Final thoughts.

OK so for the last blog I am going to write the same one for both classes. I am right in assuming this is the last week we have to blog??

I thought I would share my overall final ideas for each class.

Overall I think I am more aware of my own actions and own energy consumption. I broke out the bike this morning and rode to the post office. I’m not sure its something I will do often, but hey it’s a start. In my continuing house search I look for things, such as energy star appliances, the windows, type of heat, and age of the building. I have planted a small 3 pot herb garden. Planted. I wish I could say I they were thriving, but they are not. I kind of feel bad that I bought them as I may end up throwing it out. But I tried. As for local food, I now understand the importance of buying local food, but still like when I started the semester, I can’t afford to eat in that fashion. From Dawn’s class I have learned the qualities it takes to be a leader, but I am still having trouble putting it all together. I still don’t know how to take the leadership skills I have learned and put it into a practical situation. I still find myself being judgemental in certain situation, when I know people are doing something that is not a good ecological choice. It’s frustrating, but perhaps it will come with time. Both of these classes have frustrated me that we don’t really look at things on a global level, we have been focusing on our own communities. But maybe that will be addressed next semester. Overall I have enjoyed sharing thoughts with everyone, and reading everyone’s blogs.

looking to others for inspiration

I read the book, The Legacy of Luna, for my biography in this class. It is the story of Julia Butterfly Hill, a young woman who for over 700 days of her life sits in a redwood tree in CA. I was wondering if I had the passion to do something for so long. When people ask me what I love, I always answer, skiing. I love skiing. I think that is why I am so interested in climate change. Maybe for selfish reasons, maybe because I want to see for how long I will be able to ski in New England, out West, or Europe. Throughout the book it is evident that Julia did not climb into that tree knowing she would stay there that long, it was supposed to be a week, then a month, then it turned into over 2 years. I would like to think I have what it takes, the dedication that she did, but I’m not sure. Then I have to wonder if I am too attached to everyday life, to give it up. I love my bed, it is amazing, so comfy. I love waking up walking my dog, etc. I have given up everyday life in the past, when I was hiking the long trail, but now at 30 years old, I am hesitant to say that I could ever do it again. Which leads me to think, what kind of leader can/will I be? Do I really have what it takes?

mixed emotions.

The Youth and Environmental Action article left me a bit skeptical. I was wondering why more females were studied than males. I think the study is biased. The students all come from the same economic backgrounds. I think when you pick a homogeneous study group you are bound to get the same result. If you saw the copy that I had printed out, the margins are FULL of notes. Full of them. One of the big things that I keep thinking of when I read this article is when you are 16 or 17 I don’t think you really have that strong of a sense of who you are. I think you are highly influenced by your peers when you are in high school, and high school is a learning process, but how can you use these students in a study? “Several participants said their friends’ involvement was important because experiences are more meaningful when there is sharing and affirmation from others.” (p.31). Really? You had to do a study to come up with that? I don’t know why I am so skeptical on this article, I thought perhaps I was just in a bad mood or something when I read it for the first time, but after reading it a second time, I have the same if not stronger feelings about this article. I believe the children that were studied in this did not have a very broad meaning of the word, “environmental.” I am reminded of myself at that age, when I thought environmental I thought, save the redwoods, save the dolphins, close the hole in the ozone. But across the state, high school kids in Roxbury have a different meaning of the word environment. I think this study should have been more broad, and reached out to more diverse mix of children. Then…I was thinking maybe they choose more women in this study because I think for girls it is an easy science to study. I’m not saying it’s bad I did it myself, and am still doing it, but when I started college I was a bio major, then it got too hard, and switched to a BS of earth, environmental, and oceanic science. I don’t know that could be a totally false statement, but once I took a bio class over the 300 level, there were maybe 2 other girls in the class. I’m not sure if there is any correlation to the study and the number of women who go on to study a life science, but I feel the tables turn dramatically from a study of 12 girls and 2 boys to the number of males and females that will do complete a BS.

energy audit

http://www.cityofboston.gov/news/default.aspx?id=4248

you can get these from the BPL and I'm sure other libraries.

Unleashing potential.

I am thinking about the last time I was unable to truly unleash my potential. There are many different applications to which I could unleash my potential, but I think it was the 2 winters I worked for Roxy skis. If you are not familiar, ROXY is a women’s specific company, they started off with mostly surf and clothing, and then when Quicksliver, their parent company bought 2 ski companies, Rossignol, and Dynastar, Roxy began manufacturing skis with the Roxy label. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time where the rep for Roxy asked me to be a brand ambassador. I had never really associated myself with this company, usually their ads had skinny blondes in bikins on it. But someone saw my potential to be part of this company. I was given a head to toe outfit, new skis, boots, and bindings, each year. I got this because of my skiing abilities. They wanted me to make them look good by sporting their set up. I felt my supervisors there were true leaders. They listened to my concerns about not being able to ‘fit” into the image of Roxy. I believe they did what Wheeler and Edlebeck wrote about, “leadership is about learning, listening, dreaming, and working together to unleash the potential of people’s time, talent, and treasure for the common good.” I then was able to transfer some of these qualities with some of the girls who paid to go to Roxy camp and become a better skier. With out the qualities from the leaders who helped me, I would not have been able to be a positive person in these girls lives. Sadly, when I turned 30, I was told I was too old to be a Roxy girl, but did get to help in the selection of choosing a new girls to fill my shoes..errr. ski boots. It was a great experience overall and shows how leadership qualities can be passed down to one another.

leadership and authority

Before this semester if you asked me to tell you the difference between leadership and authority I’m not sure I could. I’m not sure its anything I have ever really thought about. I know that a first impression of a person usually tells you if they are a person of authority, a leader is harder to determine. You see a police officer, you understand he is a person of authority, but you don’t know what he does with his colleagues, or his community, is he a leader? We don’t know just by looking at him.

So, how can we determine a leader from an activist? To me when I think of an activist, I think of the people that try and stop you on the street and ask you if you “have time for the environment.” They do a great job of making you feel guilty if you don’t have time for the environment. But is this person a leader? Probably not, they probably found the job posted on a bulletin board at school or on craigslist. I imagine there is a very high turn over on this type of job.

I think leaders are unsung heroes. Leaders allow people to build confidence and create a sense of place. One of our reading says, “Identifying leaders requires looking for them.” I am slowly being able to quantify what personal characteristics make a person a leader and not a follower. A leader must be able to listen. “Listening means learning to attend to feelings-.” I was able to relate to that statement, as I am usually a quiet person, I keep most things to myself, but when I find someone that I consider a leader I am more willing to open up and discuss my thoughts. Which I have realized this would be great to work in an environment when I had a leader for a boss, and not just a boss. Someone who employees could look up to and feel comfortable sharing their thoughts with them..Oh in a perfect world….

From the Ground Up.

Reading, From the Ground Up, I was introduced to many good ideas. I have to say though, I did judge a book by its cover. I never really had any thoughts one way or the other on gardening before joining the UEL cohort. I was inspired by the passion for gardening Brynn and Alex brought to the group. And looking at the cover of this book I thought it may have a bit to do with gardening, and it had nothing. But after reading it I understand why the author or publisher choose the photo. A seed can have a hard time from the get go depending on where it is planted. It needs water and access to the sun for photosynthesis, with out these it will die. I saw correlation between this and people in dead end jobs where rules were pushed upon them from the “higher ups.” The flower on the cover also spoke to me because everyone has a general understanding of how it grows, no matter what language we speak. It can bring people of different cultures and languages together but still get the point across. The flower on the front reminded me of page 22 a paragraph called, “Individual Empowerment or Collective Action.” I have to agree that if an individual is incapable of change, an institution can not change. When individuals are willing to adapt and change for the greater good, it seems that a SCO would become unstoppable. I think the hardest part would be getting individuals to believe that they could become part of something larger, something that would cause a great change. So then I was wondering…is it really from the ground up? To me it would take a strong leader for individuals to trust and look up to encouraging change. So maybe its from the top down? Or maybe its not a direction at all, maybe people just need to believe in themselves.

Values in Leadership.

I really enjoyed reading the article, “Values in Leadership.” I liked the fact that in the beginning of the article the author pointed out, “We say that Pablo Escobar, head of the Medellin drug cared was a leader, even if we detested his values, because he motivated followers to realize his vision.”(p.13)

It makes me realize that leaders come in all shapes, sizes, colors, etc. It gives me hope for becoming a leader, as I always felt I didn’t fit the “picture” of a leader. I imagine leaders dressed for success so to speak. If I had the money perhaps I could buy a suit or something from Banana Republic and dress the part of a leader, but I don’t. But it does suggest that perhaps I should be more conscious of how I come across to people as I could be becoming a leader in someone’s eyes.

On page 20 the author suggests that it may be more useful to define leadership as an activity. I love activities. I love being involved in things. I strive to be part of a community and accepted as myself. The term activity is less daunting. Facing our fears is a huge challenge, I am afraid of being a leader. I am afraid that I may make a mistake and loose the trust of those who are looking to me for guidance. At some point I know I will have to face my fears, and I think taking the “activity” approach will be a very useful tool for me.

The roots of my environmentalism

I just re-read the article called, "Life paths into effective environetnal action' by Chawla. I read it again because I remember from the first time I read it that the two groups they choose to study were a group from Kentucky and a group from Norway. I was thinking to myself could they possibly be any different from each other? Were they chosen at random? I'm curious of the validity of this study. But that's just me, I do that all time.

So I am revisiting this article because of the story I attempted to tell Friday night. Please excuse me for not being able to tie sentences or thoughts together that night. It was my first trip out of the house that was not a trip to the hospital in 2 weeks. And the left over drugs were wearing off. But anyways....I was trying to tell the story of a place I used to work for in the summer of 2002. It was called the Norwegian Outdoor Exploration Center.

Here I was introduced to the philosophy and lifestyle of the traditional form of Norwegian "Friluftsliv". "loosely translated as “Free-Air-Life”, an environmental approach embodying the principles of living in harmony with oneself, one’s community and all of Nature." This was something I feel I always had within me, I just did not how to assign words to the feelings.

One part of the article that really hit home with me was when they were defining different categories of sources of commitments. This was pretty upsetting to me, as for me, and I'm sure for many others it can be misrepresented. I would volunteer 40+ hrs a week at various environmental institutions if I could...If I could..the problem is my rent. my life expenses. I can not afford to just volunteer. I used to want to be a lawyer. Just for 7-10 years so I could do it and retire at 40 and volunteer and meaningful places. Obviously that is not the path I choose but I still enjoy the idea. This almost seems as an issue of power and privlidge, who can afford to volunteer? Who can work for free? If I could I would, believe me, I would work for Charles River Watershed, or an organization that educated people on climate change. That would be great, but it is not a reality for me at this point in my life.

I can trace my love for the environment back to a child. Growing up in the Berkshires, I was always outside. My parents started me skiing when I was 4 years old. I was always doing something fun outside. Recently I have had to change my ways of thinking to include finding nature in the city.

Jasper!

David Hakala stated in 2008, “A leader must be able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers to buy into it. He or she must communicate clearly and passionately, as passion is contagious.” I wanted to go on a hiking trip. Not just any trip, to Mt. Washington. I figured if we were gonna do it why not go for the biggest one. I had to convince a bunch of my friends that we should go there rather than to less populated Mountains in NH or VT. I won. To hike with a large pack and a dog with a large pack takes dedication.

I know I need to personally work on dedication, or spending what ever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the task at hand. I am reminded of a hike up Mt. Washington with some friends. We were about at the half way point. I wanted to turn around like it was nobodies business. And to think I was the one who suggested we go hiking. In my head I was screaming. So loud. On the outside it was evident that I was struggling. A true leader would not allow others to see the emotions that they were struggling while others are doing ok. That takes dedication to the task at hand. We did eventually make it, but much slower than we all had anticipated. There were no huts open that would allow dogs so I had to walk ¼ of the way back to camp with my dog.

Which brings me to think I wish I could be the type of leader my dog sees me as. He always greets me with a wagging tail, and a toy that he had just retrieved in his mouth. He is begging, look at me, look at me, I did what you wanted, I retrieved! You’d think after 8 years he’d get tired of this but nope.

Rip CR

The ski industry is weird. Living in a ski town you are living among pro skiers and snowboarders, and skiers that are good enough to be pros. This may be one of the first times I realized I “follow a leader.” The fall in Park City is great, you have to mountain bike in long sleeves, the beer on tap switches to a darker winter brew, and beanies can be worn every day. In the fall is also the debut of the winter film series. Productions agencies such as Teton Gravity Research, Matchstick Productions, Rage Films, and Warren Miller were some of our favorites. They would be shown on a huge screen in local club often with give aways from vendors, and the like. You would see all your favorite skiers skiing bigger and badder lines from the previous year. You would be so excited for ski season. Everyone has their favorite riders, usually you enjoy their skiing style, clothing style, music style, and hey they may even be your neighbor. One of my favorite skiers was CR Johnson. He had good style and was not too cocky. I looked up to him as a skiing “leader.” His style and good word were admired by many. A winner of many competitions, he often donated his prize money to charities. He was only 26 years old. In 2005 CR suffered a traumatic brain injury. He had to re learn how to do everything, how to walk, talk, let alone become a big mountain skier. The next season he was out skiing again. Everyone thought it was remarkable recovery. "After emerging from a coma, Johnson had to relearn everything, from swallowing food to walking. His steadfast determination fueled by an immense love of skiing won him unanimous respect. "There is a scene in one of his movies called Seven Sunny Days by Matchstick productions where you see images of CR in the hospital followed by him skiing again..With a helmet on of course. Exactly a week ago I was lying in the hospital crying, feeling sorry for myself because I would not be able to ski for a month. I felt like my life as I knew it was over. I had plans to ski on the 24th (today..where they are getting tons of snow in VT, and the first weekend in march an all girls trip to Mad River Glen, VT.) I watched the movie when I got home from the hospital on Friday to make my self stop feeling sorry for myself. If CR, one of my skiing heros could come back from square one in just one year, surely one month of not skiing will not kill me. CR was a true inspiration to me and what I consider a leader. CR passed away today while skiing at Squaw Valley, CA. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. And my thanks are sent to him to being a true leader for me and someone to look up to.

I'll try and add the video of CR's recovery in 2005..but I'm still new to this blogging thing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4Ji9o8R1Ao

the sad story of his death.http://www.theskichannel.com/news/skinews/20100224/Update-on-circumstances-of-CR-Johnsons-death-at-Squaw-Valley

Shame on me..

I suppose I will use this blog to share some of my secrets of being a "bad environmentalist." OK. I have only gone to a farmers market once in my life. It was in the summer of 2002, I was living in Park City, UT. Like most of my friends, I worked seasonally, in the winter and in the summer. The other seasons were made for exploring, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, you name it. Everyone lived off their seasonal savings, and their unemployment checks. But that was our choice. I remember the carefree lifestyle, every wed night there would be free concerts in the park, a great way to unwind after a day of biking or spring skiing. So one day my friends and I decided to ride our bikes to this new even that was happening in the parking lot of the Canyons Resort, (the resort I worked at.)So we went to this event, a farmers market. There were tents filling the parking lot. They included fruits, veggies, and if I remember correctly, the local bakery used to make bread, and maybe some people selling soap or something. This was my first and only time at a farmers market. It was not what I had imagined, it seemed as more of a social gathering than a shopping experience. People showing off their new 3,000 mountain bikes to each other, their newest patagonia gore tex uber light weight rain coat, etc. So maybe it was traumatic to me I remember buying cherries, and a bag costing me around $10.00 and a few other things but I know the $25 I took from the atm probably would have gotten me more food at a present day whole foods. I was supposed to get a snack that I could share at the concert at the park that night and I came with a few handfuls of cherries. And I had to bring a bottle of wine. Mind you this is UTAH there are stupid laws on booze here, so there is not cheap Trader Joes Charles Shaw wine. Not for hundreds of miles. Long story short, I could not afford the farmers market. It was tailored towards a more elite audience. And come to think of it, how many farms are there really in Utah, its so dry there, who knows where the food came from. But because of this shameful day of not being able to afford the farmers market, I have not been to one since. And of all the talking of farmers markets in our classes, I feel like I should be eating my food from there. But I feel like its a place I do not belong, like an elite club that I never received the invite to. I have to wonder if I am the only person who feels this way?

Wait..Am I A Leader?

Given two choices leader or follower, I believe I fall into the second category. I am thinking back on my life trying to think of times when I have been in a "leadership" role. Was it in high school when I ran for class officer. Doubtful because I only did it because my friends were running for other positions. And no one ran against me. I was a shoe in. Was it when I moved to Vermont to become a ski instructor? Doubtful, I think I was just running away from a stupid boyfriend. Perhaps when I convinced my roomate from Vermont to move across the country to Utah with me to work for the 2002 Olympics. Again nope. I already had a friend out there, so it was easy. Then I was thinking hey, I was a ski instructor for 8 years, totally a leadership position. But really I did it for the paycheck and the free skiing. Totally selfish reasons. Then in college I joked that we should start a hydrology club for all the students that were in the degree program. It was a joke. Even though we actually formed a club, I think it was really just a way for people to network and catch up. My teacher/boss took over as the "leader" as she could get funding from the school. I probably could have asked for funding from the school, but it was just easier to let someone else take charge and do it. Now I am in a grad program where one of the words in the degree is "Leadership". I believe this will be my hardest challenge. Believing that I have the qualities to be a leader. And that I can find something that I am passionate about to actually be a leader in. This should be an interesting journey. All aboard.