Jehnifer's Theories

This is an extremely important day for Poly Gardens out at ASU Polytechnic. =) We broke ground! (If you don't count the removal of the swing set first which happened awhile ago.) This lot transformation has been in the works for a year and we finally commenced the initial leveling. Next comes blue staking, then my guys will trench and install all the major irrigation plumbing necessary for this community garden to be a success! Then, finally, we ALL roll up our sleeves and get down and dirty with starting the garden! Please, by all means, come on out and join us! The weather will be absolutely perfect for this kind of work! We will host eight 20' x 25' plots for staff, students and community members to utilize and enjoy. We already have an on-site composting system in place, a tool shed for storage and I just received the beautiful architecture plan for a self-sustaining shade structure and water harvesting system that (with fingers crossed) we will obtain the funding to carry out! I am so unbelievably excited! But I must stay focused. There is still A TON of work ahead with organizing the fencing plan, procuring the rest of the materials needed and planning a successful work party/orientation for all the members!

Thanks to all the helpful permaculture members who have lent a helping hand or provided sound advice! You all rock!
And I am definitely not leaving out the awesome ASU employees who have very quite possibly laid their butts on the line in order to contribute to the project thus far. Could not have done it without you! =)

Moving forward.... and, back to WORK!

It all started at the beginning of the fall season. I had known about our campus harvest program for over a year now but thanks to my demanding schedule I never could get directly involved. This season would be different. I joined the campus arboretum and became an official volunteer. My timing was great; I joined the program just in time to enjoy one of the best times of the year- the date harvest. I dragged myself out of bed at 4:30 AM and caught the 156 East to the Polytechnic Campus. (It was early October, and believe it or not, still wretchedly hot passed 8AM in Arizona...)

A small group was gathering in the early morning light, about 20 or so. We were waiting for our date harvest coordinator, Deborah Thirkhill. Once she arrived she doled out equipment and instructions on how to properly prune a date palm. There was one on display that had been previously tended by one of her more devoted volunteers. So I grabbed a rake, shovel and set of shears and set to work! It took me the better half of the morning just to get one tree completely finished. I had to re-dig the well so the irrigation could properly water the tree and cut back all the spiny branches that were overcrowding both the off shoots and the precious fruits we were soon to harvest. It was hard work, but totally worth it. After all the morning's efforts, Deborah and her back up team guided us through and taught us all the different cultivar names that they knew of. The history of Polytechnic's Date grove is a little spotty. Over 50 cultivars were relocated less than ten years ago and a lot of the identifying plates were lost in the shuffle. As a result, we have several "mystery" trees with their resulting mystery dates. We were prompted to sample many of the different dates.

I learned very quickly that I am not a fan of the early stage dates, but once they reach either the third or final stage, when they're nice and gooey sweet, they are the best! Reminiscent of a giant raison, they are perfect for pie filling, jams and cous cous mixes, among other delicious dishes you can craft. Stuffed dates are an easy, unique appetizer you can make. Pit and half each date, then fill with either a goat cheese and crushed walnut mix or cream cheese and pecans! Soooo good.

To celebrate this year's harvest, PABp and Grad Student extraordinaire, Lexi Macmillan collaborated to pull off Poly Date Night. Lexi presented local food sources and the importance of supporting them.
I spoke about Aramark's efforts to pilot this new program, CHarting Emissions through Food Services (CHEFS). With this new on-line program, students can simulate daily meals and determine their carbon FOODprint, or footprint brought on by their food selection. Next, Lexi performed a baking demo on granola bars, featuring dates of course! Finally, PABp showed the film 'Food Inc.' which detailed America's questionable food industry and the corrupt food empires we allow to exist. It further drove home the point that what we choose to eat really does matter. The content on our plates implicates us both ethically as well as environmentally. Around 50 students made it out to the event. I can only hope the impact will resonate as these are our future leaders and decision makers.
I want to take a moment to thank Deborah Thirkhill and all her wonderful Arboretum volunteers, Lexi the nutritionist and Ben Estelle, PABp coordinator- you guys rock my world! Keep up the amazing work. Please see the below link if you are interested in ASU’s campus harvest program.

http://uabf.asu.edu/arboretum_volunteer

Labels: campus harvest, carbon footprint, chefs, food emissions, sustainability

Hey wildlife enthusiasts!
Look who was recently published in the latest edition of "Nature News", an on-line publication put out by Liberty Wildlife. The article details my experience working as a biologist for the US Forest Service over the summer. I spent the entire season working on raptor inventory and Spotted Owl surveys. We followed a strict protocol and had a lot of close encounters with these serene and stoic birds. Check out the article to hear more about the beautiful Mogollon Rim Country and their list of inhabitants.

http://www.libertywildlife.org/email/2009/sept/index.html

Labels: featured article, liberty wildlife, nature news, spotted owl surveys, wildlife

Buenos Dias!
Welcome to the sustainability chronicles. First off, I cannot promise coherency. I am a little ADD and my writing DEFINATELY reflects this. Especially in the realm of free flowing blog writing...So, bear with me or feel free to tune out at any time. =)

Today I am faced with the conundrum of purchasing ASU's new metro card. So bust out your calculation skills (or machine, in my case) and play along. Since I now find myself working as a full time Program Coordinator I no longer can reap the benefits of the formerly free U Pass ASU once offered. If you are a student reading this, this is oh so pertinent to you as well. What is a U Pass? It's the valley metro card that ASU offers. It was once free for students but now costs you 80 bucks! It is good for both the bus AND the light rail. As an employee, this nifty little card now puts me out 380 bones if I get it in the very beginning of the year. So, for all intents and purposes, let’s figure out if the current charge of $330 is really worth it.

I know what you are thinking. "You have a car, don't you? Why bother!?" Yes, I do have a car. Do I like driving it every day? No! Is the weather currently a blistering 400 degrees outside? Yes. Ok, not really, but any sustainable Phoenician knows how much it sucks showing up to work dripping in sweat because of the bike ride they just incurred. By my calculations, I have about 35 work weeks left this year. I plan to use the card on weekends and evening activities where applicable. If I were to take my car everywhere I went, let’s say that equals a tank a week. Last time I filled up, it was exactly $28.48. But we all know how gas prices like to fluctuate, round it up to an even $30.00 for arguments sake. Purchasing the metro card through ASU works out to be a whopping $9.43 per week! $330 verse $1050 is looking pretty decent now, isn't it?

What about all that time you spend (or waste, in some people's opinion) standing around waiting for the bus, riding it's slow ass routes, walking from point A to point B etc..? Ok. There is a trade off. But how do we quantify this trade off? For some, giving up the use of their car would feel like chopping a limb off. They are so attached to their vehicle, and the "freedom" they believe it affords them, there is no way the benefits of foregoing such a luxury is worth it. For you, I can't offer much else. I hope there is a shiny chrome ride waiting for you after you die. For the rest of us, there are more considerations. For instance, how do I maximize all that waiting around? Easy! Thanks to modern technology most, if not all of us have mobile devices that we can continue our communications and work on to stay on top of our business. It can also serve as wonderful down time to read, write, and catch up with old friends or just plain zone out. That's right, I said it. My name is Jehnifer and I am a day dreaming addict. It's lame, self indulgent, unproductive but it feels so good! How much better the world would be if we all gave ourselves time to do this.

To combat the immobility of leaving your car behind, consider getting a bike. The pros stack up real fast here as well. Physical fitness is high on the list. Mood boosting is a close second, as the chemicals released during physical activity are known to blast those blues away. But wait! I am a young female professional now! Half my work attire consists of skirts. So.... bring the razor back! Oh yeah, I am talking about that cheap little scooter every kid was crazy about like 10 years ago. I would say grab your skate board but some of my skirts are expensive and I'd hate to wipe out in them. A scooter just makes sense! In conclusion, quantifying the decision of "To ride, or not to ride?" is kind of hard, and ultimately a personal decision. I am not an economist. But, at the end of the day, I still feel that budgeting my life in order to use alternative transportation is how they say... "Priceless."

Labels: sustainability, sustainability chronicles, transportation