Furman University's Sustainability Master Plan

One of the deciding factors for my choice of Furman University over LSU was Furman's prevalent culture of sustainability that wasn't present at my other options. This culture can be seen everywhere on campus, from the Farm where I work to the classroom recycling bins that outnumber trashcans to the ways the Dining Hall disposes of food waste. In addition to its work in the past with exterior groups, Furman has increased its individual goals for an even more sustainable campus with the Sustainability Master Plan.

Here are some things you should know about Furman's sustainability initiatives:

In the past Furman has pushed sustainability initiatives primarily in the educational sector of the university. (This is the reason why Sustainability Science is a major here). But now the campus is pushing more toward environmental commitments in "campus operations and construction practices, and public awareness initiatives" as well.

Furman has also collaborated with other colleges and universities in groups such as the Associated Colleges of the South and Duke Endowment Schools to create a more widespread culture of sustainability.

In 2007, Furman became a charter member of the American College and University President's Climate Commitment, which basically allowed the university to pledge a goal of campus carbon neutrality by 2026.

The Sustainability Master Plan is multi-faceted and explores many different areas of campus linked to improvements in sustainability. It's also really long (over 40 pages) so I'm just going to give you some of the high notes.

The Master Plan has eight goals to become a more sustainable campus. They are:

Goal 1: Expand and enhance curricular opportunities related to sustainability
Goal 2: Expand innovative co-curricular experiences to enhance student learning about sustainability
Goal 3: Create a campus-wide culture of conservation
Goal 4: Further improve the energy-effciency of buildings, operations, and information technology Goal 5: Create a more sustainable campus transportation system
Goal 6: Invest in large-scale renewable energy projects
Goal 7: Enhance sustainability service opportunities and create local carbon offset projects and programs
Goal 8: Capitalize on Furman’s national leadership role in the comprehensive promotion of sustainability

The document also contains a Climate Action Plan linked to the President's Climate Commitment. Because Furman signed on to the commitment it is required to complete an annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory, set deadlines for milestones in the program leading to the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality, make the plan for carbon neutrality available to the public, integrate sustainability into the curriculum, and last, but certainly not least, take immediate steps to reduce emissions. The Climate Action Plan has two parts: 1) an assessment of the university's current greenhouse gas emissions, and 2) strategies for reducing the emissions.

The plan lists beneficial outcomes to a sustainable Furman. Among them are:

• Greater student engagement in academics relating to sustainability, in prospective job opportunities, and, in a wider sense, greater engagement in civic responsibility
• Conservation culture and research leading to a better understanding of individual activities' impact on the environment
• Campus wellness from increased foot/cycle traffic as well as a larger percentage of food from local vendors being served in the Dining Hall
• Community connections from collaborative efforts with the surrounding area that could lead to increased research possibilities

In addition to these outcomes, it is more economically-efficient in the long run to follow sustainable practices and it gives the university and its officials a clear conscience in knowing that Furman is taking responsibility for its actions to provide a more secure future to its students.

If you're interested, here's the plan:

http://www2.furman.edu/academics/shicenter/Documents/sustainableFurmanweb2.pdf 

Oh crap the US might turn into China

At least when it comes to how farmers in the United States pollinate their crops.
According to a NY Times article, last March a "mysterious malady" had caused nearly 50 percent of the bee hives needed to pollinate crops to die out. I repeat, NEARLY FIFTY PERCENT. Even though there's been a rise in bee ailments and deaths since the mid 2000's in the United States this number baffled scientists. One possible explanation is that certain pesticides had recently increased their toxicity, creating a new class of pesticides called neonicotinoids.


Here's the full article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/science/earth/soaring-bee-deaths-in-2012-sound-alarm-on-malady.html?smid=pl-share

Eustace Conway, The Little Prince, and Fahrenheit 451

Just kidding! Eustace Conway didn't mention anything about novels in his presentation on October 9th. I just like thinking about books. a lot. Some of the things that Mr. Conway talked about were living sustainably and spiritually with nature, knowing hunger and quiet, and the current disconnect he sees in contemporary American society. 

Eustace Conway is a homesteader known as "The Last American Man" who makes his living almost entirely off of the land (he also obviously gives presentations like the one I saw a couple of nights ago). Mr. Conway's been living in the forest since he was 17.  He said that one of the things he valued most about his time in the woods was that he had the opportunity to take a step back from contemporary American society and analyze its negatives and positives. His catchphrase of the night was "disconnected". People don't know where their food or clothing comes from and they don't understand how one beautiful, perfectly swirled chocolate ice cream cone can have negative effects on ecosystems by eliminating the natural landscape and replacing it with a contrived one for human purposes, in this case a dairy farm. (I think about food a lot too. Sorry not sorry). 

Some of the things he said made me think about some of my favorite novels.

In elaborating on the contemporary American's disconnect from the Earth he talked about how he knew everything in his forest. He said that he saw a tree grow up from a little sapling to a giant thing. This made me think about the part in The Little Prince where the fox tells the little prince about the power of friendship. Until you get to know something wholeheartedly it's just like a thousand other things. It's not unique. When you get to know it, it becomes precious.

This made me think about a part in Fahrenheit 451. When Montag has just burned a woman alive for having books in her house. The woman preferred to be burned with her books in protest than to leave the house. Montag is sharing his concern with his wife and she doesn't want to think about something so disturbing. Montag lashes out by saying: "We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?" 

The way Mr. Conway talked about the disconnect between modern human beings, the land they live on, and the resources they use made me realize just how little people seem to care about something so important. I noticed people distractedly looking at their phones and yawning throughout his entire presentation. 

So I've been really lazy lately...

I haven't actively posted anything for a while so here goes:

The fourth task was to walk/bike a lovely paved off-road trail to a cafe off campus. I, having neither a bike nor the time to run/walk/limp 5 miles, haven't gone on the Swamp Rabbit Trail and thus haven't completed the task yet. I really want to though! Just when midterms are over and I don't have to worry about the chain rule of derivatives and Descartes' theories about the existence of God. Okay? Okay.

The fifth task was to volunteer for one to two hours at the Furman Farm. To successfully complete this task you also have to have a picture taken of you at the Farm. Well, I never got a picture of myself taken there, but I spend about 8 to 10 hours a week working at the Farm. I get paid in delicious fresh produce (and dollar bills) so it's technically not volunteering. Anyway I don't know what I'm supposed to blog about the Farm. I love all of the people that I'm working with! Bruce Adams, the Farm Manager, says we have an awesome hardworking "Farm Team" this year. Almost all of us are underclassmen (there are 6 freshmen and 2 sophomores) but there's also a senior who worked with the Shi Center over the summer. Oh and we have a cat. His name is Tink and he's an adorable chipmunk killing machine. Last weekend we cleaned out the garage and then had lunch where we had a salad mix directly from the garden. It was the freshest salad I'd ever had in my life! It had probably been off of the plants for about three days. The funny thing is Bruce said it was gross and he couldn't eat it because it wasn't fresh enough. Pretty soon there will be a farm stand open on Wednesday afternoons where any student who wants fresh produce can come by to purchase some.  

This Wednesday I'm going to complete task six and get this blog back under control. The task is to go to a Cultural Life Program (CLP) about Eustace Conway, "The Last American Man", and his adventures living off-the-grid. I'm sure it'll be interesting.

Friday’s Big Global Warming Report: 5 Takeaways

Friday’s Big Global Warming Report: 5 Takeaways

Earth Market, a Greenville original

Yesterday I had the privilege to go a farmer's market that is unique to the whole United States. The Earth Market has only about a dozen vendors. Why? Because each vendor has to go through a rigorous process to get certified. Everything sold there is organic, sustainable, GMO-free, anything you want in a slow food movement. Here are some photos:

And here is a funny editorial from the Huffington Post about how to survive Whole Foods that I read after going to this great market.

Go explore a farmer's market in your hometown, you won't regret it! 

Task #2 - Scavenger Hunt

(Also known as a great excuse to blow off schoolwork and just breathe while exploring Furman's beautiful campus).

We were instructed to find as many items as possible relating to sustainability efforts on campus from a list of certain features. I didn't really try too hard to find many of these places/innovations if they involved walking too far away from my dorm. What can I say. I'm lazy. Here are some of the places I found:

THE FARM! This is a 1/4 acre organic wonderland where I spend two hours a day learning about gardening practices while helping out Bruce Adams, the Farm Manager. My first day of working here was last Monday and I've already learned so much! I even got free food!

THE SHI CENTER! (or rather a side of the Shi Center). This is where the ECOS program has it's classes. It is powered by solar energy, which is used both to heat water and power the offices inside.  

A WATER BOTTLE FILLING STATION! I know this isn't unique to Furman, but goshdarnit these things are so cool! 

and finally...

A SOMEWHAT CREEPY STATUE OF A SMALL CHILD! This is near the Thoreau cabin replica, which is also somewhat creepy.

Now you have a basic understanding of the numerous sustainability initiatives and amenities Furman has installed throughout campus, right? If not, at least you have an idea of how bad I am at photography. Hopefully I'll improve in that field eventually... Anyway, that's all for this week! Next week's task involves more galavanting only this time we get to explore local farmer's markets. I wonder if the farmers will give me huge free samples if I tell them that I'm visiting their stand for class credit...

Welcome to my blog

Hello random person on the Internet!

This, as you probably know, is a blog devoted to the Furman University ECOS program. I'm in this program because I want to learn more about humans' interactions with the environment. I also find the stuff we're learning in class simultaneously fascinating and terrifying. For instance, did you know that "up to 30 % of all mammal, bird and amphibian species will be threatened with extinction this century" (Rockstrom et al, 2009)? Crazy right? Eventually, I would like to be an environmental journalist. I've also never had a blog until this past week so please go easy on me, I honestly don't know what I'm doing. Hopefully blogging will get easier! 

Well, that's me. See ya soon.