What I've Learned

What I've Learned

Honestly, not going to lie to you I took this class because it was 6 credits and Maluso told me she was teaching it (great teacher). I never took a women's studies class before or an environmental class and I'm happy Maluso was the one to teach it. We did a variety of outdoor adventures like a scavenger hunt, tree hugging, and picking up trash. We also watched a lot of educational films on the environment but not those boring educational films that you find yourself not able to sit through... they were actually pretty good. I learned about many different topics that I knew nothing about like natural gas pollution, dolphin slaughtering (okay, I don't recommend this one), and what it is actually like to own a farm and see what they do. In this class I did things and saw things that were completely new to me...except on the first outdoor adventure when I got hissed at by a family of geese, thats happened before hahha! I think by far my favorite outdoor adventure was when we went tree hugging. Not only was it fun but it was also a good trust exercise. My least favorite outdoor activity was trash picking not because it was gross but more on the lines of that it was kinda sad. I'm not really used to seeing anything like that and then I found out that certain streets don't get as clean as other streets (didn't know that was a thing like at all). I would say that I am far more cautious about the environment now NOT TO MENTION APPALLED BY THE MOUND OF TRASH SITTING IN THE TOWERS PARKING LOT!!!! (It just goes to show you people will A.) not empty the trash but B.) continue to pile trash onto the garbage can knowing there is no room)... I'm ready for summer haha! I would sincerely like to thank Maluso for opening my eyes and being more cautious about the environment... literally everytime I see a piece of trash on the ground I think back to Maluso and how she'd be dissapointed if i didnt pick it up (that doesnt mean I'm picking up the trash mound though outside of towers). Oh! Before I forget I would also LOVE to thank The Van Vleet Organic Farm for letting us see their land and how organic farming is done... as well as the food we got... AMAZING! Check out our experience here!

Thank you for a good term 3 Maluso, educational and fun... and you'll probably have me for class again! 

Sincerely (no longer not cautious about the environment),

Tiffany

Movie Day!

Movie Day!

Hello there! This week in class we actually got to watch two movies, GROW! and To Make A Farm. Both of the movies had very similar concepts and showed me what it was like to run a farm as well as how farming can be very difficult at times. In my opinion I was more found of GROW! than I was with To Make A Farm.

In GROW! we were able to see a lot of younger people with college degrees leaving the city life to farm. The thing I found really cool about this was that there was a large variety in what they majored in. Some of the people did have eco-cautious majors but then there were some who were business/science majors.. even during the film I was sitting there thinking "Huh, maybe one of my friends will do that.".... I highly doubt it, but hey who knows! These people decided to leave their desk jobs and head out on an open field and enjoy the beauty of nature which I admire that, however I personally don't think I would be able to do it. Another thing that I found very interesting were the women who were farmers and how many of them there were. It is sad but true that we live in a society where women are not seen as being capable of running a farm but the women in this documentary proved society wrong. 

For the second film, To Make A Farm showed 5 young adults who ran a farm in Canada and what it was like. This film was interesting because it showed us that you don't need a huge field to be a farmer. The five men that did this ended up getting a decent amount of produce (more than I expect this... sorry for doubting you). Another thing I found pretty cool (sorry interesting was becoming repetitive) was getting to see the difference in produce and the quantities between the two types of farms. One thing that I appreciated from both farms in the documentary were that all of the farmers put an equal amount of effort into their farms. 

I personally have never really experienced any sort of farming before or watched any movies on farming until I came to Elmira College... to those kids that say you don't learn anything in school here you go (yes, i've said this before) well done Maluso! It was very interesting to see hows these people set aside what they studied for four years and became farmers... They don't get enough credit. 

-Tiffany 

Trash Duty

Trash Duty: 

Hello again! For the most recent outdoor activity we went around Elmira and picked up garbage... it was actually pretty insightful. We split up into groups and were assigned areas to go looking for trash among the community. My group started near Clinton St. and then worked our way up a couple blocks. Looking through those side streets I was actually surprised. I expected to find a lot of trash, but at that end of town my bag barely had anything in it. We didn't want to disappoint Maluso with our amount of trash, so we decided to work our way back down... this was where some interesting items were found among the different groups (ex. used condoms, dirty diapers, and (as heard, needles in the past)... my group did not find anything "exciting" like that but my group did happen to come across a dead bird and a lot of empty alcoholic beverages.

The reason why I was so surprised when looking through streets up near Clinton St. was because I was used to the streets near the college. Not that I had ever seen any of the items above among the streets of Elmira, however a decent amount of garbage. I did not understand it at first but then Maluso explained to us that different areas have different regulations. Think about it.

In West Elmira, there was little to no trash, and then in East Elmira there was an abundance. The streets that diid not have a lot of crime had less trash, vise versa the streets that had more crime had dirtier streets. Mauls explained to us that some of the areas have more trash than others because of police build up. After hearing this it made me start thinking about trash in other areas. Before coming here, I was not used to seeing anything like this back home in Marshfield which, is another reason why I think I was so surprised as to what was found. It was a weird experience that almost made me feel dumb thinking that all streets look like the streets I was used to seeing back home but in reality I did (yes, you can call me stupid but to be fare I never had to think about this issue before).

The most interesting experience I had that day (aside from seeing a dead bird on the side of the road) was when I encountered an older woman. I’d say about mid-70’s on one of the side streets near Clinton picking up trash. We had a brief conversation about how she likes to make sure the streets look clean... I did not realize it until we got around East Elmira and someone watched me pick up garbage and asked if I was coming back later. I immediately thought back to that older lady and thought to myself if she can do it why can’t I, or better yet the other person looking for someone to clean his lawn. There is no reason why we can’t all give back and pick up trash when we see it. I know it’s gross but hey, it’s good for the environment.

Sincerely,
(newly cautious about the environment) Tiffany

The COVE

The Cove
This past week in class we watched The Cove... If you are looking for a good, happy movie to watch this is not it. The Cove shows the awful things that are done to Dolphins in Taiji, Japan. The fishermen of Taiji do not want people to know what they are doing. In the film, we see that anytime a non-fisherman comes by the slaughter site they will do anything to either get them out of there or cause a fight so people will be arrested. The fishermen know what they are doing is wrong however, they are in it for their own selfish needs because the dolphins are very profitable. In this film, activist  Ric O’Barry (trainer of the dolphin, Cathy from T.V. show “Flipper”) along with filmmaker Louis Psihoyos expose the truth behind these brutal dolphin slaughters.

From what we have learned in the movie, dolphins (or any animal) are not meant to be seen as entertainment but unfortunately they are. Dolphins are very smart animals and they travel up to 100 miles a day whether they playing or looking for food. Dolphins travel so much throughout the day is it physically and mentally not healthy for them to be caged up in a small aquarium tank for people’s entertainment. Here, you can read up on disturbing dolphin facts that Seaworld does not want you to know about. The most important in my eyes being number 3, captivity kills. According to this article, 62 dolphins have died at Seaworld in the past 10 years.

More recently, back in January (2016), a 33 year old dolphin named Betsy died after being transferred from SeaWorld in San Diego to Seaworld’s aquatic park in Orlando. Once Betsy arrived, she had stopped eating. People are beginning to wonder if the move caused her death, and from what I have learned from The Cove I believe it did. One thing I learned from The Cove is that dolphins choose when they breathe, it does not come natural. Dolphins can get depressed very easily and they can kill themselves. Living in captivity causes dolphins to be depressed and for some of them they would rather be dead than be in captivity.

In roughly about 4 months (September), another dolphin slaughter will take place. As you can see from the photo, from last September to February of this year the Taiji Cove Report is 111 dolphins captured, 121 back out at sea, and 652 slaughtered. Out of 884 dolphins, 73% of them have been slaughtered. 652 slaughters is seen as “low” however the fishermen are making up for less slaughters but putting more dolphins into captivity. A trained dolphin can be sold for up to $150,000 so in order for the fishermen to make a profit, they are capturing as many as they can.

I for one have never been to Seaworld but I know a lot of people who have. I’ve always wanted to swim with a dolphin but after seeing the Cove, I don’t want to swim with a dolphin who is being forced to live this lifestyle. It’s like the expression ‘putting yourself in their shoes’ but instead I’m putting myself in their flukes... I wouldn’t want to be dragging annoying people around either.  
All in good new, Seaworld just agreed to end their Orca program so hopefully the dolphins are next! You can do something, sign this petition to end dolphin slaughters IT TAKES 5 SECONDS!!

Sincerely, 
(newly cautious about the environment) Tiffany.

AVATAR

*selfie*

AVATAR
Hello again! This past week in class we watched Avatar... aka a movie that made me questioning what I was doing with my life and why I wasn't an avatar... incase you were wondering, it would look something like thisà
good, right??

Anyways, Avatar takes place on planet Pandora with the two main characters being Neytiri and Jake Sully (a former marine who is also paralyzed). These two experience some romance amongst each other (LOVE!!!!... sorry I’m a hopeless romantic). HOWEVER, the more important part of the film is that it relates to ecofeminism.


On Planet Pandora lives people called ‘Na’vi’ and Jake Sully voluntarily goes to Planet Pandora too fill in the place of his brother whom had passed on and gives his body to science and undergoes the temporary transformation as one of the Na’vi people. Planet Pandora is poisonous to humans so if a human were to go to Pandora, they would need a special breathing mask but since Jake Sully is there to learn about their culture so he needs to blend in. Jake Sully is sent to Planet Pandora with two different groups, the scientists who studied Na’vi people and the military who were in it for the Unobtanium (really expensive mineral that can only be found on Pandora).

As Jake goes on to study the Na’vi ways, he is trained by Neytiri who in my eyes is a BOSS. Neytiri does not take orders from anyone. Throughout the film Neytiri was a strong female role in my eyes. She wouldn’t give up on Jake until he was ready to be declared a Na’vi and she stood up to her father when he was about to kill Jake. Which brings about another similar female icon throughout this movie, Grace. Grace is a boss scientist. Like Neytiri, Grace does not take heat from anyone which includes Colonel Miles Quaritch (aka the bad guy). Throughout the film we constantly see Grace stand up for what she believes is right, Grace sees through the Na’vi’s eyes. Grace too has a Na’vi body that she uses to learn their culture as well as teaching the Na’vi people english. Although Grace is represented throughout he film as a scientist, she is a fighter too and did not stop at anything. Not only were these two the only strong female roles throughout the film however, what both Neytiri and Grace contributed in this film identifies with ecofeminism.

Overall critique of Avatar:


Rating: ★★★★★
My favorite scene in this movie (besides watching Neytiri and Jake Sully fall in love) is when Jake decides to stay a Na’vi at the end of the film. At the beginning of the film I felt sorry for Jake Sully, not only did he not see faith in himself but others too did not believe in Jake Sully. But at the end of the film you are so happy for Jake Sully because he gets everything he wanted.

Recommendations: Check this out!
Sincerely, 
(newly cautious about the environment) Tiffany.

Tree Hugger

 Tree Hugger

This past week in class we went tree hugging at the Tanglewood Personius Nature Center. Up until this point, I had never been tree hugging. The only hugging by a tree that I had ever encountered was when I tried kissing a tree (do not ask why). Let me walk you through my experience.

Picture this, being blindfolded in the middle of the woods, relying on some you do not really know to guide you and pick out a tree... a tree that you get to know. I started off my giving my tree a big hug, then I began to feel my tree up and get to know it. My tree was tall and thick, barely letting me get my arms around it. It was rough, but in a way that distinguished it from other trees. My tree had sharp ridges, my tree had lumps and bumps... then I was lead back to the main sight to find my tree without a blindfold.

When looking for your tree, you have to think about not only all of the tree’s characteristics but its surroundings as well. I knew my tree was downhill because  I could feel myself falling when I was walking around it. I knew my tree was in the sun because I could feel the rays on my back. Another thing I knew I had to keep in mind was that my tree had extra branches. These extra branches got a little touchy, but hey maybe that was natures way of hugging me back. I never knew that finding my tree would be so easy. Each tree is so different from the other, you are able to tell which tree is yours. The first one I went to was smooth and far too thin because I was able to get my arms around it so I knew that wasn’t my tree.

If I had not been blindfolded and challenged to find my tree, I probably would not have paid the same amount of attention to the tree than I did. Every tree’s roots are different. Every tree has a different trunk. Every tree is different.

Every week I continue to be more memorized by what I experience in this class. I enjoyed the tree hugging activity very much for two reasons. One being that you are trusting someone you do not really know to guide you in the woods blindfolded and not push you down. The second is that you learn to look beyond the tree itself and realize they are their own unique individual tree just like how we are our own unique, individual person.

Something to think about: I never thought not being able to see would make me appreciate nature more.

Sincerely, 
(newly cautious about the environment) Tiffany. 

GASLAND

Gasland
Directed by: John Fox

John Fox is the director of a documentary called “Gasland”. In this documentary we see that Fox is offered $100,000 for his land that is located on Pennsylvania’s Delaware River. Fox then decided that he is going to do some of his own research on fracking. 

Throughout the film we see Josh come in contact with others who reside on drill sites across the country, and what was mentioned in this film was absolutely horrifying. One because the water that is being used in households is contaminated and cannot be used and nobody is doing anything about it. However, the most terrifying thing that comes to mind when I saw this film was I had never heard about this problem until I saw this documentary. 

In this documentary we see Josh Fox take on a twenty-four state wide search on hydraulic fracturing. Fox encounters all different harmful effects that the water has on people as well as the environment. For starters, out of all the twenty-four states and the water that Fox comes in contact with, none of them are clean. The waters are foggy brown/grey combinations as well as flammable and these people are being told that it is safe to drink them. I’m sorry, but last time I checked anything flammable you probably shouldn’t drink... especially if its not meant to catch on fire (*cough, cough* water).

 Another thing to keep in mind that you may not know is that where Josh Fox’s home is it sits onto of the country’s largest unfiltered water supply that is going out to millions of americans as well as those who reside in New York City. If you are one whom lives in New York, this is something to think about. Would you want this happening to you?

Josh Fox makes it apparent to say that today, society is still blinded by the harmful affects of hydraulic fracturing and people certainly are unknowledgeable about this information that is being provided by Fox. What Fox explains in his film is rater simple, it comes off as a bad idea so why do people still insist on doing it? When will it stop? Fox is most certainly right about the issue on fracking and lack information that we are actually being told about fracking. Up until this film, I had no idea what fracking is... Now I do and I don’t see why people frack when they know just how harmful it can be on our environment. 

Why is it that we are not being informed of fracking? Why is it that most people have heard of fracking, yet they do not actually know what it is? As a younger generation we are going to be the once that can make a change because we have the knowledge as well as the ability to actually do something about it and make a change before it is too late. It is our job to inform others on the dangers hydraulic fracturing has on our environment because without the knowledge on this, history will eventually repeat it self and will bound to become a problem yet again. 

Sincerely, 
(newly cautious about the environment) Tiffany. 

Outdoor fun!

AN OUTDOOR ADVENTURE 

This past week in class, we went on a scavenger hunt at the Tanglewood Nature Center &Museum. I have been to nature centers before but none like this. Before my acknoweldgement that all the answers on the scavenger hunt list were inside the nature center, we ventured off into the woods where I got to come across new looks of life. At the beginning of this trip I was not so sure how I was going to like it. The mud was not bad however, the first real animal I had contact with was a family of geese (mom, dad, and a couple babies). One of the items on the list was baby and I was the photographer of the group so I had gone up and approached the family in hopes of getting a picture, then... all of the sudden I found myself being hissed at. This brought me back to a childhood memory of getting attacked by a family of geese. So at this point you can probably guess that my next thought was to run but the competitive streak in me did not run until I got a picture. 

Another interesting experience I got to endure was being able to experience all the beautiful qualities of nature. I know that sounds very cliche but while I was taking pictures of items that were on the scavenger hunt list I did not see real beauty until I looked under a rock and saw a worm (yes, a worm). Who would have thought that one of the ugliest, grossest, slimmest creatures in nature would be seen in a photograph as beautiful? Not me. This picture is so simple, yet we are able to see so many of nature’s beautiful qualities just by the simplicity of this photograph. Not only do we get to see all these assorted colored rocks but we are able to see what living creatures hide under these rocks as well. This photograph captures just how beautiful nature really is. I would not look at this picture and say “Ew, gross, a worm.” When I look at this photo I am actually impressed with myself because I don’t see a gross worm, I see a beautiful creature of nature. This photo brought me back to my youth when I was able to appreciate nature more because I was not distracted by technology. I have never been one to think worms were gross in general, when I was little I used to have a pet worm named “Sherbet” after my favorite type of ice cream. When I was younger, I was always outside playing in the mud, not being afraid to get my hands dirty, and enjoying exploring new qualities of nature. I miss that. 

Going on the outdoor adventure this week was fun and surprisingly stress free considering that we were in a competition. As these past couple weeks of gone by I am already so surprised about what I did not know about nature, or what I had forgotten about nature which in my opinion is very sad. I decided to try to make a goal for the summer to do at least one nature activity so I can continue to expand my knowledge of everything that mother nature has planted for us. 

Sincerely, 

(newly cautious about the environment) Tiffany

Hello, Mother Nature

                          *ring, ring*"Hello, Mother Nature.”

Welcome to the land where you can get frostbitten and sunburnt in the same week I’m Tiffany, Tiff for short. I’m from Marshfield, Massachusetts and I’m 20 years old. I’m about to end my sophomore year at Elmira College here in New York and I am creating this blog to become more familiar with nature instead of the mall. As you can probably tell from my picture I’m a bit of a diva and enjoy the finer things however my bank account is suffering and I have decided to try to pick up a new hobby that is less expensive (literally, nature doesn’t cost a thing). For being someone who may or may not have a shopping addiction, my favorite things to do in nature is explore. I remember  when I was little I went to this little island on a lake and discovered “Indian Soap”. Indian Soap is from a bush, the buds rubbed together with water creates soap. I remember experiencing it for the first time when I was little and remaining forever fascinated. Every time I go back I always find myself stopping by to get some Indian Soap. Although finding Indian Soap was one of the coolest things I have ever come across in nature, I have come across particular things I would have rather not see. One time when I was little (roughly around the same age as the picture) I had come across a rabid fox and was forever completely mortified, (forever afraid of foxes). In this class I hope to become more knowledgeable about the environment and what I can do to help improve the environment because after watching a particular movie (*hint, hint* view my next post) I am completely moved and want to become more aware. Another skill I would like to achieve in this class is learning how to survive in the wilderness, I honestly think I would be fully capable of doing it. However, others have disagreed with me when this topic has previously been brought up... I’d like to prove them wrong. 

Sincerely, 
(newly cautious about the environment) Tiffany. 

An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth(2006) is a movie based on the effects of global warming and how earth will eventually disappear if we as a whole continue to harm the planet we live on.  Former presidential candidate, Al Gore reveals just how harmful certain resources can be to our environment and people need to continue being informed of this.

For one thing, I do not keep tabs on the environment and after seeing this film I believe people especially younger people need to be more involved on improving our environment as well as being more informed on the situation at hand. This film should be shown in schools, it is highly concerning to me that I am really just learning about this as a 20 year old student when in reality if i was shown this video 5-10 years ago I would have been able to comprehend it, however being older I find this information scarier. We are creating a world that eventually will disappear if we do not do anything to stop this. I don’t know about you, but I would feel extremely guilty knowing that I was one of the many causes of global warming that lead up to the failed future of children, grandchildren, etc. We need to continue trying to improve our environment before it vanishes right before our eyes.

This film was released in 2006- thus we are approaching the 10 year anniversary so here are some things to consider:
Here, you can find a flat map that was shown in the film that informs us on who the real contributors to global warming were in 2006. To elaborate we (as in the U.S.) are the leading contributors to global warming at 30.3%, behind us we have Europe(27.7%), Asia(13.7%), Australia(12.2%), South America(3.8%), Africa(2.5%), and Antartica (1.1%).

Has anything changed? Was Al Gore Right?
According to recent check ups of the 10 year anniversary, research has shown that Al Gore’s predictions have fallen flat. However on the contrary, Al Gore felt that using new technology instead of fossil fuels creates jobs and wealth and according to this article, two of the biggest coal companies in America have filed for bankruptcy leaving economics and technology to save us (as Al Gore predicted).

Back in 2006, Al Gore also predicted that in 10 years (so now) sea levels would rise 20 feet. By the 10 year anniversary, waters levels did rise however just not as high as Gore predicted. Here, is a map of the East Coast showing a fast rate of rising water. Over the last 50 years (1963-2012), sea levels have rose over a foot. Although it is a foot and may not seem like a lot, it is still something to be cautious of because despite Al Gore’s prediction the water levels still have grown just not as fast as he thought.

If society continues to ignore these problems and do harmful things to earth then I feel we are soon going to begin seeing Gore’s predictions come true.

Sincerely,

(newly cautious about the environment) Tiffany.