Crunchy Corner

Sickies

2012-01-27T10:59:00.000-08:00

Goaty and I have been in bed for a long while.

We are sickies!

After being super run-down for a few days and having a lymph node the size of a walnut, I finally gave in and went to Health Services. As my kind roomie John suggested on this post-it note.

Turns out it's mono!

Must have picked it up in my long travels home from Aussieland.

Everyone in my suite has been super great, bringing me food and making sure I don't go stir crazy.

Professors have been understanding.

Friends have been great!

Marmie sent me vitamins.

Hannah-sister sent cookies.

Lots of love pouring in, in the form of cards, emails, and calls from all the awesome people in my life.

Reminding myself to take it easy- that I don't have control over how I'm feeling each day.

All I can do it rest, hydrate, and eat well!

Mostly functioning at this point and making it to most classes, but naps are required and I have to remember that my GPA can take this hit.

It will all get better eventually!

Recipe Book

2011-12-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I had a few recipes I wanted to have in one place.

I cast around for an empty notebook, and for once, I DIDN'T HAVE ONE!

What's a girl to do!?

MAKE ONE!

SO, a few magazines, some paper, and a pizza box became this!

Perrymort

2011-12-18T16:20:00.000-08:00

I came across this on Facebook and felt the need to share. I just think it captures my feelings about things too well.

Panini

2011-12-18T16:18:00.000-08:00

Delicious panini I made the other day for me and my dad after a morning hauling Christmas trees over here at Braintree Balsams:

Neighborly Farms Garlic Cheddar

Hummus

Spinach

Oatmeal bread from Manghi's Bread

Words cannot describe this deliciousness!

Video: "The High Price of Materialism"

2011-12-12T15:44:00.000-08:00

By a Knox professor!

Homemade Hankie!

2011-12-12T15:26:00.001-08:00

In the interest of a sustainably-minded but oft-runny nose,

today I whipped up this little handkerchief!

I found this little bit in a scrap pack I had picked up from Nido last year.

A few pressed seams and a short stint on the sewing machine, and voila!

Goaty The Travelling Goat Part 11: Home

2011-12-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

After a long journey over thousands of miles/kilometers,

Goaty is home with his family

And so am I!

The end is near!

2011-12-05T00:00:00.001-08:00

Sorry for my general silence on the blogwaves of late, but I only have a few precious days left in Australia! I'm in beautiful Lennox Head for the last few days, reunited with my program-mates after we each had an adventurous independent study period! We had all our presentations on Saturday and Sunday, and I am SO impressed with everyone's work. We had people hiking, painting, writing, photographing, researching, and interning all over Australia. Really inspiring to hear (and see) all the results.

Of course it was really tragic to leave Melbourne. Will miss all the amazing people I met there, especially Tegan, Lara, and everyone over at Ink & Spindle who gave so much time and effort into my experience there!

Overall, feeling the love. Sad to leave, but no regrets, and starting to positively anticipate a return to the snowy mountains of Vermont and then to the prairies of good ole Illinois, where a Republican representative has proposed Chicago become the 51st state. More on that later, I'm off to enjoy myself :)

Quilt Top

2011-11-29T20:43:00.000-08:00

Complete!

Check out my post on Ink & Spindle's blog!

Goaty The Travelling Goat Part 10: Stiching

2011-11-29T03:37:00.001-08:00

So, Goaty couldn't really work the sewing machine, so I helped him out

More to come!

Markit

2011-11-27T03:09:00.000-08:00

Markit!

Fabric!

2011-11-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

Designing based off my lino cuts

Stencils!

Printed!

(ooooohaaaaaah)

FABRIC!

Linos!

2011-11-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Melbourne!

Design Beginnings

2011-11-07T23:51:00.000-08:00

Goaty The Travelling Goat Part 9: In the Studio

2011-11-07T23:44:00.000-08:00

Today Goaty hung out at the Ink & Spindle studio!

Goaty and Teegs became fast friends

Bella gave him a sniff

And Lara had a Goaty goatee!

Goaty The Travelling Goat Part 8: St. Kilda

2011-11-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Goaty and I went on the most wonderful of adventures! Two of my new hostel friends and I took the tram down to St. Kilda and enjoyed the 31 degree (C) weather! That's friggin' warm! It was so sunny and beautiful. We wandered into a community garden with amazing mosaics and a pirate ship shaped garden bed. Then we wandered in Luna Park, a crazy old amusement park where the rides were WAY too expensive. Instead we bought fairy floss (cotton candy) and watched people scream their heads off on the rickety rides. Here's Goaty with the famous entrance:

Then we wandered the beach, which was PACKED with people after a rainy overcast week. We walked down the pier and spied some fairy penguins and sea stars, and splashed our feet in the water. Here's Goaty with a view of the city:
After my return to the hostel, a bunch of us BBQed and had a lil jam session. I played some uke and someone found a guitar. It was a lovely day! Goaty and I REALLY LIKE Melbourne.

(More pics and such to come soon from my amazing internship with Ink & Spindle!)

Goaty The Travelling Goat Part 7: Goaty on the Gold Coast

2011-10-30T23:07:00.001-07:00

Goaty and I took a pit stop at the Gold Coast on the way to Melbourne. The city was modeled after Miami, and it shows.

I felt like I had been transported to Florida! Full of beaches, tourists, and theme parks. Little did I know I was staying right next to Sea World...

Luckily, we got to see this lovely sunset!

Safe and sound

2011-10-29T15:33:00.001-07:00

...in Melbourne! Will be here for the next 4-5 weeks. Settling in, getting to know the area better, trying to get sleep in a hostel on a weekend.

News Media

2011-10-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

I've been inspired to change the way I get news! Take the challenge with me!

I'm tired of hearing the same old crapola! I want news that actually tells me what's going on, and isn't run by the investors in the status quo.

Bounty!

2011-10-20T02:20:00.001-07:00

Apples, blueberries (a fortune but worth it!), potatoes, green beans, beets, broccoli, lettuce, rice, and bread... all local, all ethical. Good eats!

Good words

2011-10-18T01:54:00.001-07:00

Found in internet wanderings

Occupy

2011-10-18T01:48:00.000-07:00

It's really been great to see a movement that I can be proud of as an American abroad. Today we started our Social Change workshop, and our lecturer showed us this video. A pretty cool look into the workings of a movement that seeks to unite, not divide.

Right Here All Over (Occupy Wall St.) from Alex Mallis on Vimeo.

No Fracking Way!

2011-10-16T15:02:00.001-07:00

Here's what I did with my Sunday! I went to Byron Bay's anti-Coal Seam Gas (CSG) rally. We marched at the same time as several other Australian cities. Coal Seam Gas is pretty silly really- it poisons water, messes with soil, and the companies can come onto your land to put in wells. Here's what's been happening in the US, and here's what's been happening in Australia.

Enjoy the video, I couldn't spot myself but the whole group was there!

Occupy Byron Bay

2011-10-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Byron Bay's solidarity rally for Occupy Wall Street. It was really nice to be able to be a part of the amazing movement that started not far from home and be able to feel it's ripples thousands of miles away!

Aboriginal Camping Trip

2011-10-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

We flew back to Byron Bay early last week and almost immediately set of to Mynumai, an Indigenous Protected Area. We met up with Doug (the traditional owner), Russell (an elder from Queensland), Pete (who is a Bunjalung member because he married an indigenous woman), and Ian, another elder from Queensland. We camped there for 4 days, 3 nights. It was SO AMAZING. I learned to throw a spear and boomerang, learned about the area and wild edibles, and learned about the culture and history of Aboriginal peoples in Australia. The only downside was that yesterday a GIANT brown snake came into camp. Doug tried to scare it off and yelled at it in his language but it kept coming, so Pete ended up killing it with a stick. It was about 5 and half ft long! Everyone said it was the biggest brown snake they’ve ever seen. It creeped us all out! But luckily no one got bitten and it was dealt with. The leaders were great people and really funny. Pete and Ian especially say hi, Lindsey! We were each given an Aboriginal name by Russell, and mine is Gubara, which means songbird. It was so sweet. I brought my ukulele and Laura had brought various instruments, and everyone on my trip always tries to get me to sing, which of course I enjoy doing. I was the first to get my name, the very first night. So then every night partway into the camp fire, Russell would say “Where’s our songbird?” and pass me the guitar for a few songs. It was such an amazing experience and really difficult to describe but suffice it to say we all got teary on both sides when it was time to get on the bus and leave. Peter emailed us later this afternoon and said that both Russell and Ian (who have been with SIT Australia for 18 and 23 years respectively) said that this was their favorite group to work with of all time. Really touching stuff! (no pictures were allowed, so imagine it in your minds!)

Away

2011-10-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Gone til friday camping!

2011-10-09T04:07:00.001-07:00

Tonight I was thinking a lot of about things. Carrying your life around on your back definitely makes you think about the importance and unimportance of possessions. I think it'd be great if we cared less about things, but I know that there are plenty of possessions I wouldn't want to part with. I've definitely been trying to follow these guidelines when buying new things. But what about all the stuff I already own? Tonight I made a list of things I enjoy owning and why. I figure if I can't remember it after not being home the last 6 weeks and from several thousand miles away, then it probably doesn't matter and can go upon my return. Here are some of the things that made the list of keepers:

-My college quilt that my mom made for me, because it reminds me of her and keeps me warm during freezing prairie winters

-Several other Marmie creations (she's so crafty!) including a pencil roll, bags I use constantly, and the passport pouch I've been using on this trip

-My collection of silver jewelry given to me from various family members from their global travels because it reminds me of them and is just plain pretty

-All my assorted crafting supplies including paper, fabric, beads, and all sort of other goodies. I enjoy owning these because I can make my own products and use them myself or give to others- I have control over what is being used to make things I use on a daily basis

-My various sweaters and plaid flannels, for keeping me warm and in the rural spirit

-Books! Especially my collection of garden/farm/food books.

-My bike because it gets me where I'm going in style

-My ukulele and guitars because I can make sweet music with those I love and it's way cheaper than therapy

-My West Wing DVD collection, because we all need some relief from real life politics once in a while.

-My collection of various art friends have made, as simple as drawings on an envelope.

So here's for cherishing the treasures, and getting rid of the excess.

(I daily realize how I am becoming my parents. I suppose there are worse things that could happen. They are pretty great.)

Thoughts

2011-10-09T02:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some quotes that have gotten me thinking a bit....

"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your existence is an act of rebellion." -Albert Camus

"Facts do no cease to exist because they are ignored" -Aldus Huxley

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple" -Dr. Seuss

"People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used."

Goaty The Travelling Goat Part 6: City Living

2011-10-09T01:25:00.000-07:00

Goaty at Government House in the Sydney Botanic Gardens

Goaty in Sydney Harbor

Goaty had a good time in Sydney and Melbourne, but like me, enjoyed Melbourne far more and is looking forward to going back for my internship!

In Sydney

2011-10-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

Interesting cross-section... botanic gardens, construction, and skyscrapers.

Sydney Opera House

Hyde Park

Overall, I'm kinda underwhelmed with Sydney. It just doesn't have an apparent personality and it's big! I've never been much of a city girl. When I stumbled into Hyde Park and it's many Eucalypt trees after my visit to the Australian Museum today, I let out an audible sigh of relief. I really just feel so much better when I'm around green things!

Melbourne: Take One!

2011-10-03T01:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we arrived in this beautiful city! I already like it. I was surprised by this because usually I am not a city girl (surprise, surprise, I go to school in the middle of corn fields!). Somehow Melbourne just has a good vibe, or maybe it's just the area we're staying in, which is full of a spectrum of hipsters and interesting shops. Today I tackled public transportation and met up with the ladies at Ink & Spindle to talk about my upcoming internship. I am so excited and can't wait to share all the shenanigans as they unfold. Then I cruised around Brunswick Street in Fitzroy and then went to the Melbourne Museum, which was not that great but was fun, despite it being filled with children who are currently on school holidays. Mostly it's just nice to be clean after a week in the mountains, although that was fun too. I'm looking forward to being here in Melbourne for the whole month of November! Tomorrow we are having some class discussion and going to some sustainable houses, and then off to Sydney on Wednesday.

Some things are just plain sucky

2011-10-02T01:19:00.000-07:00

Like walking from this beautiful forest...

...out to this logged section.

Tasmania has a long history of logging. Luckily they are making progress and moving away from cutting down old growth, but it's still so frustrating to see this!

Beautiful views in Tasmania! (Warning: May cause severe jealousy)

2011-10-02T01:13:00.001-07:00

Lake Pedder

From atop Mt. Field

Strahan

Macquarie Harbor

Cradle Mountain

Goaty The Travelling Goat Part 5: Tasmania!

2011-10-02T01:02:00.000-07:00

Goaty on some giant glacial boulders at the bottom of Mt. Field

Goaty on the TOP of Mt. Field with a beautiful view

Goaty at Nelson Falls

Goaty didn't come on the Gordon River Cruise in Macquarie Harbor, I was afraid he would get seasick. And there's nothing worse than a seasick goat when you're trying to learn about ecotourism...

Hobart, Tasmania!

2011-09-25T00:58:00.001-07:00

Today was a fantastic day, and there's more to come! We arrived in Hobart yesterday after saying goodbye to our homestay families in Lismore and flying for a few hours. Last night we explored but it was already dark. Today we awoke to a beautiful city! A few other girls and I headed to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), a really unique museum built underground. It was started by an eccentric dude who had a lot of money on his hands! It was free, and possibly the best museum experience I've had.

View from outside MONA

It was amazing. Afterwards we went to a really tasty sushi place near our hostel. Tonight I'm going out to dinner with an old camp friend who is living here now!

Ways I'm making today great

2011-09-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

figuring out academic plans

figuring out future plans

seeing wallabies

having a cat want to be my friend (take that, Henry!)

being SUPER productive and getting tons of work done

listening to good music

channeling frustration into action

remembering to hydrate

figuring out what cool free museums to go to in Sydney

making plans to meet up with these awesome ladies in Melbourne about my upcoming internship

appreciating an amazing homestay experience

remembering my "e"

reading David Holmgren's Permaculture book

enjoying beautiful Australian early spring weather (which feels like New England June)

getting excited about leaving tomorrow for TASMANIA/MELBOURNE/SYDNEY!

Frustration and Sadness

2011-09-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Trying to explain my country is hard. So many Australians I've met here have been so kind about my being American, always distinguishing between the American government and the American people when criticizing policy. Telling me I shouldn't lump myself in with situations I describe as frustrating to me about the country I'm from. But how am I supposed to explain that my justice system just executed a man who was clearly innocent? More of my friends commented about the new facebook format than Troy Davis today. Most of them probably don't understand that, once again, someone was targeted for something they didn't do. They don't get that in the face of honesty and endless effort on the part of those who accused him to right the wrongs of his trial, our court system still killed a man. I agree with my friend Jamie that this feels so much worse because "So much of the injustice we face feels like a tide, a constant pulling that is scary and bigger than any one person. This felt real. This was measurable. We literally had to change the mind of 1 person. 1 person so that justice could prevail."

I remember working with my high school's Amnesty International group to raise awareness about Troy Davis's case. Several years ago. It took this long. They made this man wait. And wait. As Laura Moye of Amnesty International wrote in an email,

"My heart is heavy. I am sad and angry. The state of Georgia has proven what we already know. Governments cannot be trusted with the awful power over life and death.

Today, Georgia didn't just kill Troy Davis, they killed the faith and confidence that many Georgians, Americans and Troy Davis supporters worldwide used to have in our criminal justice system."

So today I have to wear a little more shame in my accent that I am from a broken America. I will continue to work to show that there is another America, an America that cares about justice and is working to fix all the problems we have helped to cause.

Some thoughts on effort

2011-09-19T01:02:00.000-07:00

Read the accompanying article here.

Protester's Falls

2011-09-19T00:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went to Protester's Falls with my host family. The falls are named for rainforest conservation activists who camped out nearby to save the area from deforestation in the 1970s. After a walk through some beautiful rainforests on a wooden boardwalk and some cool stone steps. we came to THIS!

My host sister Amy

You could walk down the river a good ways on all the large rocks. It was really beautiful. Eventually we had to tear ourselves away so Amy and I could go do homework!

Goaty The Travelling Goat Part 4: Border Ranges

2011-09-16T17:37:00.000-07:00

Goaty got to come along on a class trip to Border Ranges National Park. I told him he had to promise not to chew on anything. He ate my banana peel from lunch but was otherwise well behaved.

Mt. Warning

Inside the rainforest

(Goaty was a little upset that I made him sit on the ledge of the lookout to Mt. Warning, but he understood that it was necessary to capture the moment. I made sure he didn't fall!)

Sustainable Agriculture Workshops

2011-09-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went on a day-long ag. field trip. Needless to say, I was pumped. First we went to Dave Forrest's farm. He farms a whole host of things, including macadamia nuts (called "maccas" here) and bananas. He talked to us about all the problems with modern agriculture, and let us sample some amazing goldfinger bananas and macca nuts along the way. We went for a little tour, and met his two jersey cows.

Dave with his lettuces

Next we went to Djanbung Permaculture Center near Nimbin. It was fantastic. The 12 principles of permaculture are:

-Use and value renewable resources and services

-Produce no waste

-Design from patterns to details

-Intergrate rather than separate

-Use small and slow solutions

-Use and value diversity

-Use edges and value the margin

-Creatively use and respond to change

-Observe and interact

-Catch and store energy

-Obtain a yield

-Apply self-regulation and accept feedback

All of these things can be applied to life AND to agriculture. Very cool people.

Mandala student garden

Delicious lunch they made for us!

Overall, a great day! Learned lots of fun little tidbits, and saw a wallaby in the gardens. Also met the biggest turkey I had EVER SEEN.

Beach beauties!

2011-09-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

Eco-Social Checklist of Goods+Products

2011-09-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

From our workshop on sustainability today with Peter Cumings of Sustainable Futures Australia:

Questions to ask yourself before consuming:

1. Do the materials come from a renewable source?

2. Are the materials coming from a sustainable supply?

3. Where do the materials come from (local to global)?

4. Are the materials used durable/ good quality?

5. To what degree are they reusable/recyclable?

6. Are the materials used safe and nontoxic?

7. Are the production processes safe and environmentally friendly?

8. Can I dispose of the product safely if not reusable?

9. What are the social implications of its manufacture and supply?

10. What are the ethics of organizations involved in the product?

11. Is the product cost likely to include eco-social externalities?

12. To what degree am I sure about my answers?!

Do right by the country and the country will do right by youA

2011-09-06T04:28:00.000-07:00

Me being very excited that the beach is 3 blocks from our apartments

Almost surfing

Sunrise as 7 Mile Beach- thanks jet lag!

A week and a half in, and I'm in love with Australia. The people are friendly, the beaches are beautiful, and the wallabies cute beyond belief.

Cool things to check out:

-John Dahlsen's art. We visited his studio and it is amazing! He uses plastics collected from Australian beaches.

-Sustainable Futures Australia, an organization started by two of our lecturers.

-Byron Bay has some really awesome markets. We went to one Sunday that was fantastic! Rows and rows of vendors, including local artisans and farmers. Check it out here.

One night at our ecophilosophy workshop, an Aboriginal elder named Uncle Ron came to tell us some stories. As he was leaving he told us, "Welcome! Just remember, do right by the country, and the country will do right by you." Good words.

Overall, lots of fun, lots of learning.

Goaty the Travelling Goat Part 3: Goaty Down Under

2011-08-30T20:12:00.001-07:00

Arrived in Australia

Headed from Brisbane to 7 Mile Beach, now in Byron Bay!

Adventure!

2011-08-23T05:44:00.000-07:00

I leave tomorrow on an adventure. According to Google Maps, it would take me 208 days, 6 hours to walk there. Good thing I'm taking a plane. Google Maps also tells me that I should use caution as "This route may be missing sidewalks or pedestrian paths. No duh. I am going to Brisbane. And then Byron Bay, Tasmania, Melbourne, Sydney, and back to Byron Bay again. AUSTRALIA! While I do have to pack light, I am bringing a few important things.

1) My new GREEN ukelele. It doesn't have a name yet but I'm sure that will become apparent with time.

2) A daypack that just so happens to have the perfect straps with which to attach said green uke.

3) A hat my momma made me for the cold nights in Tassie.

4) Gifts for my homestay family from the great state of Vermont

5) Really comfy boots that already got a few miles on them this summer.

6) (this is the cheezey one, prepare yourselves!) An open mind with few expectations, except to have FUN! As a friend said to me last night on skype, "Before you do something, ask yourself, will it be a good story?" I think that's important! Luckily being at camp all summer surrounded by children I was responsible for didn't give me much time to think about this trip, so I'm actually fairly calm about it. Not enough time to freak out, except about little things in preparation.

I'm mostly packed, so today my mom and I are going to see a movie to distract ourselves!

Camp Colors

2011-08-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

Happiness is...

2011-07-30T12:04:00.001-07:00

The view of camp after a tough hike to Sauter's Rock with 13 7-8 year olds

Watercolor-looking evenings

Baby goats with wagging tails

Find the goat!

2011-07-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

Flea peeking out from the woods

Little hands, little blessings

2011-07-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

Picking blueberries on Gork Mountain with my 7-8 year olds

Insects found in the garden while making camper plots

More than half the summer gone, and I am soaking it all in.

Challenging kids bring the biggest rewards in the simplest of actions.

Finding an inch worm, learning to tie a knot,

finding that they can do something even after an hour of "I can't"s

A few more weeks left!

Goaty the Travelling Goat, Part 2: Braintree, VT

2011-06-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Today we found a lovely patch of Indian Paintbrush on Braintree Hill!

Goaty enjoyed frolicking amongst the flowers

And giving them a sniff, even if the blooms are as big as his face!

(Which isn't really saying much)

Next Goaty enjoyed the sunset at the Bit of Earth,

with a nice mountain view behind him.

He even discovered a Henrycat!

Leftover Breakfast

2011-06-14T08:30:00.001-07:00

Leftover homefries

olive oil

leftover boiled potatoes

leftover steamed veggies (I used broccoli)

pinch of dried basil

salt and pepper

Cook on medium heat in a frying pan until heated through and a lil golden.

Enjoy!

(These tiny little marble potatoes are so delicious!)

The last few grapes and some strawberries sliced last night made a yummy fruit salad!

What a tasty way to start my day, even as nail guns go off upstairs!

Not amused.

2011-06-13T12:26:00.001-07:00

My parents are getting hardwood floors put in upstairs. It is very loud. Henry is annoyed.

It's okay, Hen. We'll go to Vermont in a few days.

Goaty the Travelling Goat, Part 1: Ridgefield, CT

2011-06-08T06:37:00.001-07:00

As we all left for the summer, some friends and I wanted a fun way to keep in touch and update each other about our travels. I'm going to be in Vermont and Australia, two of my friends are studying in Ireland next year, another in Spain, etc. We are going to be all over the place! So, we decided that we would each have an object and take pictures of it different places. One friend is taking a My Little Pony and another a rubber ducky. I picked a GOAT!

Stop #1 for my goaty friend is my hometown!

Battle of Ridgefield monument, with Goaty perched on top.

Hopefully by the end of next year, Goaty will have been MANY places!

Silkscreening

2011-06-06T14:43:00.001-07:00

I spent a morning silkscreening the other day. I had a few shirts that could use a 'lil sumthin', so I screened these.

Experimental carrots on the back of an old shirt... I like how they turned out.

Home to REAL FOOD!

2011-06-06T14:39:00.001-07:00

I'm finally home from school, and the first order of business was getting some real food into my system after months of caf food!

Some of the bounty!

Steamed beets

Baby romaine, steamed beets, and pea shoot salad with maple vinaigrette dressing

Pesto cheddar flatbread panini

MMMmmm good food. Plus several meals with friends.

Good food makes me feel so much better about EVERYTHING!

Lil Break!

2011-05-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be taking a little break from blogging the next week and halfish... finals! Papers! Packing! Saying goodbye to friends I won't see for 6 months! It's madness. But I can't tell you how excited I am for the next year... first I'll be at Farm and Wilderness again for the summer, and then... AUSTRALIA! So many adventures ahead of me!

Signs of Spring!

2011-05-16T17:18:00.001-07:00

Greenery

Blue skies

And sidewalk chalk!

Ginkgo

2011-05-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Policy Brief Three: Women in Agriculture in Developing Countries

2011-05-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Land Acquisition for Women as a Barrier to Agriculture

Land rights have always been a source of conflict. Today the land grab is not between countries, but between individuals in rural communities. Women have long been denied the right to own land. While land rights have been rectified in most core states, periphery nations have to contend with societal norms and legacies of patrilinear passage of land among generations. In order for women to receive the full benefits of their agricultural work, they need to have security in land ownership.

Post-colonial land reform has often left women out of the equation, or vested land rights in the remains of colonial systems, which tends not to favor the native people of the country in question. In post-colonial India, very little redistribution was done. “When we look back after 58 years of independence only 1.8% of surplus land has been distributed to the landless and most of this land has been given in the name of men.” (ICARRD, 9). Much of the land was given or sold to multinational corporations. Women also have to overcome higher percentages of illiteracy and often uninformed about banking systems.

There are three sources of land for women: transfer of land from the government, from the market, or through family inheritance (ICARRD, 2). 87% of land is privately owned, so land is most often gained through inheritance. (ICARRD, 2). Land cannot just be viewed in terms of the economic value of property; “land is a source of security to produce food for sustenance” (ICARRD, 2).

ICARRD (International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development) outlines seven demands from government to improve land rights for women (ICARRD, 3). The government should give rural families 2-5 acres of land under the women’s name by giving them surplus land. This is especially important for marginalized groups. The government should give “security of tenure” to people, with no forced evictions. This would make it possible for women farmers to be guaranteed a permanent livelihood without having to worry about losing their productive agricultural land. Another key demand is an increase in women’s share of inheritance and property. Currently the system is highly patrilinear in most provinces of India. ICARRD is calling for “Gender-Just Agrarian Reform.” (ICARRD, 3).

Cherryl Walker outlines a similar situation in Southern and Eastern Africa. This region has also had to recover form colonial rule. The land dispensation in the wake of colonialism has formed a land-owning system with high racial disparity, with only 2% of private, commercial farmland in South Africa under black ownership (Walker, 14). However, when women manage to get land, they have been more successful than their male neighbors, with more land under cultivation and higher yields (Walker, 15).

Threats to women holding land are widowhood, war and conflict, and increased pressures from HIV/AIDS. In most societies in Africa, when women are widowed, they are at the mercy of their husband’s family. Traditionally, they are taken care of, but cases arise in which the land they had farmed is redistributed back to the husband’s family. War and conflict in many African nations has changed the ownership of land and made weak governments that are unable to settle land disputes or vouch for previous ownership. In terms of labor, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has had a vast impact of food and crop production. The adult rate is as high as 36% in Botswana, with females affected more overall than males (Walker, 27). Walker also notes that “the likelihood of AIDS exacerbating already observed trends towards increased landlessness on the one hand and accumulation of land in the hands of the wealthier members of society on the other is considerable” (Walker, 33).

One way that the experience in Africa is different from India is that it is hard to generalize about women’s rights, as different societies have different lineage rights to property. Some are patrilineal and some are matrilineal. However, “these advantages are coming under pressure from the spread of patrilineal norms and practices” (Walker, 16).

Walker gives specific suggestions for future research, including comparative studies on land use to understand the gendered interests of land strategies, research on local solutions, and monitoring of government land and urban land policies. (Walker, 68-69). Walker’s policy recommendations include “Constitutional commitment to gender equity”, development of indicators to measure progress on land rights for women, changing “personal, family and customary law, including provisions on inheritance, which discriminate against women, as well as the review and repeal of any other legislation that prevents women from owning land or entering into contracts in their own right.” (Walker 69-70). Many of Walker’s recommendations are more developmental, such as increasing AIDS awareness, building infrastructure and increasing rural development, and increasing women’s influence in local and national governments. Her final recommendation is to address unequal trade for African agriculture and industry at the “macroeconomic and global level.” (Walker, 70).

Judy Adoko disagrees with Walker and ICARRD. She believes that educating women about their rights may not be enough. While customary law for some tribes in Uganda give women more rights than the state, customary law isn’t always being applied. In fact, Adoko argues that “customary authorities” or clan leader don’t know their own unwritten laws anymore, and customary laws are being lost to their cultures. The state is increasingly ignoring the clan system. Because of their diminished powers, clan leaders themselves are no longer clear about their powers and have become victims of land grabbing. The government and NGOs have inherited colonial prejudices against native and traditional culture, and even if they did respect these pre-existing legal systems, do not have the legal infrastructure to absorb them.

Adoko claims that women’s land rights will not improve until the government and NGOs change their conceptions of customary law, the government becomes more “proactive” about addressing the problems, and policy is based on reality instead of colonial prejudices (Adoko).

I think that there is going to need to be an integrated approach to increasing women’s land rights. While the agricultural success of women depends heavily on having land to use, women need a guarantee that they will have sustained access to it independent of their husband or the government. The approach to land rights is dependent on the country, as each nation has different things to contend with. Colonial history and native and indigenous attitudes will shape the land use situation in each individual country, and a one-size-fits-all solution will not work. I think that strong countries need to include a constitutional right for women to hold land in their governance, while countries with weak governments should focus on local solutions. I feel that supporting the cultures with matrilinear lines of succession will help to curb the increase in patriarchical values. If we preserve them from being affected by the spread of patriarchical values, we won’t have to redo the work of generations in those specific cultures. As women gain land rights, it will create a precedent for them to receive other rights that their male land-owning counterparts receive.

Works Cited

Adoko, Judy, and Simon Levine. "IATP | Trade Observatory | Headlines." Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy | Where Global and Local Meet Sustainability. The Guardian, 26 Mar. 2009. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. .

"A Case Study on Implementing Land Rights for Women in India." ICARRD, Feb. 2006. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. .

Walker, Cherryl. "Land Reform in Southern and Eastern Africa: Key Issues for Strengthening Women's Access to and Rights in Land." World Bank, Mar. 2002. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. .

In This World

2011-05-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

In This World

The hill pasture, and open place among the trees,

tilts in the valley. The clovers and tall grasses

are in bloom. Along the foot of the hill

dark floodwater moves down the river.

The sun sets. Ahead of nightfall the birds sing.

I have climbed up to water the horses

and now sit and rest, high on the hillside

letting the day gather and pass. Below me

cattle graze out across the wide fields of the bottomlands,

slow and preoccupied as stars. In this world

men are making plans, wearing themselves out,

spending their lives, in order to kill each other.

-Wendell Berry

Policy Brief Two: Food Problems in a Developing Country: Bolivia

2011-05-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

Pro-Poor Development in Bolivia

Bolivia is one of the poorest counties in Latin America. While poverty affects two-thirds of the country’s population, the rural (and mostly indigenous) people live with a poverty rate of about 80 percent (WFP). The World Food Program has focused its efforts on education and fighting child malnutrition. While these are important steps in the development of the next generation of healthy Bolivians, it does necessarily help the indigenous population in the most remote areas of the country. These programs ask the indigenous people to change many aspects of the life they have been leading for centuries. However, many researchers have been looking into other options to supplement food aid and development assistance in Bolivia and surrounding countries. Collective action and outside agents working directly with communities, both of which have been referred to as “pro-poor” developments, hold the most promise to allow rural peoples to continue their subsistence agriculture while rising above the poverty threshold.

The FAO has started a Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative (PPLPI) to look into livestock improvements in less developed counties and make policy suggestions. In the PPLPI’s report on Bolivia, they cite the Bolivian weak government as a source of instability and a roadblock for regulation. However, they also suggest that the government could serve two vital roles. The first is to regulate animal health and sanitation, such as monitoring for Food and Mouth Disease (PPLPI, 1). The second is to regulate and monitor slaughterhouse conditions to ensure food safety. These improvements would benefit Bolivians participating in the livestock sector overall, but in order to benefit the rural poor, the PPLPI says small producers and associations need to become more experienced at making political change (PPLPI, 1).

The PPLPI identified four key areas to focus on to ensure the rural population can benefit from expansion of livestock production. The first is strengthening the small producers’ associations, which are “relatively young, weak, and inexperienced at political lobbying” (PPLPI, 1). Second is strengthening the municipal governments so that they have the clout and authority to carry out regulation and to decentralize authority and the change-making capacity of rural areas. Third is institutional reforms; creating a “stable, merit-based bureaucracy” rather than one based on patronage (PPLPI, 2). Finally, the National Service for Agricultural and Livestock Sanitation (SENASAG) needs to redirect its attention to camelid herders in rural areas rather than cattle elsewhere. This means shifting energy to poorer areas rather than working strictly with the “large, wealthy ranchers” (PPLPI, 2).

All these suggestions are important things for Bolivia to tackle. However, it depends heavily on political and governmental change, which the PPLPI itself admits is unstable. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has produced two reports who’s authors suggest the rural poor can help themselves with the help of their communities, NGOs, and an influx of resources to get them on their way.

Mario Monge, Frank Hartwich, and Daniel Halgin put forward the report “How Change Agents and Social Capital Influence the Adoption of Innovations among Small Farmer,” in which they write that farming communities in Bolivia are tight-knit. Monge et al. think that farmers could best adopt new knowledge and technology best through their interactions with one another. They also suggest that collective action can be an effective tool for coping with all the uncertainties of agriculture. Collective action can help in “risk-sharing” and with the “food insecurity, environmental, and price risks associated with innovations” (Monge et al, 8). While one farmer cannot necessarily afford new machinery and technology, a group of farmers might be able to.

In another IFPRI report, Andre Devaux et al look specifically at Papa Andina, a “regional initiative that promote pro-poor development” as an example of the success of collective action to break into markets (Devaux et al, 3). This group consolidates native potatoes produced in rural areas and packages them to be sold in urban grocery stores and markets. In this way, the farmers can maintain cultivation of what has been produced historically and culturally while making a small profit.

Challenges in this sort of work include having effective facilitation for the collectives, “ensuring the sustainability of collective action”, growth and the challenges of scaling up, initial costs of participating, and gender equity (Devaux et al, 36). The balance has to be maintained between what farmers are growing to subsist and what they are growing for market, as well as making sure that markets are sustained and that the income is relatively constant.

However challenging the process of developing collectives is, they can be enormously beneficial to the communities. While it takes time and effort to develop these groups, make sure they have effective leadership, and find markets for the products, collective action “can stimulate innovation in ways that contribute to smallholder market integration and poverty reduction” (Devaux et al, 38).

While collective action cannot realistically be implemented across the globe, whether on a large scale, due to global economic pressures or, on a small scale, the lack of adequate leadership in a community, it seems to be working in Bolivia. In a country where 59 percent of the rural population does not have the income to meet basic food needs, improving the income and production capacity of communities is crucial (WFP). While the government of Bolivia remains unstable, I believe that collective action could solve food issues in these specific areas of rural Bolivia. I agree that the country could benefit from government regulation, as suggested by the PPLPI. However, I think that organizations like Papa Andina are the most beneficial in rural Bolivia, both on an economic and social level. While farmers in India and elsewhere slowly lose their ancient seed as agribusiness moves in with the new, I think it is important for the indigenous peoples to be able to make a living from their native varieties as a way of preserving their way of life. The best thing the “developed world” can do is to facilitate the formation and development of effective facilitators to improve the chances of successful collective action groups.

Works Cited

"Bolivia." WFP | United Nations World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide. 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. .

Devaux, Andre, Claudio Velasco, Gaston Lopez, Thomas Bernet, Miguel Ordinola, Hernan Pico, Graham Thiele, and Douglas Horton. "Collective Action for Innovation and Small Farmer Market Access: The Papa Andina Experience." CAPRi and IFPRI, Oct. 2007. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. .

Fairfield, Tasha. "The Politics of Livestock Sector Policy and the Rural Poor." FAO and PPLPI, 2004. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. .

Monge, Mario, Frank Hartwich, and Daniel Halgin. "How Change Agents and Social Capital Influence the Adoption of Innovations among Small Farmers." IFPRI, Apr. 2008. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. .

Perfection

2011-04-24T20:14:00.001-07:00

Policy Brief One: Science and Technology

2011-04-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

The first policy brief I wrote for my Food Policy class... topic was "Science and Technology". Just wrote the second, "Food Problems in a Developing Country" about collective action in Boliva, will post it when I get it back.

GMOs: Discovering the Risk

In the last few decades, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have taken the world by storm. GMOs have been hailed as the solution to world hunger. The truth of the matter is we just don’t know enough about the effects of GE products. Too many questions have been left unanswered, and the profit-driven producers of these agricultural products use incorrect claims to make it seem as if GE is the only answer, and that the world population needs GMOs. While they are about different aspects of GMOs, all of the articles examined argue that not enough is known about the long-term negative effects these crops could have on our society and ecosystems. Genetic pollution and genetic drift are a great example of virtually uncontrollable results of using GMOs.

Most arguments in favor of using genetically engineered plants are based on claims that they will increase agricultural productivity, increase food security, and reduce the use of chemical inputs (Altieri and Rosset, 155). However, it has generally been found that current GM crops are not designed with poor small farmers in mind and fail to increase yields. Altieri and Rosset write that there are risks involved, many yet undiscovered. They also believe that there are better “agro-ecological alternatives” available. The article cites the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGAIR) as assuming that “hunger is due to a gap between food production and human population density or growth rate”, which Altieri and Rosset say is simply not so. The first of their ten reasons biotechnology is not the answer is that there is enough food available in the world to feed each person 4.3 pounds a day (Altieri and Rosset, 156).

A breakdown of their ten reasons “Why Biotechnology Will Not Ensure Food Security, Protect the Environment and Reduce Poverty in the Developing World”:

1) Enough food is available to feed 4.3 lbs/person/day

2) Innovations are profit-driven rather than need-driven

3) Increased price of inputs gives slower returns to the farmer

4) Recent trials have shown GE seeds do not increase yield of crops

5) Potential risks

-allergens/toxins

-alter metabolisms

-reduce nutritional quality/value

6) Transgenic crops follow the pesticide paradigm

7) Not enough testing done

8) Unanswered ecological questions

9) Private sector largely in charge

10) Much of the food can be produced by small local farmers

Their seventh and eighth reasons point to the fact that there is simply not enough known about these products to warrant they are safe for use. Agribusiness lobbyists have pushed the issue; “In the United States, private sector pressure led the White House to decree ‘no substantial difference’ between altered and normal seeds, thus evading normal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing… the FDA’s own scientists do not agree with this determination” (Altieri and Rosset, 157). Also, “the funds for research on environmental risk assessment are very limited” (Altieri and Rosset, 158).

David Moeller makes a different but related argument in his article “GMO Liability Threats for Farmers: Legal Issues Surrounding the Planting of Genetically Modified Crops”. Moeller focuses on the legal risks of using or not using GMOs, especially considering intellectual property (IP) rights and patenting of genes by companies like Monsanto.

Non-GMO growers can take action against their neighbors for genetic drift and pollution. Moeller explains, “The tort claim of trespass to land arises when someone intentionally enters another person’s land and causes damage. This claim could arise in a GMO context if a farmer and/or seed company knew that genetic traits from a GMO crop would enter a neighbor’s property and genetic drift in fact occurs, causing harm to the neighbor’s crop. The farmer and/or seed company could then be liable for any resulting harms caused by the GMO crop” (Moeller, 3).

On the other hand, farmers who do use GMO seed could be targeted for IP infringement. Monsanto, for example, has brought suits against farmers in a number of states for genetic drift to other farms. Moeller explains the hardship to farmers in these situations, since “Whether or not farmers violated Monsanto’s intellectual property rights, the still must raise a defense in court ringing up thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees” (Moeller, 6).

Farmers are only just beginning to realize the full scope of the complex legal issues that arise from GMOs, whether or not they choose to plant them. Clearly genetic drift is a large problem when using this technology, both to the legal rights of farmers and to the ecosystem outside of agriculture.

The Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) focused on Agricultural Biotechnology in The State of Food and Agriculture 2003-2004. Scientists agree that gene flow happens, but don’t agree on whether or not it matters. The report argues, “management and genetic methods are being developed to minimize the possibility of gene flow”, and concedes that “The complete isolation of crops grown on a commercial scale, either GM or non-GM, is not currently practical although gene flow can be minimized…” (FAO, “Gene Flow”). The only management strategies suggested in the report are avoiding planting of transgenic crops in “centres of biodiversity”, planting buffer zones of non-GM crop around the perimeters, and altering the flowering periods to avoid cross-pollination (FAO, “Gene Flow”). While these ideas are worthwhile, the question then follows: who will make sure that farmers take these precautions?

These three articles all focus on different aspects of GM technology, but all agree that there are potential risks to all parties involved: the farmer, the farm, and the environment as a whole. While I think there are several compelling arguments against GMOs, gene pollution and the risks to biodiversity and farmers’ rights stand out. With so little research done about long-term effects of this technology, scientists cannot say with any substantial degree of certainty that GM crops are safe. While there are ways to limit the adverse effects of GMOs on surrounding areas, there is no regulatory body to oversee their implementation or to educate farmers on how to avoid legal recourse.

Works Cited

Altieri, Miguel A., and Peter Rosset. "Ten Reasons Why Biotechnology Will Not Ensure Food Security, Protect the Environment and Reduce Poverty in the Developing World." AgBioForum 2.3&4 (1999): 155-62. Web. .

Moeller, David R. GMO Liability Threats for Farmers: Legal Issues Surrounding the Planting of Genetically Modified Crops. Tech. Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Nov. 2001. Web. .

The State of Food and Agriculture 2003-04 [agricultural Biotechnology : Meeting the Needs of the Poor]. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2004. Web. .

Lots going on!

2011-04-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

ALRIGHT. Here are some important crunchy developments here on my campus and in my life.

In no particular order

-Last night I went to a screening of Eating Alaska, and excellent non-bummer of a film about trying to eat locally in a place like Sitka, Alaska. Ellen Frankenstein, the filmmaker, did some Q&A after and is absolutely delightful. Earlier the morning, I got to see a lecture by her commercial fisherman husband, Spencer. He was really amazing as well- he has spent about a year of his life underwater! My food policy professor is close friends with them and it was great to see their enthusiasm that we were all interested in making a food change on campus.

-KFC (Knox Food Coalition) has refocused and we are doing some cool things. We are currently doing precedent research on other schools like us and have been organizing a series of talks called "Improve Your Food IQ!". So far they have been pretty successful!

-It's Earth Week! Lots of things going on around campus this whole week. I'm exciting to be playing a set at the festival on Saturday. Local farmers are also going to do a mini-market on campus, with the full farmers market to start up for the year within walking distance of cmpus in a few weeks!

-Food Policy class has been awesome. We just finished reading The World According to Monsanto by Marie-Monique Robin. Excellent book. I thought I knew everything about Monsanto, but there was more to learn! Worth a read, and there is also a documentary companion, which I have yet to see.

-We've been writing policy briefs, which I will be posting. We have to write 5 over the course of the term. My first one is not very well written, so bear with me. But they are improving as I get feedback from my professor. Hopefully you will learn something by reading them (or even skimming them!).

FUN RANDOM THINGS

-I am now singing tenor in my a cappella group. It's a lot of fun. We didn't have enough tenors so our student director and I both joined up with the guys. Pretty fun to try something new.

- I am ADDICTED to this card game, which is known by several names, some offensive. But it is a fun game!

The weather has been rotten, so no good photos to share right now.

Things I did this weekend

2011-04-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

Basked in the glory of these blossoms that EXPLODED in the sunny, 75 degree weather we've had all weekend

Used the new bag my marmie made me for my birthday

Made friends with this bunny

Had a picnic!

Forgot to bring my camera on a trip to Trillium Dell farm and timberworks, where Food For Thought helped to plant about 4,000 onions. But the rows looked beautiful, and there were some nice dogs

Pumped up my bike tires and re-adjusted my seat

Spent quality time with lots of friends

Hard to focus when it's this beautiful out. Luckily I didn't have much work to do this weekend. I'm a little pink from the sun (even with the sunscreen, my pasty winter skin couldn't handle the sun's glory!), but it was worth it for the hours I spent outside!

One of those days...

2011-04-06T18:39:00.001-07:00

...where you realize you bit off WAY more than you can chew, but are genuinely interested in everything you are doing.

-Last night I celebrated victories of 2 Alderman candidates me and the Knox College Democrats helped campaign for. Nice to know that in a small community, those phone calls and hours of canvassing really do translate into change on a city council.

-Had a KFC (Knox Food Coalition) meeting today where I volunteered to help out on committees I don't know much about but are needing energy. Frustrating to find time in my busy schedule to do research I wasn't supposed to have to do, but to move forward, we need to report back to the group as a whole. There ARE good things going on: good dialogue, new ideas, etc.

-Scrambling to finish a policy report about an aspect of science and technology for my Food Policy class (which I am loving, by the way, and can't wait to share bits and pieces of what I've been reading)

-After I finish up my shift tutoring (no tutees tonight, so I got some work done!), I get to go to a cappella rehearsal! Where I am proudly singing tenor this term. Also performing at an open mic Friday night, which I haven't had ANY time to rehearse for, but will throw something together Friday afternoon.

I'm trying very hard not to let the Gretta-stress-monster of high school rear its ugly head again. These are all worthwhile things... and should be fun! A little sleep deprived, and I should do some laundry, but the weather has been lovely and I've enjoyed riding my bike from place to place!

Blossoms!

2011-04-04T18:46:00.001-07:00

Here are the blossoms on the tree outside my window, ready to burst!

This tree became my favorite on campus last year, and this year, by chance, my window overlooks it!

And here are the beginnings of 9 avocados worth of guacamole! Made it for a club event, it was a hit!

Sunny Saturday!

2011-04-02T21:38:00.001-07:00

Today it was finally nice out after a few days of gloom! I think spring might finally be here. Got to bust out my new shades. Galesburg hosts an awesome jazz festival every year called Rootabaga, and this weekend was it! So much awesome jazz, including today's performance. The Knox Jazz Ensemble rocked it out, and then the Julian Lage Group absolutely blew all our minds. My friends and I were in awe of the things all these musicians could do, particularly Julian himself, who played guitar better than anyone I've ever seen. It was fantastic live, and none of the youtube videos seem to be able to do it justice, but check out this video, and then check out his tour dates, cause he's gonna be in the northeast soon!

To come when I get the time: pics of the massive amounts of guacamole I made the other day with my friend Alicia, as well as an update from my awesome food class!

Reading List

2011-03-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Everything I'm trying to read this term, some for class, some not...

But especially important are books to prepare me to go to AUSTRALIA in the fall!!!

Personal food policy

2011-03-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

As a way of introducing ourselves on the first day of class, my Food Policy professor asked us all to submit a powerpoint slide of our personal food policy. He described the assignment as:

"What is your personal food policy?"

First, your definition of policy should be: "The set of rules you follow
to achieve a set of outcomes"

Second, you should decide on three prongs of your personal food policy
as well as three outcomes you'd like to achieve. The more specific the
better.

My response was:

•1) I want to know what I’m eating.

Goal: Not put things into my body that are potentially harmful or toxic; be healthy.

•2) I eat “local” food when I can, i.e. I know the farmer who produced it or can easily track it

Goal: As I want to BE a sustainable farmer, I want to support them. I want to eat food that was produced in a way I agree with.

•3) I eat things that taste good.

Goal: Personal happiness. Even if it is good for me, if it isn’t prepared in a way that I find appetizing, I don’t see the point.

What is your personal food policy? This really got me to solidify what aspect of the food movement are the most important to me.

Tid-bits from the weekend in Vermont

2011-03-21T17:50:00.001-07:00

MUD SEASON is in full swing up in Vermont.

Stacks of woods outside the sugar house at Turkey Hill Farm

Sap buckets at Turkey Hill

Henry's sweet lil forehead!

All in all, a nice weekend. As we left this morning, there were snowy clouds blowing in, and we had to contend with some sketchy road conditions.

Contain

2011-03-16T16:10:00.001-07:00

Found this cute bowl in Somerville, the tiny tin at Black Ink, and the little fruit boxes were made by my grandma!

Printing Final

2011-03-11T14:49:00.001-08:00

Here are my final 5 images from printmaking!

I had a lot to choose from, but here are the 5 I am showing to the class.

I used monoprint for the backround, puzzle woodblocks for the mountains, and lino block for the tree.

My "ideal" stable one.

More experimental

Drippin'... experimental. Still using all the same elements.

My apocalypse-ish one.

Experiments

2011-03-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

Studied 7 hours today for my stats final tomorrow, mostly done with my final printmaking project...

Almost there.

Etchings

2011-03-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

Collapse

Beet the System: Grow the Food Revolution

2011-03-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

The finished product! 5 layers of ink, stenciled silkscreen.

Counting 20 years of blessings

2011-03-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I turned 20! I had a really nice day filled with friends and relaxation. Today I am just happy to be. Tomorrow is the last day of classes for this term, which wasn't especially great. While I am a little stressed about my exams coming up later this week, the sun is shining it is nice out for the first time in what feels like forever. I am remembering all the little things that have kept me going through the dreary winter, some of which I keep in this little box my sister Hannah gave to me for Christmas.

Knowing my love for Wendell Berry, she put this quote on it: "Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do."

One of my favorites, and it reminds me what I am fighting for in this lifetime. She also cheekily put chickens on it, knowing me aversion to birds, but also reminding me of the fears I have been working to get over! Those older sisters really know how to get you :) Inside this box I keep things that inspire me, for those days when all I want to do is be playing in the dirt but instead have to go to statistics class.
Quotes given to me by my sister Lindsey. A postcard from my sister Hannah with "Life is to be felt, not just figured out" and on the other side a note that reads "This quote made me think of you and your future. I know you'll just do your thang and follow your heart". A note from my brother Stew saying "I hope you can start planning out your own 'bit of earth' with this notebook!". Ticket stubs. A picture of Erin to remind me that every day is precious, if my 'e' isn't enough. Pictures of veggies, eggs, farming.
And then of course there is the slight plucking sound from the next room of my friend Alyssa and her banjo. Music has been great lately, with me and my friend Anna (and her ukelele) performing at an open mic last Friday as United Plaid (Local 309).

I've been watching That '70s Show on Netflix Instant lately, and this quote made me laugh out loud:

Bob: Well if you really wanted to cheer her up, you should have gotten her a banjo!

Red: A banjo, Bob?!

Bob: Yeah, you can't hold a banjo and NOT smile!

Work in Progress

2011-03-05T11:40:00.001-08:00

Silkscreening with stencils, for my printmaking class. 4 of the 5 layers down!

Prairie Bag

2011-02-26T11:16:00.001-08:00

I took these pictures out at the Green Oaks Prairie Reserve in the fall of 2009. I've always loved trees against sky, and prairie grass against sky was fantastic!
My crafty mom made me this bag for Christmas- just the right size for my laptop or a few school books.
I love it ever so!

Hope

2011-02-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

"When Americans can no longer see the stars the times are tragic. We must believe that it is the darkness before the dawn of a beautiful new world; we will see it when we believe it." -Saul Alinsky

I am fed up. Natural disasters, ridiculous politics, having a cold...

So here is some hope!

Americans are starting to trust the EPA! Read about it here.

We are slowly but surely making progress on gay rights! Read about it here.

Farmhack is going to be at MIT March 5th to all you out east! Read about it here.

7 Days did an awesome video about Ice Cutting at Farm and Wilderness, a super awesome cooperative event! Watch it here.

I refuse to give up on the world. It may be going crazy, but perhaps out of the wreckage (whether it be of budgets or downed Cathedrals in New Zealand) we can build something better?

Hands holding strawberries

2011-02-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

Reductive lino prints, 4 layers of color.

Chicago

2011-02-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

I went to Chicago TWICE this week! First to the Art Insitute, which was great. Then back again last night to see Starship. It was a fantastic show.

Yet another reason my dad is awesome...

2011-02-18T09:26:00.000-08:00

I was surprised with this gem in my mailbox today! I gave my dad some little recycled books for Christmas, and he filled this one with thought from the NOFA-VT conference (which I sadly couldn't be at). HILARIOUS and great and I love the pictures best of all. Here are some snippets:

2011-02-18T06:11:00.000-08:00

When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. Wells

Knox Food Coalition

2011-02-16T16:01:00.000-08:00

After the Real Food Challenge, we decided to start a group that would pull from all the awesome clubs on campus already getting stuff done. Today we started with a professor panel and came up with a few ideas. We are now going to meet once a week. Although I can see that it is going to be a hard journey, I am looking forward to finally having a place to work for the things I care most about!

Thaw

2011-02-15T11:41:00.000-08:00

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

Wendell Berry

Mad Farmer Liberation Front

Love!

2011-02-15T11:35:00.001-08:00

Valentines Day kinda sucked...

Not for the "typical" reasons, but because I woke up yesterday feeling like complete crap-ola.

So I emailed my professors, and went back to sleep.

And slept.

But today has dawned a new day, and I think I kept whatever germs they were from launching a full out attack.

So today I am taking stock of all the love that was sent to me.

Valentines from family and friends

Cookies and hearts from my sister

facebook messages from friends far away

a good family call

and soup that a friend brought me last night when she heard I was sick.

I have some pretty awesome people in my life.

Things that are great

2011-02-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

-Reading good books (or multiple good books at once)

-Signing up for awesome classes for next term (Environmental Econ, Intro to Gender+Womens Studies, and Food, Policy, and Power In America)

-Making super cool collagraphs in Printmaking (pictures to come?) and starting linos

-Family dinners at my friend's house where she makes us delicious food and we all get to sit around and have awesome conversations

-Ukelele/multiple guitar/piano jam sessions

-Positive dances

-The new Decemberists album, The King is Dead

-Glee being back with new episodes (so corny, I know, but hey, it makes a good study break)

-Snuggling in my awesome quilt that my Marmie made me when its negative degrees+ windchill out

-Getting cute valentines from my wonderful loved ones

-Being able to help others in ways that are really easy for me and mean a lot to them

-Growing radishes with a friend in her sunroom and having all her housemates ask me if they can grow stuff too (and the answer of course being YES!)

-Getting stupid stuff done so I don't have to stress out about it anymore (applications, making appointments etc etc)

And most importantly, seeing that so many things are great!

Oh, Democracy

2011-02-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

So remember how I watched the State of the Union with some awesome people and somehow ended up as the secretary of the Knox College Democrats? Well, it has been AMAZING. Already learning so much from these two amazing students who constitute the rest of the executive board of the club. They have both worked on campaign before, and I have in the last week had meetings with 2 local politicians, and gone canvassing for one of them door-to-door. This term has been sort of lack-luster academically, so I've been really excited to be getting more involved in other things.

“The human spirit glows from that small inner light of doubt whether we are right, while those who believe with complete certainty that they possess the right are dark inside and darken the world outside with cruelty, pain, and injustice.” -Saul Alinsky, Rules For Radicals

Snow!

2011-02-02T17:10:00.001-08:00

Classes were cancelled for the first time in forever! Enjoying being lazy.

Obama's energy goals

2011-01-27T12:13:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night I went to a very politically active friend's house to watch the State of the Union. She took fall term off to run a campaign in her home district. Somehow, by the end of the night, I was one of three members and secretary of the Knox College Democrats, which hasn't been active in a few years.

I am pleased that President Obama proposed a goal of making 80% of the country's electricity "clean" by 2035... but, like many other environmentalists, am thinking "who is he kidding?!?!" While it may be possible, more likely it will not be made a real priority and fall by the wayside. Here are my main thoughts

-We have an archaic, inefficient energy grid. If we want to be sustainable, let's start there. Clean energy production will be no good to us unless we make distribution efficient.

-Is President Obama including "clean coal" in this 80%? Cause that's an oxymoron.

-How will we manage this financially and politically? The last few years have proven it's hard to get much of anything done, let alone something that will inevitably (and sadly) be seen as a "liberal" issue.

Keith Schnieder from Grist writes this: "Arguably the central provision of President Obama's state of the union address last night was the proposal to generate 80 percent of the nation's electricity from clean energy sources by 2035 -- including nuclear energy and "carbon capture and storage" coal technology. Getting there will take a miracle, the same sort of pie in the sky thinking that allowed our president to also present the daft notion of giving 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail by 2035. This in a country that last built a great rail station over a century ago."

Read the rest of his article here.

Also read about the latest fast food debacle involving Taco Bell here.

Please give me your input on President Obama's State of the Union energy proposal!

Real Food Challenge

2011-01-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Real Food Challenge came to campus last week. There were strategic planning sessions, workshops, and potlucks! I met lots of other food activists on campus and we have decided to start KFC (the Knox Food Coalition) to work on food issues. So excited to work on getting more real food on campus!!!

Real Food: food that nourishes producers, consumers, communities, and the earth.

I love this!

2011-01-21T08:48:00.001-08:00

MUSIC PAINTING - Glocal Sound - Matteo Negrin from Lab on Vimeo.

My first tractor

2011-01-20T16:29:00.001-08:00

This little gem found it's way into my Christmas stocking this year... my very first tractor! I keep it next to my alarm clock so in the morning it gets me going!

Eat a Vegetable!

2011-01-19T17:14:00.001-08:00

From "The Onion", a fantastic semi-fictitious news network, comes this wonderful bit. Eat a vegetable!

I have been running around the last few days with events by reps from the Real Food Challenge. Awesome. Inspiring. Can't even begin to describe. I will be back with LOTS of info soon. For now check out their website!

2011-01-17T17:29:00.000-08:00

I don't usually do music stuff on here, but I absolutely love getting music suggestions... so I'm hoping you do, too!
Here are my top 5 albums right now!

-The Weepies: "Be My Thrill"
Favorite track: "Hummingbird"

-Andrew Belle: "The Ladder"
Favorite track: "Static Waves" (features Katie Herzig)

-Ben Folds and Nick Hornby: "Lonely Avenue"
Favorite track: "Picture Window"

-Pearl & the Beard: "God Bless Your Weary Soul, Amanda Richardson"
Favorite track: "Slow Motion Machine Gun"

-The Spring Standards: "Would Things Be Different"
Favorite track: "Queen of the Lot"

Also check out this awesome a cappella version of Coldplay's "Fix You" by Straight No Chaser. My a cappella group is doing a similar arrangement, and it isn't all men, but you get the jist. It's gonna be amazing.

This gives me hope.

2011-01-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

"The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better in our private lives - to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let's remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud. It should be because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other's ideas without questioning each other's love of country, and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.

I believe we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved lives here - they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us."

Watch the full video of President Obama's speech at the Tucson memorial service here.

Food For Thought boxers!

2011-01-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

Before break, I was talking with the foodie club I'm in (Food For Thought) about club apparel. The club wanted to get boxers. We realized that the companies we were considering ordering from were going to be too expensive for us. Then I realized- HEY, I can silkscreen! So we bought boxers cheap and I brought them home with me over break to screen with my pre-existing carrot print.

They turned out pretty well, even though I had to use a system of cardboard and binder clips to stretch out the elastic and keep them from scrunching.

We distributed them at our club meeting tonight, and everyone was super pumped about them. So yay for local food, and yay for local art!

Mail

2011-01-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

THIS lovely book showed up in my mailbox today!

(okay, it wasn't magic, I ordered it a few days ago...)

Super excited to read it- it's a compilation of photos, interviews, and info about the actual farmers leading the food revolution! Check it out.