If there were a group named EcoFails Anonymous until recently I would have introduced myself like this,

"Hello my name is Maura and I am an EcoFail. Yes, I am a 19 year old who does not know how to ride a bike."

"Hi Maura"

However, no more!!!!! I have successfully completed my New Year's Resolution of learning how to ride a bike!!! It was the first nice day in forever, so on March 7th my encouraging roommate Natalie and I went out to the parking lot to check this essential life experience off my New Year's Resolution list. It was very very scary, but now I know how! There were some tough times like when I ran into the van.

But, don't let this picture fool you into thinking we had a stressful, grim, and destructive afternoon, it was a great, silly, and successful afternoon! I have some ridiculous footage taken by my awesome sansei Natalie who taught me how to ride. I hope you all to laugh at me half as hard as I laughed at myself! I could not bring myself to post the truly terrible first runs, just to give you some perspective on how exciting this was!

I sort of had the hang of going straight, but was still very afraid to lean into turns out of fear that I would fall off.

As the afternoon progressed and I became a little more competent at turning we began to focus on precision and tighter turning in the form of U-Turns.

Natalie did a wonderful job at teaching how to ride. She was never without a smile and encouraging advice. By the end of the day I was worthy of Indiana Jones-esque Background Music generously supplied by Natalie.

Today on Sunday April 6th I decided that since I went to all that trouble learning how to ride a bike I should probably take the next step and ride to a destination! I thought, why not ride to church for the 7 pm mass, it it Sunday so there will be little traffic. Plus it only takes 15 minutes to walk to the Catholic Student Center, so riding a bike there would theoretically be even shorter. Confidently I left the apartment bike in tow with 20 minutes to get to mass. Well, long story short I left with 5 minutes to spare walking and I was 10 minutes late biking. I could have walked there twice in the time it took me! However, I am still going to put the ride in the win column. I got a little lost and was therefore late, but I navigated through intersections. Conversely I chickened out and walked through others, but jumped a sloped curb without falling off... and accidentally biked into a wall another time. However, I made it to my destination, I was doing the right thing most of the time and got to where I needed to go without doing any irreparable damage to my brain overall! So again, going in the win column!

Bike riding, as I am discovering, is an enjoyable and efficient pastime. Two of the SGA parties running for election on Tuesday and Wednesday are emphasizing the Campus Bike Share Program as a top priority. All four major parties also tout sustainability as a priority. Bicycles as a means of transportation are uniquely perfect for students on a large campus such as the University of Maryland. The Eppley Recreational Center has a FREE Experiential Bicycle Repair Shop in the Outdoor Recreation Center where our own EcoHouse member Cameron can be found. However the surrounding areas outside of campus are just as passionate about a pleasant and convenient biking experience that intrinsically be found on a campus. Check out the College Park Area Bicycle Coalition to see resources available to local bicyclers including a local map. I am just scratching the surface, and probobly don't have the best information because I am just learning, however I do encourage all of the EcoHouse to think about taking their bikes out for a spin one of these really nice days. You all may rediscover your love for something that all normal people learned in their childhoods.

Notice anything different about me?

2009-02-27T14:14:00.003-05:00

Well, I'll tell you what's different: I cut my hair!

Before this morning, people would often accidentally sit on my hair when they sat next to me on the couch. I had bleached the last 4-5 inches several times, and while the blue, red, and purple dyes I used were conditioning, the tips were finally starting to get yucky.

So now the longest parts go about down to my armpits. Some people consider that long, but you know, it won't get sat on.

What am I going to do with my ex-hair? About four years ago I came home from school late with an 18 inch braid dangling in my hands, and I informed my mother that I was sending it to Locks of Love. This time, I don't have a long, undamaged braid; I have multi-colored clippings. So I'm going to send my clippings to Matter of Trust.

Matter of Trust is a San Francisco-based company that uses hair clippings to clean up oil spills. I'd send it somewhere closer, but the San Fran company is the only one I know of. Hair does a good job of soaking up oil, as you'll know if you've ever been camping in a no-shower zone. The hair mats are biodegraded by fungi in the water, apparently, and they can make good compost. Only in San Francisco. Someday we won't have oil spills and I'll have to think of some other destination for my hair.

If you prefer to give business to your local hair salon instead of cutting your hair at home, you can still ask your stylist to send your hair to Matter of Trust. I'm excited to send my quart-sized bag full of hair to them.

Okay, excuse me, I need to go back to obsessing over my reflection and tossing my hair around like a ridiculously vain horse now.

A New Semester

2009-02-22T10:13:00.004-05:00

Hello!

This is Maura for those who are new, I am a sophomore English and Environmental Science and Policy double major.

There is so much to tell about this semester! We have moved back in, well... I actually discovered yesterday one of my roommates still has not unpacked, Susie it is the end of Febuary! The class has lost a few faces to study abroad programs and packed schedules, but we have gained a new addition too. WELCOME EZINNE!!!!!!!! It is very nice living with you, and I want the world to know...lol. Not only are the faces new, but EcoHouse's format has changed for this semester. Now some of us are doing semester long projects, and others are doing multiple small challenges.

We has a REALLY fun scavenger hunt last week which was the highlight of my Sunday! My group had such a silly time with one of the picture items to scavenge: pretend to sleep on a bus... there were no seats, so I am pretending to be asleep standing on a bus! Rachel conquered a fear on the Scavenge by getting on my back for a ride, she confessed that she is always scared the person is going to fall down. On a different team, Dave was so comitted to a win that he PURCHASED a cup! However, I bought a sandwich from the Co-op so I think it is safe to bet everyone gets caught up in the spirit of competition.

I think that the scavenger hunt represents the best of what EcoHouse has to offer a student. We had a really great time with eachother and we learned a lot about people that we may not have known before. There was also the presence of fun and positive "morals to the story" (or hunt) that underscored the event about sustainability and active participation in life. I am so grateful that I have had the oppertunity to meet and bond with the people that comprise EcoHouse. Rebecca deserves a lot of credit for making this Scavenger Hunt a sucess and for being an integral part of the spirit of EcoHouse. Rebecca not only has organized this event, but she also set up the EcoHouse Blog, and updates it far more regualarly than I. Without a doubt my EcoHouse experince would be far less rich had it not been for Rebecca. And she, for any potential EcoHousers out there, is just one member of this living and learning program. Imagine living with and interacting with dozens of like minded passionate students. That is why living in the EcoHouse is so amazing and why I am so privileged to be a member!

PS Rebecca I would love it if you posted the Scavenger Hunt list online in case anyone wants to re-create or relive the magic!

Winter greens

2009-02-20T13:17:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since the Greench stole Christmas, and I'm about ready for winter to be over. Pretty much every organism changes its behavior during the winter. People don't, and that's why I think 10% of the population suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder or the winter blues. It wouldn't be so bad if we slowed down, hibernated, maybe shed our leaves or flew to Mexico. The deficient sunlight would still be a fact of life, but not as much of a disorder.

'Course, nobody's forcing me to be so productive. I'm a student. I'm paying them.

Anywho, if you wake up every morning cursing the cold and the sun in the southern sky, good news: Now is a good time to start planting for the spring. You can start seedlings indoors 4-8 weeks before the last winter frost. Read the instructions on the [organic] seed package to find out how much sunlight and water to give the seeds, how long to wait for them to sprout, and when to put them outside. The Ecohouse garden group is using old cardboard egg cartons as containers for our seedlings. Read more about starting plants indoors. The article has suggestions for types of soil to use - you can use compost, too.

And so it begins.

2009-02-18T14:10:00.003-05:00

We've started recruiting new members for Ecohouse. This means that flyers with the EH website on them are being distributed all over campus, which in turn means that lots of people might be swinging by the blog soon. Yikes! I mean, Hi! Welcome!

Welcome to the Ecohouse blog.

My name is Rebecca. I walk an interesting line with this blog. I need to balance my impulse to make my college friends chuckle with some air of professionalism. If I get political, I try to present something debatable, not definite. I try to read the news but sometimes I get very busy making news, or not making the news being an unsung hero. (Oops, I just sung myself. So much for that.) When I leave Ecohouse in the spring, I hope this blog will be taken over by someone who loves to write, and feels confident doing so to a diverse demographic. I've leaned towards sharing my ponderings here, but I look forward to seeing what students will make of this blog in the future. If there's anything you'd like to see in this blog (or not like to see in this blog) in the mean time, drop me a comment!

Now I bring you our feature presentation: Top 10 Reasons to Join Ecohouse.

1. It's a great way to supplement your ENSP or other environment-related major with leadership and service experience.
2. For less environmentally oriented majors, Ecohouse is a chance to learn about environmental issues that you're interested in.
3. You can walk to campus, the metro, and the farmer's market.
4. You'll make friends. Oh yes, you will make friends. United by our interest in sustainability, we're still a pretty diverse group. Everybody can belong: tree-huggers, yes, but also Greek terps, students of all identities and persuasions, even English majors!
5. There's nothing like group support and/or peer pressure to get you into the habit of living sustainably.
6. You'll be in a program designed to help you make change on campus. Do you think the dorms should compost? Should there be more recycling at athletic events? In Ecohouse, you'll have the resources to start major projects.
7. Rare opportunities such as touring a nuclear power plant have been known to arise for Ecohouse students.
8. We compost, we have a garden, low-flow showerheads, and plenty of room for fresh ideas.
9. Hawaii and the Virgin Islands. What about them? You'll have to find out...
10. Ecohouse, like college, your relationship with the environment, and your Friday night, is what you make it.

Scavenger hunt!

2009-02-15T13:41:00.003-05:00

Today, for a "team-building" activity, we did a scavenger hunt. We broke into teams to gather items and photos of things both eco-friendly and zany.

My team consisted of myself, Tory, and Dave. Our team name? "The winners." That's right. As Dave sprinted a mile down the Paint Branch Trail to borrow somebody's dog for a photo, I said to Tory, "Hey, we need to come up with a team name." We thought for a second and, in the same instant, said "The winners!" We'll see if it turns out to be so.

Why so confident? Well maybe it's the fact that we didn't only get a picture with a freshman; we got a picture with a freshman half-naked in bed at noon. There is a photo of me looking two feet tall in comparison to Dave, who is about 60 pounds heavier than me and receiving a piggyback. A female cop posed for us, giving him a high-five. We have a clear picture of Tory talking to the Jim Henson statue, even though Michelle's team tried to sabotage the photo by running in front of us. The Food Co-op kindly donated some coffee beans to our cause... ahem... So should I play the Queen now, or later? Weeee are the champions, my friends...

I was impressed to learn that Maura actually owns organic underwear, and tickled pink by Aaron's team bringing in a plant as their solar-powered object.

The overwhelming sentiment seemed to be, "I didn't expect that to be fun, but it was!" Which, uhh, was nice to hear since I brainstormed the whole activity. (But I put lots of stuff I didn't have on the list, so don't say I cheated!) I based it on a similar event that went down in my hometown during winter break. That scavenger hunt called for a plastic Santa, a picture of a team member getting arrested (no actual arrests took place - cops in our town get bored and gladly obliged by cuffing us), and a rubber chicken, among other things. Nobody found a rubber chicken, but the team that put a fried chicken wing in a condom won. This scavenger hunt was a tad more PC and eco-themed than the one back home, but hilarity ensued nonetheless.

Hopefully Maura will update us with her version of today's events.

Thoughts from an English major and transformative Taurus

2009-01-25T10:27:00.007-05:00

I believe that actions speak louder than words, but that's not to underestimate the power of words. I would go so far as to think that changing language - the word, its meaning, or your understanding of it - is an action in itself.

Today's word, inspired by the dreaded activity of moving in: materialism.

Materialism was once a dirty word for me. It brings consumerism to mind, taking pleasure in owning loads of unnecessary objects, all of which take from nature, some of which rob people instead of allowing them to profit. The dirty word materialist doesn't care about that, because shiny toys matter the most. Being raised in a Christian household and having read the gospels as a kid, I grew up with an awareness that the material shouldn't matter. I wasn't ready to give up all my worldly possessions and become a nun, but a longstanding teaching of Christianity is that the spiritual world and the physical world are separate things. The goal is to give up the material in favor of the spiritual. So, when I became an environmentalist, that ethic translated over to living sustainably. Not having piles of stuff in my possession meant I was a good person, having a lot of stuff meant I was a bad person.

I started exploring astrology at an early age too, and I was dismayed to learn that Taurus, my sign, is supposed to be the materialistic sign. That made me mad. Hmmph! I said, What do you know, astrology? You're not science OR religion, you don't get to tell me who I am! But that word got stuck on my mind, and I often felt like I was doomed to be materialistic. Until astrology redeemed itself when I discovered that Taurus is also supposed to be powerfully creative, to the point where a bull, once enlightened, can transform into a butterfly. That's a big change.

So I started thinking of materialism as a good word. I remembered a biblical passage that had confused me as a kid, in which materialists were criticized as people who obsess over trash rather than devoting their lives to God. Since we learned in school that picking up trash was a good thing, I thought it was weird that this passage suggested it was a bad thing. The good materialist values everything. That means instead of being a spendthrift, you spend all the more wisely. It means you can take pleasure in stuff without having it - just appreciate the stuff being sold at stores until there's something worth taking pleasure in buying. Litter makes a good materialist sad because it's degrading to both nature and to the object, which somebody made with their hands or with machines that require hands at some point. Good materialists don't love lots of food, but love rich food and drink that's finely produced by fine people who keep sustainable ethics in mind.

My stepsister, who is also a Taurus, has the same attitude about material things that I do: we absolutely can't stand having too much stuff. This is because we are conscious of every single thing we have. Every pair of socks takes up space in our consciousness, and when we have more than we can keep track of, we actually worry. (Socks have been the bane of my consciousness for a long time.) We're struck with nausea if we fill up trash bags and bring them to the dump. Donating or recycling old things makes us feel a little better, but not if we can't envision every single one of those objects having a productive future. The gifts we appreciate the most are immaterial or have a long history, and a long future ahead of them, of being used. We need everything to have its own space, but hate taking up too much space. We love beauty, art, good food and drink, comfort, books, toys, and games, but loving all that stuff takes thought and energy. We need room in our brains and spirits to fit stuff besides, well, stuff. That's why we get so exhausted at Christmas, which in our family centers around getting lots of unasked for stuff. We're bulls that have developed sensitive antennae. Good materialists.

On cars

2009-01-13T13:45:00.004-05:00

A story from NPR discussing the domestic auto industry and the challenges of making eco-friendly cars. The discussion boards continue the conversation. It's basically about the convergence of industry, policy, and consumer preference.

When I went to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, which essentially is a rural area because everything is spread out, it was necessary to have a vehicle to get from place to place if you expected to get there in a reasonable amount of time. In the suburban sprawl where I grew up, people find vehicles necessary not because of distance, but because of time constraints. All the necessities, including restaurants and recreational sites, tend to be less than three miles away (that's <3, how cute!). Three miles is doable for walking or biking, but most people will not spend an hour making a grocery run by bike or on foot if they can spend 20 minutes and be able to carry more in their cars. Plus, if Kid X has karate on one side of town that starts at the same time as Kid Y's soccer on the other side of town, a car becomes handy. Also, I remember how much walking around wore me out as a kid, having to take more steps and everything, and it would be a shame to wear a kid out before a game or lesson. My town does not have public transportation and has scarce bike lanes; some of the surrounding towns don't even have sidewalks in non-residential areas. All of this makes it difficult to leave the car at home even if your schedule is flexible enough. (Coincidentally, I've been leaving it at home anyway - but I'm on break and have all the time in the world.)

My Uncle Joe had a stroke of brilliance. Since most families in the suburbs own two cars, he said, it would be efficient to have one short-range electric car and one conventional car. The short-range would be for running errands, maybe driving to work if it's close enough. The long-range would be for trips that the short-range car couldn't make. At the same time, we should be making the switch to renewable energy so that when we plug the electric cars in, they're not using dirty energy to charge up. Congress, Barack Obama, Nobel Prize committee, are you listening?

Permanence

2009-01-06T11:16:00.001-05:00

Tattoos stay with you for life. If you get a tattoo at age 20, you might live until you're 90, and thus have the tattoo for 70 years.

The reason I bring this up is that I was looking at pictures of some amazing tattoos, done by P. Syrjälä at the Art for Life Tattoo Studio in Finland, and a lot of them are of animals. The most popular tattoo of 2008, at least at his studio, seems to be the tiger. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the overall trend, since the tiger was voted as man's favorite animal in 2004. The tiger is an iconic species for conservation. Because people love tigers so much, they can act as the poster species for conservation efforts that focus on biodiversity in general. Tigers, wolves, and eagles are important, but so are the more unsightly (or unseen) creatures like plankton, fungus, and insects. With most conservation efforts the money people donate to save tigers goes not only to saving tigers, but to saving their prey, their prey's prey, and fauna that provides a habitat for them.

There's a lot of interesting information on tigers, their biology, their cultural significance, and their conservation status on Wikipedia - seems like a well-kept article. Here's a site about tigers brought to you by the Woodland Park Zoo.

Anyway, I was marveling at these tattoos because wouldn't it be crazy if an animal, a significant poster animal, went extinct during our lifetimes? Three subspecies of tiger have already gone extinct in the past century. If the rest went extinct, we'd have people going around with tattoos of the animal that originally were tributes but became memorials. It's a tad morbid. Mass extinctions do tend to be a downer. But there are ways you can prevent mass extinctions in your own backyard.

I think wearing a big beautiful tiger picture on your skin is a good way to attract attention to conservation issues. The National Park Service, to which I'm applying for an internship this summer, has a uniform policy wherein employees have to cover their tattoos. I'll be more than happy to comply for the sake of the opportunity. Plus, not everybody likes tattoos and I wouldn't want to alienate anyone from visiting the parks. However, as the tools of the tattoo trade (and the tattoo removal trade) become more advanced, more and more people of our generation are choosing to get tattoos. As more people get them, the idea that they are inherently unprofessional will probably go away. It's already starting to in some workplaces.

While everyone has personal reasons for choosing a tattoo design, having a tattoo like the ones pictured below could be considered like wearing a "Save the Whales" T-shirt, except permanently. And not only permanently, but more evocative of the beauty and character of wildlife. Realistic tattoos such as these allow the animal to speak for its own conservation while showing that the person with the tattoo is committed. They can even show ecological relationships, emphasizing not one species but the whole system of interacting species. Finally, a well-chosen tattoo represents sustainable planning, in the sense that if one wishes to have a tattoo and never regret it, one will choose something for which the meaning and beauty of the image will last a whole lifetime.

Will I get one like this? Not anytime in the near future. Plus, it would be silly to fly all the way to Finland for a tattoo that's supposed to have a pro-environment message. I'd have to shop around locally... after I get a steady job, good income, choose an animal, decide on the placement, and know I really want it.

As I said above, these are from the Art for Life Tattoo Studio in Finland. The gallery is here, but if you look at the gallery be warned that not all the tattoos are what you might consider modest.

(What's particularly impressive about the one above is it's covering up an old tattoo.)

Happy new year!

2009-01-01T12:05:00.004-05:00

What sort of resolutions have the Ecohouse students been coming up with? I'm so glad you asked. Here are some of them, in their own words:

Maura: Shorter showers and learning how to ride a bike!

Natalie: My new year's resolution is to learn to cook vegetarian food. Having been a vegetarian for 6 years now it's probably about time.

Olivia: I resolve to pay special attention to where my food and other products are coming from to reduce the miles they go. Also, on second thought, I resolve to actually remember my reusable bags when I go to the store.

Michelle: One of my new year's resolutions is to live more simply.

Hanna: My new year's eco resolution is to eat only local meat.

Elena: I've been wanting to live more simply ever since I joined Ecohouse (be happier with fewer things, be content without always being hooked up with tvs, computers, phones, etc). (She asked me to reword this one but I think it's pretty good the way it is.)

Makeda, our lovely teaching assistant: My resolution is to use public transportation at least two times a week and to take more walks outside (even if it's a little chilly for me!!!).

And me? Well, I want to ride a bike more regularly, more because it's fun than anything. I want to take shorter showers more often than not - I'm good about them, but then the air gets cold and I slide back into the "I'll just stand here for a while until I'm good and ready..." mode. I want to buy things locally instead of ordering them online. When I do order them, I'll order them from relatively close by. And since most of the things I order on the internet are books (used, at least I get that one right), I'll get into the habit of checking the library for the books that I want instead of buying them.

So happy new year and may you all find the time, willpower, guts, and oomph to not only keep your resolutions, but make new ones throughout the year. You do at least have the support of Ecohouse.

How the Greench Stole Christmas

2008-12-17T17:46:00.019-05:00

Jumping on with the trend Maura started, I too decided to write a holiday poem. Finals shminals.

How the Greench Stole Christmas

All the people back home liked Christmas a lot.
But the Greench at Ecohouse had a troubling thought:

She didn't buy Christmas! The whole buying season.
It seemed wrong to her, yet no one quite got the reason.
It could be that the spirit of Christmas is such
that people just love it, no matter how much
Mother Earth may suffer. It's worth Her sacrifice
for this day on which people decide to be nice.

But whatever their reasons, be it family or friends,
The Greench couldn't feel good without making amends.
She grew to dread Christmas, which now starts in October.
She felt so alone. Was no one else sober?
She knew they were shopping at malls everywhere,
not sharing her values, not seeming to care.

"And they're clogging the highways!" she sighed with a moan.
"Their heaters are blasting! They're driving alone!"
Then she sniffled. The engines outside just kept humming.
"But what can I do? Stop Christmas from coming?"

She remembered the joy she once felt on that day,
tearing wrappings on presents she'd just throw away.
And then! Oh, the waste! Oh, the waste, waste, waste, waste!
That's one thing she hated: the waste! Waste! Waste! Waste!
Then all, young and old, would sit down to a feast.
And they'd feast! And they'd feast! And they'd feast, feast, feast, feast!
They'd feast on factory meats and non-organic treats
and not care where their food had come from in the least.

But it wasn't all bad. There'd be warmth for a day
in December, a prospect that's more than okay.
The Greench has a father and mother as well,
and cousins to play with, and stories to tell,
and she does like her presents, and the songs are okay
except at the mall where they're all overplayed.

What to do, what to do? And it struck: an idea!
The Greench had a wonderful, brilliant idea!

"I know just what to do!" the Greench shouted with glee.
The first thing she did? Why, she chose a real tree
from a farm, not the wild, and then for her mother
who's allergic to pine, she looked for another -
a fake one this time, for reuse each year.
She reused wreaths too: less damage, same cheer.

She was just getting started! The next thing she did
was pick out a gift for her stepsister's kid.
She found treasure upstairs at a small local shop:
A penguin friend made with sustainable crops!
And in that same store she found fair trade tea,
homemade soaps, local art, and organic coffee.

She looked for the labels and paid the nice lady,
then carpooled down the street going 30 (not 80).
Down the street was a large and abundant thrift store,
which isn't a place that's reserved for the poor.
She found clothes, toys and games, CDs, dishes and books,
electronics and more - used, but you can't tell by looks.

And she still wasn't finished! Back in her Greench lair
she had tons of stuff that was just sitting there.
Would someone else want it? Could she make something new?
"With my old craft supplies, why, that's just what I'll do!"
Then it came time for wrapping. And out from the depths,
she dug up last year's paper and bags that she'd kept.

"Made of recycled paper!" she laughed. For herself,
instead of stuff that would just gather dust on her shelf,
she asked people to give to the Earth that sustains her.
Those buying for her know that injustice pains her.
Planting trees for a shirt, though, why that's the cat's meow!
There are so many options for buying fair now.

But some people still like to do things the old way.
The Greench shrugged and she said, "I think that's okay.
There are things that I've wanted since eight months ago,
but instead of buying them then, I told myself no.
For a lot of that stuff, my wants ceased to exist.
But the stuff I still want, well, that goes on my list!"

The Greench turned off her lights and welcomed the glow
of moonlight reflecting off fresh-fallen snow.
And on the next day she awoke to the smell
of breakfast, organic and healthy as well.
She greeted her family and felt the warmth spread
From her generous heart to her idea-filled head.

The warmth was refreshing and melted the thought
that Christmas consisted of wasting a lot.
"It came without car fumes. It came without stress.
It came without making a big global mess.
"Maybe Christmas," she quoted, "doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas is something we all can afford."

All people, that is, and all creatures too,
and all cultures can thrive, no matter who
you may worship or pray to or give all your thanks.
It's meaningful "spending", not breaking the bank.
What tradition exists outside of the land?
We all create culture within Nature's hands.

Photo of snow in moonlight taken from http://picasaweb.google.com/Thuleexplorer/BestShotsSept282007#5116606848653722306.

End of the Semester Sonnet

2008-12-08T09:29:00.003-05:00

If it isn't the Eco-House blog readers!
The end of the semester is close by,
Due dates are approaching from all teachers,
Yet here is SNOW and vacation seems nigh!

Last Monday of last week of classes,
The prospect of work inspires no joy,
Waiting for the bus we freeze our ... hmmm
Another assignment, "Thanks, oh boy!"

Yet think of all that we have learned thus far,
On sustainability and the earth,
The toil, sweat, and tears seem worth much more,
Together we have seen its and our worth!

So though we're stressed, at the end of our rope,
We are an Eco-Family and share hope!

Best. Leadership Activity. Ever.

2008-12-03T22:35:00.008-05:00

Well, at least the best Leadership Activity for Ecohouse I've ever done. (Joke: I've only done this one.)

I spent about 8-10 hours working on setting up this event, Sustainability & the War on Drugs. I would have spent more hours if I hadn't gotten help from my friends in NORML and SSDP. (Disclaimer: Ecohouse does not endorse the politics of NORML and SSDP. I do, though! Officially!)

It was very stressful, even with the help. I had no idea how to go through the rental processes and taking care of the contract for the guest speaker and paying for everything with SSDP's budget (once again, thanks SSDP), so I did a lot of running around and making phone calls and being confused and even crying a little (aww). At some points I thought of some less than savory things to say about the Ecohouse program for putting me through all this, but like a child who finds it is worth it to do the lame thing her parents wanted her to do, I'm now very glad Ecohouse required me to do something like this. (Anyway, you don't have to do 10 hours for your leadership activity. You can earn full credit for anything that lasts up to 5 hours, extra for more.)

I also did a short presentation, about 10 minutes, in the beginning. I just introduced myself as an Ecohouse student working through SSDP and NORML to do my leadership project, introduced Sanho Tree as basically a guy who does great work (he does!), defined sustainability and war on drugs and drug policy reform, and gave some domestic examples of how the war on drugs hurts the environment. Our drug laws prohibit the growth of industrial hemp even though it would be great for the environment and economy, and even though industrial hemp has no psychoactive effects, because apparently some people want to stop the scourge of reefer madness. I think it's madness that marijuana is classified as a schedule I drug. Anyway, not only have current approaches failed to reduce supply, they also hurt the environment. For instance, people will grow drug plants on public property to avoid the danger of having their own property seized. When was the last time people felt the need to hide a cotton farm in the national forest? The last time people ran home drug manufacturing operations was during alcohol prohibition when they made moonshine. Now people are doing it with methamphetamine and other drugs. Such operations have no safety, health, or environmental regulations. Another thing I mentioned is suburban sprawl, and how cities would be more desirable to live in if there were not open air drug markets and gang violence (thanks for the idea, Eric Sterling).

I left the remaining little-over-an-hour to Sanho.

He rocked our socks off.

I am so happy. I heard him speak at the International SSDP Conference in 2006, and he covered some of the same topics here tonight. Here's a video clip from that conference:

And here's a clip of one of the other things he talked about tonight:

He blew people away. NORML members, my friends, and a reporter for the school paper were the first to show up. But then Ecohouse students, students in Maryland for Clean Energy, and some unfamiliar faces filed in. The turnout came out to about 30-35 people. I'm so happy people from green groups came to this event. They enjoyed Sanho's discussion so much that they want to invite him back next semester to talk about the same thing to a wider audience. A couple of them took his card. There was a good amount of questions and like 60% of the people stayed afterwards to chat excitedly. I don't care that I'm getting course credit for this. This is huge because people tend to pass over drug policy reform as a special interest instead of something that really impacts all aspects of society and social justice. All the stress that went into planning and publicizing and fretting over my introduction/presentation when I have so much other stuff on my mind (My Issues: another blog entirely) was totally worth it. I feel all warm and fuzzy. And smarter, even though I've listened to him before, because he talked for much longer than he did at the 2006 conference and added some great facts, ideas, and insights. And oh, did he talk about sustainability and the war on drugs. I love hearing new things about issues I've been learning about for a while.

I mean, even if all the drug policy stuff I did doesn't fly with you, the sustainability aspect is where it's at in Ecohouse and the leadership project is one of the opportunities we get to have meaningful experiences. (Did I mention the experience was meaningful to me?)

Eco-FOOTBALL!!!!

2008-11-24T00:22:00.004-05:00

Hey there EcoHouse!
Today in the crisp November air nine of us had a foot"ball"! Aaron, Dillon, Cameron, Emilie, Susie, Joe, Mike, Josh, and myself went out and had a really good time. We had a representative from all but two of the Ecohouse apartments so, way to go guys! We gathered and started playing good-old-fashioned two-hand-touch football around 3:30 and kept at it until the sun was setting at about 5. We divided into 4 on 4 teams of Mike, Emilie, Josh, and myself vs. Aaron, Cameron, Susie, and Joe. Dillon played permanent QB for much of the game and was amazing, executing excellent plays and accurate passes to everybody. Josh and Joe dominated the scoring with their skillful speed and ability to catch and retain possession of long passes. Aaron had some awesome down completions including one very impressive two footed slide on the grass after which he managed to stay upright. Mike took over QB, and was a clutch blocker, and scored a touchdown. Cameron was also a down completing master, relief QB, and touchdown maker. Emilie was by far the most skilled female and the organizer of this fun social activity so PROPS! She had the unenviable position of covering Joe and was the only female to make a touchdown. Susie was a great sport at learning the rules as she went along. Her tight coverage of me also meant that when I managed to catch the ball (about 75% of the time) I barely got any separation. We had a really fun time, got some good exercise, and had a chance to hang out in the fresh air! After all what is November if there are not at least a few pick up games of touch football? We definitely want to do this again and hope that even more people come. I feel really bad because I cannot remember what the final score was, but we were pretty even throughout and were 5-5 or 5-6 (counting each touchdown as one point) near the end of the game. It just goes to show that it really doesn't matter if you win or loose, just that you have fun!

Plenty's Ask blog

2008-11-18T20:15:00.004-05:00

Hey! Have you ever had a question about living sustainably that has stumped everybody you've asked? I know I have. Frequently asked questions pages and Top Ten Ways lists are great for beginners, but what about those of us who are hardcore?

Plenty Magazine has a blog just for folks like us. The questions are smart and the answers are thorough. Go forth, environerd, and become wiser.

Environmental Tip of the Day

2008-11-04T12:46:00.001-05:00

Go vote.

even if you have to drive really far

Trick or treat!

2008-10-31T12:23:00.002-04:00

Hey! Are you really an eco-friendly consumer, or is that just a costume?

I bring you the second of Josh's three articles: 7 Bad Habits of Eco-Design Driven Consumers

Mind you, these are only seven of 'em. There are others. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

And since I couldn't help but notice what day it is, here is a list of Eco-friendly ideas for celebrating Halloween from the Nature Moms blog. It may be kind of late to prepare for this year's trick-or-treating, but let's face it, we eat candy all year round.

Over my dead body?

2008-10-29T23:42:00.004-04:00

Over the next few days I'll be posting Josh's eco-tips, sent out in the form of articles this time around. They're quite interesting!

This first one is very relevant to the holiday season: no, I don't mean Christmas, New Year's, or even Thanksgiving. I mean All Hallows' Eve, El Día de los Muertes, Samhain... This is the time of year to think about death.

Well, if that's the sort of thing that floats your boat, I mean. For some people it's more of a time to hand out candy to throngs of adorable children. Others dress as their favorite pun or pop culture figure and go out to impress partygoers with their cleverness; yet others dress down and face the frigid October evening as some permutation of a seductive (insert profession here). "Sexy Environmental Consultant", for instance.

Still, let's pretend that we're all thinking about death.

Thinking about it? Good. Now here's an interesting thing you could do with your mortal coil once you've shuffled it off:

I can do what now?

That is pretty awesome! A full ecosystem approach to the old idea of planting a tree or letting a barrow grow over your buried body. Of course if I got one of these, I might advise my loved ones to save boat fuel and not visit my gravesite. I could circumvent this issue by ensuring that all of my loved ones are fish... but then, who would pay for it? Hopefully I'll have several decades to figure it out.

Nothing lasts. Things will grow over our gravesites, many things in succession, and I'm pretty cool with that. This article simply gives you the option of having marine things grow over you instead of terrestrial things... at least until the boundaries of the oceans and continents change. By then your body will be broken down all over the place and think of all the ways it will contribute to earth systems! You won't have an ecological footprint; you'll be the ecosystem that people tread upon. Conservationists always talk about the future generations. Well, if you think about it, we're walking on, breathing, eating, drinking, and even polluting the past ones. Nature's so great at recycling that we don't usually think of it like that.

Anyway, the zombies haven't gotten to me yet so I still have my brains intact, philosophical ramblings notwithsanding. I'm going to move on from thinking about that stuff and think instead about what I'm going to do tomorrow.

My PLE

2008-10-25T13:19:00.006-04:00

In the Ecohouse program, one of the ways to earn course credit is to have a "Personal Learning Experience."

I had mine today: NEVER bite into a raw green chili pepper. Seriously. Not even a tiny, baby ant-sized bite. I barely took half a nibble off the tip of it, in a strange burst of frat boy-like experimental curiosity. At first it tasted like a green bell pepper. Then my salivary glands started working overtime and I ran to the sink just in time for a tidal wave of spit to come out. I then poured myself a glass of water from the fridge, and had trouble taking a first sip because I was hiccupping uncontrollably. But desperation lent me the will to gulp some water, then pour another glass, then put a few breath mints in my mouth because it was still burning, then pour another glass of water, which I am slowly sipping now while chewing more breath mints.

I really am a bright person. I won't suffer any sinus congestion for the next year, at least. It kind of reminds me of the sort of hijinks my 10-year-old cousin would get into, except he would do it to be funny and me, I just end up being funny.

I got the offending pepper at the local farmer's market, where Natalie, Elena, Phil, and I found good deals on vegetables, fruits, and baked goods. Elena found her beloved Lima beans and I replenished my sweet potato supply, among other things. Yes Mom, I am eating my vegetables here at school. I also relieved some of the lavender bushes outside the apartments of a few sprigs. The flowers are hanging in the living room now, drying so that I can use them for tea. Meanwhile the clover and rye we planted are starting to grow, helped along by the rain:

In Elena & Co.'s apartment, they've carved jack o' lanterns, which I've pictured next to the bicycles to give it some Ecohouse flavor:

Before going to the farmer's market, we watched a guy dig up this tree stump. A perk of living at Ecohouse is you can stop and touch the types of soil, analyzing the content, and you're not considered weird. Or at least you're not alone.

First day in the garden

2008-10-11T18:12:00.003-04:00

Or, as they say where I'm from, gaahdin. Am I right, Elena?

We pulled several months' worth of weeds, tilled the soil, and spread seeds for winter rye and crimson clover. They're cover crops that will:

1. Prevent soil erosion
2. Prevent weed growth
3. Fix nitrogen in the soil - more nutrients for spring seeds!
4. Maybe even attract some biodiversity.

Then we watered them. To build our arm strength, we filled a watering can in our apartment and then carried it out to the garden plot four times. (We don't have a hose or rain catchment system or nothin' hooked up yet - they're working on it.)

Grow, seeds, grow!

More on that later, when more stuff happens.

Your EcoFriendly Cleaning Supplies

2008-10-08T21:09:00.003-04:00

Tonight you probably received a delivery: two squirt bottles filled with a minty fluid and two jugs or bottles of a substance suspiciously resembling lemonade. But these were not your generic bottles of lemony-fresh liquid. No, instead they were the result of Aaron, Natalie, Elena and my work this evening in the EcoHouse Cleaning Supplies Workshop!

You may be questioning what to do with all of this, so I bring you a little explanation. What we've provided for you is Lemon-Mint Window Wash and Bleach / Brightener Substitute. The window wash should essentially be a substitute for Windex. It's made from lemon juice, water, cornstarch, and peppermint essential oil -- all eco-friendly and ready to keep your windows shiny. Use it like you would use any window cleaner, except instead of your standard cleaning rag, the recipe we used suggests you clean your windows using newspaper to avoid streakiness. We tested it out in the Leonardtown Community Center windows, and it was successful! (Our secret mission to make the entire community center smell like peppermint was also a success.) We suggest the usage of your least favorite part of the Diamondback for all your window-cleaning needs.

The bleach / brightener substitute is for your laundry needs. It's a pretty simple solution: hydrogen peroxide and grapefruit juice mixed with a lot of water. Who knew that grapefruit juice could clean your clothes? The recipe says to use 2 c. per load of laundry, presumably to brighten the colors. This has yet to be thoroughly tested, though plans to use the concoction are in the works.

Since we didn't get the chance to before we distributed them to the apartments: please label your cleaning solutions! Though most of the ingredients are relatively harmless, we'd rather you didn't mistake bleach substitute for lemonade. Lemonade doesn't contain hydrogen peroxide, this does. Be kind to your future self and give yourself a label to read.

If you haven't seen these mysterious solutions show up in your cleaning supplies yet, ask your roommates about them! Every EcoHouse apartment got some, and they're quite useful as near as we can tell.

Interested in making your own eco-friendly cleaning supplies? The recipes we used are:

Lemon-Mint Window Wash

Juice from one fresh lemon
2 cups water or club soda
½ teaspoon peppermint essential oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Mix all ingredients and pour into plastic spray bottle. Shake well before using.

Bleach/Brightener Substitute

1 cup hydrogen peroxide
1 ¼ cup lemon or grapefruit juice
12 cups water

Store in a labeled one-gallon plastic jug. Add 2 cups per load.

There's more! If you're interested in any other eco-cleaning supplies, email me at olivia dot buzek at gmail dot com.

A week in the life

2008-10-08T21:01:00.005-04:00

And it's only Wednesday.

I just thought I'd post about the Ecohouse stuff I've done this week in the context of my schedule. Non-Ecohouse stuff (which is to say, not necessarily supported by or universal to Ecohouse) is italicized. This way y'all can get a feel for what it's like to be a student here, except replace the italicized activities with your own classes/organizations/hobbies.

SUNDAY
_Had cold. Played Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess.
_Met with Josh, Tory, Hanna, and Michelle about Ecohouse garden. We decided that we're planting cover crops of clover and rye. We're going to weed and plant the seeds on Saturday after our Claggett Farm field trip. We also worked on our long-term plan...
_...Played more Zelda. Colds bad, video games good - one needs balance, you know.

MONDAY
_Cold worsened. Got up early to study for exam. Body was all, "Dear brain, I regret to inform you that I will not be able to perform normal functions today. Sincerely, body." Slept the whole day instead.
_Except when I was awake, I received an email from Sanho Tree, who works for the Institute for Policy Studies and will hopefully join us in November to talk about the War on Drugs and sustainability issues abroad.

TUESDAY
_Took our apartment's compost bucket out to the bin we (as in other Ecohouse members) set up.
_Went to class - Tolkien on War with Dr. Fleiger and Medieval Women Writers with Dr. Keyser.
_TAed for a Scholars Environmental Studies course.
_Met with Natalie, Shari, Emily, Elena, and Xenia about our peer teaching presentation. Broke down our topic of consumerism into six sub-topics: (1) pre-1950s history, (2) birth of consumerism and defining it along with associated terms, (3) modern examples, (4) environmental impact, (5) the benefits and limitations of recycling, (6) and alternative methods like reducing, reusing, and means of production.
_Went to Students for Sensible Drug Policy meeting. Announced the Sanho Tree plans and enlisted the help of SSDP - and its budget. <3
_Did homework for genetics discussion

WEDNESDAY
_Went to genetics discussion after a long, environmentally unfriendly shower. :-/ At least I feel better now. Got a ridiculously good grade on genetics exam.
_Went to Organismal Biology lecture with Dr. Jeffery, then to genetics with Dr. Shields, then to the Environmental Studies class I TA.
_Emailed Mom.
_Sent an announcement to Ecohouse members about a fundraising event at California Tortilla tomorrow. If you go there between 5-9pm and say "books", they'll donate some of their profits to a fund to send books to Northern Uganda! I have to plug it as much as possible because I've been working hard on fundraising this semester.
_Got food at My Organic Market.
_Made yummy omlettes and pumpkin bread.
_Gave my roommate Olivia blog authorship so she can write about the workshop she ran tonight.
_Procrastinated on English class readings by writing in the blog.

As you can see, Ecohouse is quite an active community, but it leaves room for other activities and studies. I'm looking forward to tree planting and gardening on Saturday, plus going for a run with Shari on Sunday if I'm feeling ship-shape by the weekend.

Also, I forgot to do my laundry. Dang.

p.s. Please don't stalk me now that you know my schedule. I don't take kindly to that sort of thing.

On a democratic note...

2008-10-02T13:19:00.003-04:00

(Mind you, I wrote democratic, not Democratic. Let's Not Get Into That Sort of Thing!)

Two things:
1. Check out this site. On it you can submit your own ideas for what you want the next president to do on day one in the White House. Here's an interesting one: would make the White House look kind of like Ecohouse with our garden patch outside. They're got nine categories of issues for your ideas, including climate and energy. You can also rate other users' ideas without having to sign up with the site.

2. The vice presidential debates are tonight! It is difficult to be unbiased about the running mates' stances on the environment given the information that's out there. Still, I feel comfortable linking to Biden's environmental record versus Palin's unadulterated standpoints because clearly, the environment is not the only issue that matters in the election.* Also, these are the running mates, not the candidates themselves. Finally, shouldn't we be talking about this? Environmental issues usually gain support from more Democrats and liberals than Republicans and conservatives, but when one considers the diversity of individual voters rather than parties and ideologies, plus the fact that government is supposed to be for the people, and that people along with their parties and ideologies change... one may conclude that this is not a partisan issue except to those who enjoy partisanship. And I don't, which is good, because if I did my house would be a war zone.

Speaking of nonpartisan issues, my apartment mate, Hanna, who is part of the on-campus group Maryland Students for Clean Energy, is working on a campaign called Power Vote. This campaign gets young voters to sign a pledge saying they will vote for the most environmentally savvy candidate, whoever they judge that candidate to be. Thanks to their hard work, as of yesterday the University of Maryland at College Park is in third place for the total number of pledges submitted!

*I say "unadulterated" because it's hard to come across articles about Palin's environmental standpoints that don't contain editorial words such as "abysmal" and even "terrorist" - really, "terrorist", on the first Google result. Easy now, blogosphere!

This picture needs to be posted.

2008-09-30T13:59:00.002-04:00

I saw a mouse!

Awwwwww.

I was working on an essay at a table outside the Leonardtown Community Center. It kept running back and forth, foraging, and stopping under my feet. So cute! It seemed to be missing an eye, though, which made me kind of sad, 'cause it's bad enough being a special on the bird of prey menu when you've got two eyes. However, the ex-eye was healed over and everything else was intact, so best of luck to you, little guy (gal?).

I was also pleased to observe that we have a compost bin now!

Anacostia picture diary

2008-09-29T23:55:00.016-04:00

Let's all welcome Maura to the blogosphere - she posted her first entry below, about the very trip that I'm documenting here in photos. Hers will reveal the social ties among Ecohouse members, the breakfast cuisine, and (spoiler alert) dimples - but I mustn't give away too much. Whereas mine is - well, here:

Look! Proof of social ties among Ecohouse members! Also, proof of Saturday morning.

Trash can't ruin a thing like this.

Or can it? Mind you, these are only the things that float.

This is the archaic sewage system responsible for the poopy water condition. I'm sorry - the "coliform bacteria" water condition. When it rains a certain amount in a certain time frame, the system can't hold everything and just lets it flow. Too much information? Well, I'd rather know than go out in a canoe and capsize in it.

Cap'n Lee stands fast at the helm, singin' tales o' the sea to me n' me hearties. Arr! He sails with the crew o' the Anacostia Watershed Society.

Lee explained that the yellow things go all the way to the bottom and catch sediment. The grassy knoll used to be an unregulated landfill that has since been lined.

These orange ties deter geese from eating the essential wetland grasses...

... and these fences prevent them from landing among the grasses, because they need a long runway for taking off and won't land in cramped spaces. Honk!

Another problem in the Anacostia river...

...is monocultures of invasive species.

This wall from the Stone Age - that is to say, the Dark Ages before environmental science grew into an authoritative field - that is to say, the 1950s - was built to straighten the river's naturally curving path in order to flush out pollution. However, the river knows what's good for itself because the process of constantly changing its path and flooding and receding from the wetlands with their purifying flora naturally "flushes out" pollution. It's the bee's knees! Now we feel awful silly because golly, the wall prevents the river from doing just that. Oh, Billy!

Also, did I mention that a train load of coal fell into the river at this bridge about a year ago? No? Well it did. We're not sure why the crane is there - maybe to pull the remaining parts of the train out? - but those orange things in the water are for catching floating trash.

In spite of all these issues...

... many types of wildlife are returning to the river to make it their home.

And see, they're not sickly. They flew away as our pontoon approached. The turtles opted for diving under when we got close, so the water is good enough for them and (hopefully) getting better.

The so-called Meast and his attentive crew. (I tried to catch his dimples in action, but he moved as fast as the turtles.)

New Blog Contributor on the Anacostia Field Trip

2008-09-29T21:32:00.007-04:00

Hey there EcoHouse members and enthusiasts! This is my first blog entry ever. How far I have come in three short years from looking up what the word "blog" meant junior year of high school. I'm testing the blogging waters right now so... how 'bout that Field Trip?

This weekend the entire EcoHouse went to the Anacostia River to pick up some trash. We all did not think that this Canoeing trip would actually take place as it had been steadily raining for two days and we had learned in class that after too much rain the sewage treatment plant overflowed. At 1 in the morning I did decide to get a little sleep... just in case... but it was sobering to check my email and see that indeed the fieldtrip would go on. Luckily one of my amazing EcoHouse apartment mates Elena made us pancakes as we got ready.

An army of bikers made their way to the river by trail but I was in the car because I do not know how to ride a bike. I wish I could say something about the bike-trail because I am sure it was scenic and fun. EcoHouse re-assembled in the parking-lot and were treated to bagels, cream-cheese, and hummus!!!

We were also greeted by Anacostia River protector Lee Cain, who we in our apartment have nicknamed "The Meast" because he is a man and a beast... a Man-Beast... a "Meast!" All we have to say is that you brought this on yourself when you decided to grow your own food while sporting dimples. In all seriousness Lee is a very good guide who gave us an interactive lecture on Tuesday and then an awesome Pontoon Boat tour of the river on Sunday. He also looked out for us and told us that it would be unsafe to pick up trash because of the aforementioned fecal matter in the river. The Pontoon Boat Tour replacing the Canoeing/ Trash Clean-up was very informative and full of wildlife... and trash sightings. The vast majority of the trash consisted of plastic bottles and Styrofoam containers, but there were also sports balls. Seeing the trash caught on branches, collected on the bank and floating in the river was the wake up call this sleepy group of college students needed to get them alert before noon on a Saturday. It makes you think about the things that you use and where they ultimately end up. The animals were cool to see and included blue and white herons, kingfishers, ducks, geese, a hawk, and cutest of all... TURTLES.

After a scenic lunch in the arboretum we were on our way back, some on the boat enjoying the sights for the first time as they had fallen asleep on the first pass down. Then the heavens opened thanks to Cameron's quote "I wish it were raining right now!" A few minutes later and it began to POUR. Thus our river field trip came to a soggy end, exponentially so for the army of bikers who braved the torrential onslaught on their way back to campus.

All in all it was a fun trip! We bonded, got drenched, and were motivated by the trashy banks of the Anacostia... and the Meast.

Note: The author had a nice conversation with the Meast during lunch and in no way condones the objectification of Anacostia Watershed Society Environmental Educator Lee Cain the dimpled, food growing, river-saving, former teacher.

Sustainability tips of the week

2008-09-29T17:47:00.002-04:00

It's Monday, and there's no better way to make the most of the week starting before you're ready than to start a new tradition. (Disclaimer: There may be a better way.)

Each week, an Ecohouse member delegated to the task sends us all an email containing environmental tips of the week. These tips will now appear in the blog. This week's list is brought to you by Josh. Thanks, Josh!

What’s Happening Ecohouse! Here are the sustainability tips for the week…

In the dorm

* Enable your computer to go into "sleep mode" when not in use.
* Unplug appliances and electronics when not in use.
* Use natural light rather than electric whenever possible; make sure to watch out for peeping toms.
* Buy inexpensive mugs and plates that you can wash rather than disposable ones.
* Avoid over-packaged takeout food.
* Buy a water filter and refill a reusable container instead of buying cases of bottled water.

In the bathroom

* Take shorter showers; unless you start smelling like cottage cheese.
* Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth and shaving.
* Report leaky faucets and showerheads.
* Don't use the toilet as a garbage bin. Toss tissues and waste in trash cans.

In the laundry room

* Only wash full loads of laundry.
* Wash your clothes in cold water.
* Air dry whenever possible.
* Use products containing the least amount of bleaches, dyes, and fragrances.

In the classroom

* Use refillable binders instead of notebooks or use a laptop.
* Take notes on both sides of paper.
* If it’s OK with your professor, hand in assignments by printing on both sides of the page.

Soon, I will post about the field trip we took on the Anacostia River over the weekend.

Got wood?

2008-09-24T07:38:00.004-04:00

"Timber Industry: Cutting Down Trees Helps Environment"

Listen to the NPR story here. Then raise your collective eyebrows with me.

For more stories, check out NPR/National Geographic's Climate Connection. They have some really interesting, thought-provoking, not your average "10 ways to reduce carbon footprint" stories (although... they have that one too).

I'd like to report a theft...

2008-09-22T14:25:00.007-04:00

Remember the fans I lugged from the Catholic Student Center?

I left them on the balcony outside my apartment against the wall with this sign:

(I was going for the '50s Diner-esque aesthetic.)

When I left for class in the morning, they were gone. But the sign was still up, and a trash bag that needed to be taken to the dump was also still outside.

I am more confused than anything. Who steals fans? For that matter, who pulls completely nonfunctional fans out of streams and lugs them across campus with every intention of using them?

...

Anyway, my plan was to get an area in Byrd Stadium where I could display the fans. A caption would explain that they were pulled out of Paint Branch Stream by the College Park Environmental Group on 9/20/08, the very same day that the Terps ran over Eastern Michigan with an offensive onslaught (thanks, Diamondback headline writer). Why fans? Because, you see - and a banner would proudly proclaim this - Terps are big fans of the environment. Oh yes.

Beneath the banner would be a list of things that Terps fans can do to show their team spirit, by way of respect for the campus upon which we kick so much athletic arse. For instance:

Recycle aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles, and cardboard boxes
Use the compost bins provided by Dining Services to dispose of concessions
Don't litter

and essentially leave the campus at least as lovely as you found it.

I could get some trashed fans from the dump. Or I could take this theft as a sign that some vigilante got wind of my nefarious plans and decided to put a stop to my rampant punnery.

Perhaps Testudo himself would be a more convincing environmental liaison to Terps fans. Fan fan fan. I have hereby lost my privilege to say the word "fan" for at least another five posts.

Fantastic!

2008-09-20T14:08:00.006-04:00

Today, Emily, Natalie, and myself joined some CPEG volunteers to do a stream cleanup. College Park Environmental Group is an on-campus student organization that has adopted a small stretch of Paint Branch stream near the Catholic Student Center. They usually hold cleanup events a few times each semester, among other service and outdoorsy activities.

Picking up trash can lead to interesting sociological hypotheses. For instance, when I picked up trash in my small suburban hometown, most of it consisted of cigarette boxes, beer cans, and hard liquor bottles. This, I figure, is because young people are afraid of disposing of these things in their parents' houses, where they may have to answer for them, so they toss them out of the car instead. Now who wants the job of sitting on the side of the road, watching cars go by, and observing the people who litter to determine whether my hypothesis is correct?

Nobody? Okay.

We found some fans.

I have plans for these fans. I shan't reveal them yet, but suffice to say I lugged them from the Catholic Student Center all the way to Ecohouse (at Leonardtown behind Frat Row) amidst puzzled Terps supporters tailgating for the football game. I love being that person who makes people's days interesting.

Other observations:
-The only carbonated soft beverages represented were Coke (Coca Cola) and Mountain Dew (PepsiCo).
-There were many beer cans, a few liquor bottles, and no wine bottles or boxes. I would like to point out that although Natty Light and its derivatives have "natural" in the brand name, the aluminum cans do not actually belong in or around the stream. I will stop being a wise guy when people stop littering.
-There was a chair. Also, a cell phone LED panel.
-There was a sign - one of the yellow signs from Knox Rd. that says "Residential Permit Parking Only." Only permit-holding residents may park on the banks of the stream; all others will be towed.
-There were no bodies.
-There seemed to be a lot less litter than there's been in the past! So either our fellow students haven't gotten started properly trashing campus yet this semester, or more of them are taking advantage of the limitless opportunities for trash disposal and recycling offered by this great institution. Go Terps!