My final blog post

        Over the course of this semester my love for the world around me has truly grown. I have always appreciated being outside and in nature, but the class has helped evolve my understanding of the world we live in and what we need to do in order to preserve it for future generations. Throughout the semester I have made a couple of small changes to help make the earth a greener place to live. I used to buy plastic water bottles because they were so convenient.  I have however been using the same plastic water bottle for most of the semester, I wash it out and refill it every day. I take shorter showers and I am always getting on my roommates about our electricity usage, partly because it helps save money, but also because it is better for the environment. Before this class I never thought about what place in the world my food was being grown. I also never thought about the repercussions of things as small as microbeads getting into our Great Lakes. Environmental literature has given me a deeper understanding of nature and what we as people need to do in order to utilize but also protect the earth however we can.

            The part of the class that resonated with me the most was when we started talking about farming. I myself am not a big poetry reader, so I had never read a Wendell Berry poem. His poetry is beautiful and I really appreciate his views on the world we live in, and what needs to be done to protect it. I love learning and talking about things that I can relate back to my own life; and farming is something that I can do that with. I grew up in a small farm town, and although my family does nothing even remotely close to farming, many people in our area do. This includes my boyfriend who I have been dating for almost two years. So over the past couple of years I have started to spend more time in nature, fields, and on farms. I have learned about the process of raising animals and certain crops.

            The blogging assignment in general has also been a learning experience. I think I might enjoy blogging about something that I had larger passion for, or an area that I had more knowledge in more so than something I am being told to write about. Even with that in mind, it was a good tool to practice writing skills. Anytime you practice anything it becomes easier, and so creating a couple of blog posts each month was a good way to keep writing and learning. It was cool to read other students blog posts as well. I also liked the fact that we could read other students posts. This is a great tool to use when you are experiencing writers block. You don’t copy other students work, but reading it helps can help spark ideas for yourself and can also make you more confident that you are on the right track. Overall I enjoyed the class and the blogging process. I have learned a lot and my love for the environment has grown and will continue to grow after the class is over.

                

Winter through Keno's eyes

Just the other day it snowed for the first time this fall/winter season. To college students the snow means it’s time to pull out their boots and long winter jackets, in order to make the walk to class a little more bearable. To high school students the snow means there is a greater chance of snow days. It also means bundling up for classes; because in high school they seem to wait as long as they can without turning on the furnaces. To children the snow is another toy. It is something to shape into snow men, forts, and angels. For the parents of those children the snow means purchasing new snow equipment for kids, and paying more to heat the house.  These of course are all generalizations. For some people snow brings happiness, while others dread its arrival. It can be both beautiful and dangerous, all at the same time. It can bring mixed emotions for many, including myself.

                When the snow arrived this year I had two thoughts. One of those thoughts was I’m glad that it is already the end of the semester; because there is nothing enjoyable about walking to class in the snow. The other thought I had was, I can’t wait to let Keno outside, because I know how excited he is going to be. Keno is my brother’s dog; but he is more like a family dog. My brother got keno a little over a year ago and he has brought so much joy to our lives. He is a beautiful miniature Australian shepherd. He is very shy, and gets very scared around new people, but he loves my family. I think this makes us like him even more. His reaction, when he sees me or one of my family members, is priceless. Keno spends almost half of his time at my parent’s house because my brother works and attends school full time. Last year we learned that Keno was a big fan of the snow! He loves it so much! I dread going outside in the cold, but his excitement makes it almost worth it.

                To Keno the snow is something to be celebrated. When he goes outside he will run, dig, or just lay down; but no matter what he does, you can tell he is enjoying it. The excitement illuminates from his cute, little face. The first thing he does when he arrives at my parent’s house is run to his toy basket (yes, he has a toy basket at “Grandma’s” house).  He grabs a Frisbee out of the toy basket and hustles over to the door. He wants to go outside and play. He does this no matter what the weather is (unless it is raining, he doesn’t like the rain). But when it is snowing he will stay outside as long as he can and play. The snow even makes it so that he will play by himself. He tosses the Frisbee himself with his mouth and retrieves it out of the snow using his paws and mouth. He can, and will, entertain himself with this for as long as someone will stay outside with him. To keno the snow is not a nuisance. To Keno the snow is a magical substance that adds to the already exciting place, that is our back yard.

Winter Weather Brings Mixed Feelings

           As the holidays begin to approach, so does the colder weather. With the colder weather comes snow and frost. With the snow and frost comes beautiful yet dangerous scenery. As a photo enthusiast, I myself look forward to the powdery white substance falling from the sky, as it will create a stunning backdrop for portraits. However, as a college student who likes to drive home on the weekends, I dread the retched icy matter making its way to the ground.  How could something so marvelous looking be so harmful?

                Snow is a beautiful back drop for any scene. Think about it; have you ever heard someone say “it looks so dreary and dark outside,” after a fresh snow? Well I haven’t. It makes the outside light up; frosts our mountain tops and covers the boring leafless trees. In Michigan, when it snows, people often say that “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” This form of precipitation that forms a glowing white blanket on the ground is equated to a holiday known to bring joy and happiness to people. It brings smiles to children’s faces. It can be used as a free toy for kids, as it is malleable, and can be turned into snowmen and forts alike. It’s a reason to bring out other toys, such as snow mobiles and snow boards. There is a whole industry that makes its money from snow fall. I think it is safe to say that snow would be missed by many if it were to disappear forever. 

                For some though, the snow brings more worries. As Michigan residents, we have the nuisance of lake effect snow. Our great lakes, that serve us so well, make it so that every winter our areas get pummeled with the form of frozen precipitation known as snow. This snow can create dangerous conditions to live in. Because we live in the modern age of technology, people are always on the go. Because people are always on the go, our roads are not lightly traveled. In 2014, 20 minutes from where I live, snow caused a 193 car pile-up on I-94. This accident caused 22 injuries and 1 death. With 193 vehicles, these numbers were lucky. The cold weather and snow create icy road conditions that can be dangerous and even deadly. Snow is one of the leading causes of automobile accidents. It is also dangerous to be trapped in the snow without shelter. It can cause frostbite, and even death.

                This one substance brings about both joy and despair. If it were to disappear it would bring about both sadness and relief. Sadness that we would no longer have the beauty and pleasure that comes with it. But relief that the conditions that come with it would then be extinct.

My Favorite Date Night

The fourth date that I had with my boyfriend was spent chisel plowing. I got to ride with him in his big green tractor, through the vast open land on the country side. Never did I ever think that I would become a “country girl”, because although the town I grew up in was definitely a small farm town, there were plenty of neighborhoods filled with people between the corn fields. We were also only a short 10 to 15 minute drive from shopping malls and chain restaurants. But that evening, as we rode back and forth through about 60-100 acres of fields, I finally caught a glimpse of why some people actually enjoy the country lifestyle that includes living and working with the earth. I rode with him in the tractor from about 7pm until midnight. It was peaceful; and from that day on my favorite dates haven’t been to movies or fancy restaurants, but instead, my favorite dates have been the ones where I get to ride along in the tractor.

                While I still have what my boyfriend would describe as, an astronomically long ways to go before becoming an expert of all things farm related, I have gained a little knowledge over the past year and half of my life. My boyfriend’s family farms roughly 3,000 acres of farm land. They grow soy beans, seed corn, sweet corn and commercial corn. They have all of the big farm equipment (most of which I have not learned the name of quite yet). And it is all a necessary part of their farming process. Because of the amount of land they farm, it would be impossible to do without the use of tractors and other industrial farm equipment.

Wendell Berry is a famous poet, farmer and environmental activist. However Berry Farms a much more modest piece of land than that of my boyfriend’s family, and his techniques and beliefs about what farming should look like are far different than my boyfriend’s views. Both my boyfriend and Wendell Berry grew up on a farm. They however grew up with different techniques. In one of Berry’s poems entitled “Horses”, he mentions that he learned from men before him. And this is exactly what my boyfriend did as well. Berry uses teams of horses to farm his land. The teams of horses are a practical way for Berry to farm because he has a smaller piece of land, that is not completely flat and therefore the horses are of great use to him.

Many people make the argument that industrialized farming is destroying our earth, and while I plan on doing more research on this topic, and updating you all at a later time. For now I would just like to make the argument that any kind of farming is a noble profession and vital to the survival of people. As our population continues to grow we need more food to feed the higher quantity of people. And that is what farmers do, big farms and little farms both have the same end goal. And that is to provide food for people so that we can survive. And for that reason people should thank all farmers. 

Save your money while saving the World

            Have you ever taken a step back and really looked into some of your everyday rituals that could be affecting the world? Well today I did just that. There are many things that would not be challenging to change if I just put a little effort into it.

 I don’t know about the rest of you, but when I’m not in a hurry in the morning I don’t pay attention to how long I am in the shower, at all! This morning I got in the shower at around 6:52 and by the time I got out it was 7:11. That is a 19 minute shower! On average people use about 2 gallons of water for every minute the

y are in the shower. That means this morning alone I used around 38 gallons of water. If I cut 5 minutes out of my shower each morning I could conserve more than 3,600 gallons of water a year. It would not only save water, but also save energy (and it would save me money).

Our Environmental Literature class talked about how bad plastic is for the environment, and yet I still find myself using plastic on a regular basis. I use approximately 4 plastic water bottles every week. People (including myself) make a majority of their decisions based off of what is the most convenient. And then people (including myself) are disgusted with the things like the ocean being filled with plastic! A staggering 8 million tons of plastic find a home in the world’s ocean each year! If I bought myself a water-filter and used one of the many water bottles I already own, not only would I save money but that would be 208 less plastic water bottles being thrown away, only to end up in our landfills, soil, and oceans. Just think about what would happen if 1000 people decided to make this change! That would be around 200,000 water bottles not being thrown away!

Not only would these things be saving the environment, but they would also help keep more money in my pocket. Some other things people can do to save themselves money while helping save the world we live in include:

-Car Pool or use public transportation

- Turn off your lights

-switch to fluorescent light bulbs

-Turn off your computers at night

-unplug electronics while you are not using them

-use a reusable water bottle

                I think everyone (including myself) can make these small changes to help save the environment. Will you be joining me? 

"A Walk in the Woods"

In the book “A Walk in the Woods,” by Bill Bryson, the author himself talks about his experiences while walking the Appellation trail. It is a wonderful read, filled with brilliant insight about society and nature. But my favorite part of the book was the stories that he came off of the trail with. In my opinion you can only read about someone describing how something looks and feels for so long before wanting to fall asleep. It is completely necessary to have good stories to keep every reader interested. And that is exactly what he did. I’m not a descriptive person when it comes to writing or speaking about something; which is why I would much rather take a picture. I don’t like to hear about people describing something’s beauty, I’d rather see it. A good story on the other hand I could read or listen to for hours on end. And his stories made you want to keep reading. It almost made me want to experience hiking the appellation trail for myself (almost).

              

 The things you would get to see and experience while doing something like hiking the appellation would be amazing. I would be most excited about the pictures I would get to take and the stories I would get to tell afterwards though. The using the woods as your toilet and the possibility of a being within 10 feet of a bear that isn’t in a cage also deterred me from the idea that hiking the AT would be a fun experience. That and the fact that my back hurts after walking the 15 minutes home from class while carrying my backpack full of books. If there were toilets, safer shelters and I didn’t have to carry a heavy pack I would probably walk part of the AT (probably).

           

 After experiencing the AT through the eyes of Bryson our professor decided that we should also go for a walk in the woods. We however drove 15 minutes to a nature center where we could leave our back packs in the car, and there were plenty of buildings with plumbing within a ten minute distance no matter how far you walked. This was much more my kind of “a walk through the woods.” Not to mention that we were only there for a little over an hour and had donuts and cider waiting for us after our short stroll.

           

 I will admit that getting away from the classroom was a great experience. Going to the Nature Center was not something I would have done on my own. Taking a break from technology for even an hour (well except my camera of course), is something I should do more often. There is a calmness about the trees that is really indescribable. The trees completely engulf part of these paths and only let the slightest bit of sun poke through. This allows you to escape from the hustle and bustle of a typical college students busy life and just enjoy being alive for a few minutes. It is something that each and every one of us should do more often. Whether it’s in the woods or by a lake or just in your own back yard, take a minute to disappear from the world around you. 

LAKE MICHIGAN UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

             Whether it’s summer, fall, winter, or spring, Lake Michigan is one of my favorite places to be. Some of my fondest summer memories are the ones that include being on or near the water. How lucky are we Michiganders to have so many fresh water beaches? Trust me, I've been to a beach on the ocean and I really think our great lakes give the ocean a run for their money. I love to lay on the beach and let the sun cook my skin until I’m so hot that I can’t take it anymore. I grab a boogie board that my dad so conveniently always brings along, and slowly wade into the ice cold water that is Lake Michigan. I let myself float out until I hit the buoy, and lay my stomach on the boogie board and allow the waves to carry me in to shore. I do this on repeat until I get bored, or cold and then I go back to bathe in the sun and start the process all over again.  Swimming in “The Lake” (as it is known to my family) is one of my favorite things to do when the water isn't cold enough to freeze my blood. But there is one thing that might even beat swimming under the sun, and that is swimming under the moon.

                Just this last summer a large group of us (around 12 people) decided we wanted to swim in Lake Michigan after dark. Some of our group had done this before and knew the path through the woods in order to get there.  Some ground rules were set before we took off. Pretty much if the DNR showed up it was “all for one and one for all,” meaning you better run and hide and hope they don’t shine a spotlight on you. We also had to stay very quiet. When we made it to the woods we formed a human train by holding the persons’ hand both in front and behind us. We walked through the somewhat hidden path behind stranger’s private property, only to have someone’s dog start howling in our direction. Luckily dogs do that sort of thing all the time and therefore it didn't draw too much attention to us. After about a ten minute not so quiet walk, we reached the shore of Lake Michigan. The reflection of the moon onto the water would have made for a beautiful picture. Unfortunately we decided technology was not allowed on this little adventure. Which was a good thing, because we didn't need anything creating any unnecessary light or noise to draw attention to ourselves.

                The water at night time is magical. The temperature of the air falls when the sun goes down, but the temperature of the lake remains the same. Therefore there is nothing to get used to. The water almost feels like a swimming pool. A lot of us didn't actually plan on going swimming. But once we were there and felt the water we all decided that we had to enjoy every aspect of Lake Michigan after dark. So most of us jumped into the water fully clothed and enjoyed what our wonderful Pure Michigan had in store for us that night.

                Thousands of people from all over crowd the beaches of Lake Michigan during the hot summer days, but few actually get to experience the beauty of the lake at night. This swim in the lake was unlike any other. It could have been because if we got caught we would most likely be fined. But I think it had a lot to do with the calmness of the lake under the moon and the stars. It’s unlike anything I have ever seen. If you ever have the chance to swim in one of the Great Lakes under the moonlight I would highly recommend it.