brainstorming for topics

"It came to me in a dream"! haha. Well, not exactly.  When I decided to write about recycling it seemed to fall out of nowhere.  I was really planning on writing about supporting local farming and eating organics because Healthy eating is a topic i am passionate about.  When blogging about ideas though, recycling provoked my interest.  I grew up hearing about the three R's. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.  They are important in protecting the environment, but as I matured more i started hearing otherwise.  I heard recycling is actually not so green, and that recycling releases more fossil fuels and poisonous gasses into the air than landfilling things.  Because i'm now on my own I have the option to decide whether or not to recycle.  I chose recycling as a topic to debunk the myths and find out whether recycling in Dayton is effective.

Walking With a Farmer

WOW!  He was like a local, real life John McCandless from Into The Wild.  I admire

The research project is moved slowly, but I found  great facts on recycling.  I learned that recycling is indeed effective.  It conserves natural resources, decreases the use of slow degrading landfills, provides jobs, and makes for cleaner air and water.  Everything i found on recycling is great, but a problem that arose was finding info on recycling in Dayton.  I feel like I did two sets of research so it took me a little longer than I thought to write the paper.  It was worth it though.  I had a great personal interview with a local recycling employee, and I learned the importance of recycling.  Its time to start!
 

The Two main questions I have for my research paper are:
- Is recycling effective?
       -What is the carbon footprint?
       - are it's benefits better than other forms of waste management?
       - does recycling really help protect the environment?
- Is recycling in Dayton Oh effective?
      - Are the companies up-to-date on the latest technologies
      - What are company policies?
      - Is recycling easily accessable to everyone?
      - Is the community educated about recycling opportunities
To find the information I need about recycling in general I can search through academic and scholarly journals to find hard facts and statistics.  This will help tell how effective recycling is in protecting the environment.
To find info on recycling in Dayton I will call local companies and do some personal interviews.  I will also visit the Ohio epa website to check out recycling reviews and stats for Dayton.    

Thoughts on research topic

where do i live, work, and go to school? City water and gas...  bringing organic farming more into dayton.  more parks and hiking trails. keeping up the parks.  a city garden? more education?.....What are important values to have?  recycling plant closer to my house.  What are some things big cities are doing to help with the green movement?  what are some issues in the neighborhood.  Keep water clean so children can play in creeks, lakes, and rivers. government school food should go healthy or organic.  obesity rate is crazy and the organic healthy food is so expensive. support local farming and artists. making it affordable and easily accesed.
-project examples-
- noise pollution
-how to get a better grocery store in an area
-how to start a community garden
-ceasars creek marina
-plastic bottles
- not allowing plastic bags at grocery stores
- what happens to all the old computers
how many plastic bottles are thrown away at great clips in the area? 

walking with a naturalist

walking with a naturalist was a great experience. He was passionate about birds and my fist thought  was that birds really aren't that exciting.  As i was listening i learned that birds are direct descendants from dinosaurs, their songs are actually war crys and territorial disputes, they show off to women, and natural selection has made them very smart.  We have over 300 types of birds that can be seen in ohio, and they are imperitive to wildlife.  After the short lesson, and hearing some fun bird calls I had so much new respect for birds.  I also found myself very envious of the naturalists way of life, and his passion and love for his job.  It helped me clear a little bit more of my path to finding a major!

my last argument

My last argument was over watering house plants.  It was the first time i had lived with another person other than a family member, and i didn't know the difficulties that would arise.  I thought it would be fun and easy. My best friend and I would hang out all the time and laugh.  How wrong I was!  A few weeks into my new livingsituation I learned alot of new things about the person I was living with.  As the weeks went on bitterness and problems started to build in my head.  My roommate wasn't like me. She didn't do things the way I did.  Things like dirty dishes and scattered paperwork bothered me to the point of anger.  Finally, one night I cracked. I was watering the plants, and she hinted there was a beter way to do it. An argument blew up over the correct way to water. Eventually i left for my room in a fit of rage.  After i cooled down I realized the pettyness of it all, and i went back down stairs to work things out.  We both realized how important it is to be open when something is botering to make sure bitterness doesn't build up to the point of explosion.  That night was a humbling night and taught me alot about relationships.  I also believe living with a roommate is good practice for marriage.  It wont always be fun and games, but if we humbly consider one another better than ourselves than it makes for more peace and faster make-ups.

walking with a geologist

Walking with a geologist was a very impactful experience. I learned how land is molded, how water and land erosion can impact communities, and the importance of geology to life. bob took us back in history to show us how dayton got the way it did.  One of the most recent contributors to todays landscape was caused by glacierss scraping and chipping away at the earth as they moved south.  Much of ohios rivers and lakes were formed during this time.  The glaciers also provided a great gravel industry here.  As the glaciers were mowing the earth they caravaned limestone and lagre boulders and dropped them of to be used by ohioans for gravel and concrete. Bob also taught us how water and erosion can cut into our communities.  As the water in rivers bend around and hug curves, the faster water chips away at the banks and rocks.  This action leads to a river that changes direction, and this could be a threat to bridges, roads, and buildings in our community.  With out geology there would be many natural disasters including floods, droughts, sewage problems, fallen bridges, and flodded buildings and homes.

Where I Live Now

My neighborhood is fairly large and diverse.  It consists of many different races of people who mostly bear with their neighbors.  The houses are close together and one end of the block night mischief, drugs, and prostitution occur. On the opposite end young children walk up and down a street to attend a catholic school.  The season depends on the livelyhood of people. The summer months are filled with the sound of late night garage stereos and children anticipating a buzzing ice cream truck. For entertainment the front porch swing is a choice spot, or a living room filled with friends, movies, and games. Outside shubs and vines grow in the cracks of old fashioned houses, and armies of stray cats roam around ssearching for food.

My Utopia

In the perfect society an unknown  mixed race would live in peace with one another.  The people would be open about their lives and help one another out in a loving way.  Arguments would be brought to the surface and discussed so no bitterness would exist. The people would bear with one another in patience and love; they would be patient and kind, not self-seeking, and in humility put the needs of others before them selves.  The natural world in this utopia would be taken care of and respected.  There would be an understanding or great wisdom of how to treat the wild. An appointed governer would deal out the needed jobs like the farmers the hunters, the cooks, the engineers, carpenters, builders, geologists, those in charge of water, artists, musicians, etc.. Everyone would be appointed their jobs according to their talents....

How Will I Revise My Essay

  I will revise the essay that I write based on what my peers think.  I will take many things into consideration including grammar, sentance structure, thought flow, and if what I am trying to say makes sense.  I hope that my essay catches attention and excites peers to want to read it. These are all key factors i will base my peeer revision on.

In Wildness is the Salvation of the World

Salvation:  -the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc.
                -the act of preserving or the state of being preserved from harm.
wildness:  -growing or produced without cultivation or the care of humans.

When Aldo Leopold quoted Thoreau in "Thinking Like a Mounain" I beleive he meant that every living thing in the wilderness has a critical importance in protecting earth.  Many times humans feel instant protection when they exterminate immediate threats of wild animals, bugs, and critters, but what we may not see is the destruction it causes in the long run... loss of habitat, food, and eventually natural disasters. This is what happens with wilderness interrupted by humans and their deforestation, extermination of bug and animals, poaching, over cultivization, over fishing, etc.  Although, according to Thoreau and Leopold, with a wilderness uninterrupted by humans ecosystems become strong with an increased capacity of self-renewal.  The natural ebb and flow that was intended can take place meaning healthy lakes, rivers, ponds, forests, deserts, plains, mountains, and oceans. I agree with the fact that the wilderness should remain wild because in it holds the health of the whole world................................ 

Blog Two

-The clouds are omnious and heavy. They look like wet cotton balls slowly moving south.  Occasionally the sun tries to bare its face, but it seems tired today.  The leaves wave slightly as their fatigued arms droop down.
- The mid-September air has a fresh, clean scent, but undertones of exhaust trickle trhough.  A bus pulls up to transport the last few people home.  As I sit on a stairstep I see faces of relief walking from school to cars.  Many are aware of the comfort of  home and food await.
- In the distance bangs carrilon's bells.  The sound is sweet and relaxing; a treat over the airy chatter of busses and cars moving by.

- For the moment I am relaxed. No hustle and Bustle of the days schedule.  Its a time to think and reflect on God and beauties of nature he gives us even in a concrete city.  I am at peace with the wind combing my hair and nothing to do but write and observe.

- Why do spiders come out of hiding in the fall?  I see so many large webs and pregnant looking spiders...

response to "Thinking Like a Mountain"

Aldo Leopold is a fantastic descriptive writer.  He really brought me into the world he experienced and Into his mind.  The beginning described the relationships between neighbors. I liked how he told of relationships between deer, farmers, hunters, and the Wolf.  He showed how we as humans see the wolf as a predator, but if we take a closer look, if we had the wisdom of a mountain we would see their grave importance to the wildness.  I think Aldo is so clever in how he uses the wolf and the mountain to paint a picture of how humans wan immediate comfort and gratification, but what we may fail to see is the danger of the futre for the comfort pf now.

What Home Is

Home is a place where joy is complete; Where I am comfortable and happy. It is a place where my closest friends, brothers and sissters meet to tell stories, to laugh and cry, and fight challenges together. At home I can share my life and my secrets.  My brothers and sisters listen intently and speak slowly. They lift me up and encourage me daily. Home is where it is safe to lay my head and be myself.  At home all my needs are met. H:ome is Heaven.