Sam Clement PAEP Reflection

Samuel Clement

Prof. Williams

Ethics and the Environment

December 2, 2013

PAEP Individual Reflection

Burton started from humble beginnings in Londonderry Vermont, in 1977, where the then 23 Jake Burton Carpenter began making simple snowboards inspired by Sherman Poppen’s Snurfer. Over the last 46 years his one man company as grown into a massive corporation.  Burton snowboards has become the undisputed leader of the Snowboard industry, the beginning of the modern snowboard industry, with several smaller company like analog clothing or gravis footwear. Burton has also recently acquired a surfboard company. It is safe to say that in the world of snowboarding Burton is king.    

Burton has come a long way from it simple wooden boards and now uses some very high-tech materials and equipment. Also we tour the Craig Kelly prototype lab, so the majority of the boards we saw were there next year’s production models or prototypes, Because of this we were not allowed to take any pictures inside the factory.  Examples of technology embraced by Burton is their SLS machine capable of creating hard binding parts overnight, and a 3D printer that can make rubber products in less than 12 hours. Burton is also dedicated to proving their new Technologies won’t fail consumers, they have a “torture chamber” were engineers test products for durability. They go far beyond things that could actually happen, while we were there we saw them bend a snowboard past 90 degrees until it broke. This commitment to quality we hoped to see reflected in its dedication the environment.   

Burton has a vast number of policy’s relating to the environment and sustainability. The main point of our poster was top determine which of their programs are truly green and which are green washing. The programs that we say are green we believe to have a truly positive affect on the environment. The programs we classified as green washing had little to no positive affect on the environment and served only to make the company look more environmentally friendly.  

Burton had a number of green programs, some were internal to the company and other come from working with outside company’s and organization. The First external program is the Green mountain process, where Burton an Mt Dew and use recycled soda bottles to make fabric for the winter wear. The second is the affiliation with Protect Our Winters, or POW, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about global warming through professional snow sport athletes and education. 

The amount of green washing was surprising, Burton’s image is that of an environmentally friendly company. The most disturbing of all of these was the community gardens, which on the website look lush and full, you could easily imagine people tending to them during their lunch breaks. The gardens we saw were small, and further research we found that only 6%of the company participated in the gardens. There were  They had a program called two or more gets you closer to the door, a carpool campaign that allows closer parking for carpoolers as well as a bike barn to allow worker to cycle instead of drive. These programs are not very effective based on the fact that every spot in the parking lot was full. Both were good ideas but they lacked enforcement. On case of blatant green washing was Burtons claims of a “Green Kitchen”, it was supposedly green because Burton stocked it with non-disposable dishes and cutlery.

 Burton has made some great steps toward being an environmentally friendly Company. The programs they work with on a corporate level are very good. Even some of the green washing was good intentioned, things like the availability of bicycles, carpoolers getting priority parking, just incompletely enforced and the problem seemed to be with the enforcement and implementation. We also had to recognize that Burton is a consumer of materials, wood, metal and plastics in creating it boards. It also has a huge distribution network, an environmental factor that can’t be ignored.  Overall we found that Burton was headed the right direction and was years ahead of the competition.

One of the most important things I learned during this project was that it isn't always possible to find information over the internet. The first example of this was that it was impossible to find any information about Burton’s foreign factories. As a result we had to find information from a site visit. Our other main source of information was Cory’s friend Chris, who granted us access to Burton’s internal information relating to the company’s environmental stance. Another huge learning experience for me was the creation of the poster. Andrew did most of the layout with the rest of us consulting, I had no idea that a professional poster was so intricate in it layout. I feel that the PAEP poster project allowed our group to go and make our own assessment of Burton and the report out our results and opinions, allowing us to be bias free, which is a rare opportunity.      

Works Cited

"Burton Snowboards | History." Burton Snowboards. <http://www.burton.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Burton_US-Site/default/Company-History>. 

Dimarco, Chris. "Burton Sustainability." Burton Snowboard Company, n.d. Web.        <http://boardpress.burton.com/departments/what-we-already-do>.

"Sustainability | Burton Snowboards." Burton Snowboards. <http://www.burton.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Burton_US-Site/default/Company-Sustainability>.

"Fair and Just Food" - Michael Pollan's Message

Dear Rob, 

I'm Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and Cooked. For many years now, I've been passionately outspoken about the food justice movement, and low-wage workers represent a key front in the fight for fair and just food.

That's why I hope you'll join me and millions of MoveOn members across the country in expressing solidarity with the fast-food workers going on strike for fair wages today. 

Those of us working in the food movement often speak of our economy's unhealthy reliance on "cheap food." But cheap food only seems cheap because the real costs of its production are hidden from us: the exploitation of food and farm workers, the brutalization of animals, and the undermining of the health of the soil, the water, and the atmosphere. 

As a society, we've trapped ourselves in a kind of reverse Fordism. Instead of paying workers well enough so that they can afford good, honestly-priced products—as Henry Ford endeavored to do so that his workers might afford to buy his cars—we pay them so little that the only food they can afford is junk food destructive of their health and the environment's. 

If we are ever to right this wrong, to produce food sustainably and justly and sell it at an honest price, we will first have to pay people a living wage so that they can afford to buy it. Let's start with the people who work so hard to feed us.

Please stand with the brave fast-food strikers by sharing this image on Facebook. 

In solidarity, 

Michael Pollan

P.S. There are nearly 100 fast-food worker rallies at 12:30 p.m. local time all across the country today. Head over during lunch and show your support in person. Click here to find a rally near you. 

Want to support our work? MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

Jacks PAEP reflection

Jack Baglivi
Ethics and the Environment
Rob Williams
12/3/13

           Prior to this PAEP project I knew nothing of Cow Power, in fact i was unaware that technology such as the "digester" could produce the incredible amount of energy that it does. Looking back, i wish i could have made the trip out to Audets Blue Spruce Farm, i think it would have been a great learning experience. Although the Cow Power movie served as a great substitution for the trip as I learned everything i needed to know from the movie as well as their very informative website. Farms in general produce a lot more pollution than you would think, mostly from the livestock. Manure can either pollute nearby water sources or the very air we breathe. Audet`s Farm reduces most of the pollution that normal dairy farms would produce by using the manure to power not only the farm but local homes and businesses.

            In 1958 Norman and Mary Rose Audet purchased the farm and ambitiously went onto expand the size and productivity of the farm. Until 1970 when their barn caught fire, destroying the barn and milking system. Luckily the eighty cows were saved and the fire turned out to be a minor setback for the ambitious Norman Audet. As the years went on, the focus turned to the cows well being as well, installing thermostats and rubber matting into the barns. Gradually the herd increased as multiple barns were constructed, allowing them to produce more milk, and energy! Today Audet`s farm milks around 1300 cows, that`s a lot of manure.
         
            First and foremost, the farm is intended to produce a steady flow of income which is why they milk such a large number of cows multiple times a day. But the price of milk is always fluctuating up and down so there is no telling how much money they`ll make. Even with that to in mind, the Blue Spruce Farm really stresses their policy of the fair treatment of livestock. Audet`s cows are treated like kings in comparison with other dairy farms that aren't fortunate enough to have a digestor to power their farm. Which is because this modern technology that Audet`s employs such as the digestor, wind turbine, rubber scrappers, and thermostat controlled barns are not attainable on a normal dairy farm budget. Fortunately, for Audet`s the digester produces more than enough energy for not only the farm but the surrounding area as well.

            The Bio-digester is what makes Cow Power possible, without a digester to produce methane gas, there would be no way of affording so many cows and the technology that keeps them comfortable. The digester is a sixteen foot deep insulated tank that simulates the same process that a stomach undergoes. The manure is collected by a squeegee that runs along the barn floor, the waste is then pumped into the digester where it turns into a gas. The temperature inside the digester is regulated through a hydraulic system using hot water, which keeps it at the very same temperature as a cows stomach, 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The gas is collected at the top of the pit where it is sucked through a pipe in order to power the engine that drives the generator. This generator makes it possible to produce hot water and electricity, the excess power runs through the utilities grid where it goes onto powering other homes. Using the digester, Blue Spruce Farm produced 1M- kilowatt hours within the first year. I think its really great that a dairy farm can give back to the local area in more ways than one.

            This PAEP project turned out to be a great experience that opened my eyes to the fact that even a simple dairy farm with a modest past can be a tremendous advocate for sustainability and community. When our group first chose Audet`s farm for our project I didn`t realize that they had such a huge impact on the local area, selling clean energy to thousands of homes and businesses. However, after reading their website and watching the movie I understood the positive effects of their family farm. Audet`s farm should be a model for other farms and businesses to follow, as they seem to be doing everything with the environment in mind.

           

         



 



           

Sophia Willinger's Analysis of Ben and Jerry's PAEP poster

Sophia Willinger

11/29/13

Ethics and the environment

Self-analysis

Ice cream can be traced back to at least the 4^th century B.C. There are references to Roman Emperor Nero who ordered Ice from the mountains with fruit toppings. King Tang of Shang ruling China also had means of creating ice and milk combinations. The first ice cream parlor opened in America in 1776 and it has continued to grow worldwide since then. Ben Cohn and Jerry Greensfeild grew up in Merimack Long Island. They became friends in junior high and their friendship stuck. They both were not getting what they wanted out of college so after taking some courses together on ice cream making they gathered their life savings and got a loan from a bank to start up their ice cream making venture. In 1978 Ben and Jerry’s opened for business and the rest is history. The difference between the ice cream back when it was first invented, verses now is the ingredients in which it is made as well as the effects it has on the world while being made. When we were assigned the poster project, one of the first companies that came to mind  was Ben and Jerry’s. It seemed like a perfect fit because Ben and Jerry’s was started in Burlington Vermont, I knew they were environmentally conscious and I love ice cream. It seemed like a perfect fit, but I didn’t know just how perfect a fit it was. It didn’t take too long for me to realize Ben and jerry’s was a company that I want to support for the rest of my life.

Ben and Jerry’s needs to keep their ice cream in freezers which unfortunately takes up energy. Ice cream must be kept in containers, these containers are made out of paper. Creating Ice cream creates waste. All of these factors make it nearly impossible for Ben and Jerry’s to exist without having an effect on the planet but they are doing just about everything they can think of to reduce their waste to the smallest amount possible. In 2009 they started using a different type of paper for their containers. They got in on something called Forest Stewardship Council, this means the paper they use for their containers are made from trees that are managed for the protection of wildlife. This paperboard has reduced Ben and Jerry’s waste by 1000 tons per year. They made a major difference with just one simple change and it doesn’t end there. Ben and Jerry’s  is committed to reducing their carbon footprint as much as possible. Their product requires refrigeration so they have spent the past couple years trying to incorporate the use of natural refrigerants, which includes hydrocarbon refrigeration. They’re calling these new freezers HC freezers. These HC freezers are not only more energy efficient but also cheaper to use. The Environmental Protection Agency just approved the petition for commercial use of these freezers so Ben and Jerry’s is hoping more companies will join the new HC freezer trend.

Ben and Jerry’s is a huge supporter of Fairtrade. Fairtrade is a global movement to make sure small farmers worldwide, including in developing countries ,can thrive in the global economy. The way Fairtrade works is; the farmers who produced the food that went into the Ben and Jerry’s ingredients will in return receive a fair split of money for their harvest. Not only is this beneficial to developing countries but it is also a way for Ben and Jerry’s to support a different kind of environmentally friendly farming . It’s a nice way for the company to support not only their ethical policies but to also give back to other countries.

People as a whole tend to forget that when we enjoy ice cream, there is a whole long process the dairy took to get to that point. While working on the poster project however the steps taken to get to the cone was all I saw. The way Ben and Jerry’s has made the process as environmentally ethical as possible, made it hard for me to support other means of producing Ice cream. What I was really impressed about was how seriously Ben and Jerry’s feels about their environmental awareness. Not just the affect they have on the earth, but the effect on the creatures that live on earth as well. They show this support in various ways one being taking milk only from cows that have not been fed artificial hormones like rBGH. They like the dairy they use to be natural and that in itself is the most ethical decision they could make. On top of that they only use eggs laid by cage free chickens. They do not support growing food using Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) and they are campaigning to have GMO foods labeled as such.

            “Man is not alone on this planet. He is part of a community, upon which he depends absolutely.”  This quote from Ishmael is very fitting with Ben and Jerry’s as a company. Ben and Jerry’s at its root, is a company and therefore a major aspect of taker society. Despite their taker ways, they are aware of the truth that lies in the Ishmael quote and that is why they have such ethical ways to their business. They try to make the world better for the creatures that live here.

            When the project started my main idea was that ice cream would be fun to learn about and that was why I suggested we research Ben and Jerry’s.

What I didn’t realize at the time was how much I would end up liking the company. I never really looked at the company out side of occasionally eating their ice cream. I came to realize that I really like the ideas that the company supports. It made me want to support Ben and Jerry’s more than I normally do. I know all the scary things that people put in food these days and it’s important to support the companies that aren’t putting junk in the food we eat. I also learned a lot about working with a group and actually being successful in doing so. I’ve had a lot of group project experiences that have ended up with one student being stuck with a ton of work while everyone else does nothing. That was not the experience I had during this project. We were able to equally share our work and we were all pretty proud of what we were able to come up with. 

            I  really enjoyed doing the poster project. what i really enjoyed was that we had to go out and visit the company that we were looking at. seeing it in person really puts it into perspective and got me noticing what foods I'm eating or what ingredient are on the labels of what I'm buying. The project has me way more conscious and I was happy with the results.

http://inventors.about.com/od/foodrelatedinventions/a/ice_cream.htm

http://www.benjerry.com/activism/environmental/global-warming

Nicole Follini's PooPooPower Reflection

Nicole Follini

Dr. Williams

Ethics in the Environment

December 2, 2013

Poo Poo Power: A Surprisingly Clean Way to Provide Energy

            Vermont today is known for its dairy farming and how green this state tries to be. Even though Vermont isn’t as green as the rest of the country assumes it to be there are great projects going on to try and sustain this state, one of these efforts being Cow Power. One of the major farms in Vermont that is successfully using this relatively new technology is Audet’s Blue Spruce Farm. Dairy farming causes more pollution than meets the eye and this new and exciting technology is offering a solution to the pollution, while also offering a new source of power.

            The farm was originally purchased in 1958 by Norman and Mary-Rose and was mainly focused on dairy farming, just like the majority of the farms in Vermont at the time. After a devastating fire and a generation later the farm is now a part of a new wave of dairy farms. Aduet’s Farm employee’s 30 people and currently has one digester and a wind turbine. They also have three different barns. One was built in 1996, but due to their success they built two more. The others were built in 2001 and the other in 2009 to hold their 1,300 cows (Audet).

Audet’s farm doesn’t only focus on making a profit, but also the wellbeing of their cows. This means these cows are a little high maintenance. They require soft bedding, scrapers to get their manure off the ground, and fans to keep them cool and happy (Cow Power). Unfortunately, keeping the cows happy is expensive. This is where the idea to get a digester became an even better idea. The digester not only provides energy for the farm by collecting their poop, but the byproduct of the digester is bedding for the cows. How the digester actually works is the digester is heated by a hydraulic system to replicate the temperature of a cow's stomach which sits at 100 degrees F and remains in the digester for a twenty one day period. Microorganisms produce methane gas from manure and the gas collects at the top of the digester. Biogas goes through a pipe to fuel an engine that drives the generator to produce heat, hot water, and electricity from which the power goes directly onto the utilities, dispersing to power lines (Cow Power). This is enough energy to power between 1,800 and 3,700 homes on top of the farm itself, but also Green Mountain College, Killington Resort, Long Trail Brewing Company, and Vermont Clothing Company are also proud users of the Cow Power movement(Levine).

The digesters have offered an opportunity to keep the manure out of the water systems and have it be used for something positive and useful. The question is how can we spread the news about this exciting new technology and make it available to other farmers? Right now obtaining one of these digesters is very expensive, roughly $250,000 (Moser). There are government funds out there to assist the farmers, like the Renewable Development Fund, but even after that it is still expensive (Cow Power). It seems as if the digesters are only helping the big farms that are already doing okay. This is new technology which is why it is so expensive, but it is only available to a small market of farmers. Supporting the movement is easy to do because there isn’t anything that is super harmful to the environment or the cows; it is just making it available to everyone that wants to partake.

Our Taker society is still focused on how the Earth is ours to conquer, but not just the land, the organisms that live on it as well (Quinn). Farming is the ultimate example of this idea, from manipulating the land and plants, to also domesticating animals such as cows. The domestication of animals seems as if we have taken away their rights to live (Hughes). We have taken over their way of life to fit our needs; animals are no longer animals, but merely a product. Audet’s farm is doing their best to make the animals content with their lifestyle. The rubber mats and the bedding definitely helps, but if Cow Power does become a main source of power the fear is, will the cows be even more exploited for what they can offer. Takers manipulate cows enough, from what they are fed, to how long they can stand in an area for; next the cows will be manipulated to produce more manure than natural. Cow Power is a great idea, but throughout this class I have noticed that Takers take a concept that seems good and exciting and completely destroy and exploit it for everything it can offer.

Through this class I don’t think I will look at the world the same way. It feels as if nothing is going to change. All of these efforts to find a new sustainable way to provide energy seem to have a huge road block from actually being successful. Our Taker society is so comfortable and used to this fossil fueled way of life that it is hard to feel inspired to change. In the novel Ishmael, Ishmael states, “Stopping pollution is not inspiring. Sorting your trash is not inspiring. Cutting down on fluorocarbons is not inspiring”(Quinn). So what is? Thinking a new way is inspiring. Cow Power is offering a new way of thinking, of using a waste and turning it into something good and successfully. But it seems that nothing will change on a grand scale until the entire world feels this impending sense of doom. But then will it be too late for these technologies to take off? For one, I certainly hope not.

Enough of being a complete Debby Downer, onto the group part of this project. I found Audet’s Blue Spruce Farm refreshing. After talking so long about how farms are basically destroying the world, Audet’s offered some hope. I’m upset I didn’t have the chance to go see the farm itself, but watching the Cow Power movie was extremely informative. The most stressful part of this project was finding the proper way to communicate with each other and also finding times to meet since we all have very different lives and schedules. What frustrated me the most was probably making the poster itself. We had so much information that we wanted to throw on there, but couldn’t because it was too text heavy, also finding pictures and a layout that everyone enjoyed was stressful too. Over the course of this project I definitely became very passionate about the cows and their poop along with the opportunities for new sources of power. If anything this project was a huge learning experience, and I definitely enjoyed the challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Audet, Marie. "Blue Spruce Farm | Audet's Cow Power." Blue Spruce Farm | Audet's

Cow Power. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.bluesprucefarmvt.com/>.

Cow Power: The Film. Dir. Allison Gillette. Prod. Michael G. Gray. 2013. Online.

Levine, Sany. "Cow Power, the Vermont Brand Electricity | Conservation Law Foundation."        Conservation Law Foundation RSS. N.p., 8 May 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.

Hughes, J. Donald. An Environmental History of the World: Humankind's Changing Role in the    Community of Life. London: Routledge, 2001. Print.

Moser, M. A. and K.F. Roos, "AgSTAR Program: Three Commercial-Scale Anaerobic Digesters  for Animal Waste", Making a Business from Biomass, Proceedings of the 3rd Biomass   Conference of the Americas, R.P. Overend and E. Chornet, editors, 1997, Elseveir     Science Inc., Tarrytown, NY

Quinn, Daniel. Ishmael. New York: Bantam/Turner Book, 1995. Print.

Core 230: FINAL EXAM/PAEP POSTER PRESENTATIONS - Monday, December 9

        The official time of the session is 3:45-5:45 on Monday, December 9^th in the Hauke Conference Room (Hauke 102).  All students are required to attend the entire session, splitting their time as presenters and audience members/reviewers.

-          The format for poster presentations will be similar to that of a professional poster session – that is, presenting groups stand with their poster and answer questions, summarize information, and talk about their experience, while students who are not presenting visit posters as audience members.  This format will require you to have both broad and detailed knowledge of your subject and understand it to the extent that you can clearly articulate each of the four components of the project, intelligently answer a variety of questions, and concisely summarize what your group has learned from the experience.  This is a formal exhibition of your work – please consider dressing and carrying yourself in a professional manner.

-          Here is the schedule:

o   3:45 – 4:00   Student setup Hauke Conference Room / Faculty organize  

o   4:00 – 4:35   Session 1 (22 groups presenting and 22 groups as audience members) / Faculty deliberate at 4:25 and 3 posters are selected and brought into the boardroom to enter the final competition

o   4:40 – 4:55   Group Swap

o   4:55 – 5:25   Session 2 / Faculty deliberate at 5:15 and 3 posters are selected and brought into the boardroom for the final competition

o   5:25 – 5:45   Final faculty deliberation / student choice votes counted

o   5:45 Awards announcement (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rdplace, 3 honorable mentions, 1 student choice)

-          Students will be responsible for visiting/evaluating 3 posters of their choosing (based on content, aesthetics, and presentation) in the session in which they are not presenting.  These 3 peer evaluations must be submitted during the session and will be given to the student’s 230 professor after the session.  

-          There are no plans for assigning groups to certain sessions – it will be first come, first served for selecting a station for their posters

PAEP Reflection: Mitchel Pini

  Since the great wonder, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, hydroponics have been utilized for growing crops, and in some rare cases, spectacles. The Aztecs fashioned farms on top of rafts using the silt from nearby lakes to provide the soil with nutrients. Fast forward to today; we utilize hydroponic farming as an alternative to other modern farming practices. In areas with limited farmable land many turn to hydroponics out of necessity, which is what led to commercial scale growth in the more arid regions of the United States. Hydroponic agriculture has proven itself concurrent, and shall continue to, so long as farmable land keeps receding and the human race keeps its taste for veggies.

Effective hydroponic systems use approximately 70%-90% less water than conventional methods of farming. This is mainly due to water being filtered and reused ad nauseam. Availability of clean water does play its role in the difficulty of hydroponic farming, this includes attaining and sustaining the constantly circulating water. Roughly 10 million hectares of arable land are lost every year, causing more and more farmers to turn to other methods. Hydroponic farming is therefore slowly becoming a more reliable option and is developing into a steady farming technique.

Rock fiber is the key to hydroponic farming; it’s what makes it more convenient that conventional farming. Rock fiber is a square lattice of microscopic fibers fashioned into pods in which seedlings are planted, and once they’ve taken root the pods are torn away and grown individually in a crop row. The initial startup cost is the main deterrent for most modern farmers, although the general maintenance costs for the greenhouse are affordable. The actual physical maintenance on the greenhouse also requires relatively little labor. Most hydroponic farmers will set up their rows at around waist level, so they’ll never have to bend over to care after their crops. The water recycling systems can get quite complex, ranging from standard continuous filters to open waterfalls that double as air conditioners. Most Hydroponic water systems draw water from one well and dump the filtered disposal in another; this poses a potential threat to underground sources of drinking water. As per regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency, revisions are in order for the policy on dealing with waste disposal wells, but further study is required to accurately deduce whether or not water supplies are being affected.

Other than water circulation, the larger outstanding issue is temperature regulation. In a greenhouse, one usually relies on the sun’s rays to trap heat and contain it, but hydroponics require a specific climate; although the plants will never dry out. Keeping plants cool during the summer and warm during the winter is the eternal struggle of a greenhouse farmer. Two particular insects, aphids and whiteflies as cute as they are, are known sap-sucking destroyers of cultivated plants in temperate regions.   Their development can be stunted through the strategic placing of ladybird eggs among the contaminated area, another common practice is to simply sweep every plant, placing eggs on each individual sprout. 

By definition, an organic farm is one that incorporates soil into the growth of crops, which invalidates hydroponic farming as an “organic” alternative. This bars most from certifying their hydroponic farms. In Europe, this is not the case, as there is no such policy. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) restricts the runoff from hydroponic farms, so that farmers are required to obtain a permit before they’re allowed to dump their waste water into larger natural bodies of water. This is the same reason Dave Hartshorn, the owner of Hartshorn farm, was not able to get his hydroponic farm certified.

The ethics of hydroponic farming remain moot while modern farming practices are continually employed for efficiency and convenience. Efficiency and convenience being defined, of course, by the EPA as the process that makes the most of everything. Growing plants in water-based mineral solutions under fluorescent lighting in a controlled climate tends to attract the attention of naturalistic types. Many of them ask if it’s okay to raise plants in these environments, no matter how “green” or “natural” they get. Is it okay to mimic the growth cycles we see in naturally occurring corn rows? Hydroponic farming is no more ethically irresponsible than any other modern farming practice. Looking at the fertilizers used in soil and deciding it’s automatically a better way to manipulate the environment isn’t an ethical argument, it’s a preference. Ishmael would point out that any farming process is simply manipulation of the environment; an inherent “taker” ideology.

I realized when I started writing this paper that I had started studying hydroponic farming this past summer. At the time I was quite intrigued by hydroponics as a writer, I was looking to incorporate the concept into a story i was writing. The overlying theme of the story was nature becoming unnatural, so any idea of alternative agriculture sounded too ironic not to use. My group struggled in its fledgling stages, our original mindset was aimed towards recycling, but we eventually landed on hydroponics. Compiling all our info on the subject at the beginning was nothing short of amusing, as none of us had any formal education on the science or history of hydroponics. We broke up the responsibilities, but even still that wasn’t enough. Speaking from experience, it’s not easy to find information on ethics or policies regarding hydroponic farming. My own disadvantages were not aided by the fact that I wasn’t able to attend the trip to the farm my group had decided to visit, Hartshorn. 

If anything, the concept of farming in agriculture has become more deterrent due to my studies of hydroponics. Earlier on in the year, it occurred to me that farming is essentially manipulating the environment, no matter how innocent the cause. I grew up aiding my father in the garden around our house; it was my favorite thing about our stuffy little apartment in Boston. You’re helping something grow, yes, but we take it to extremes with this mentality like it’s our right, “this is something we’re supposed to be doing,” more often than not the thought never even comes to mind. Just the same as most react to the idea of an alchemist’s or philosopher’s stone, something that has the power to change the properties of tangible objects instantaneously and without negative consequence; it should not exist. Biological loopholes do not exist, and farming certainly isn’t one itself, farming comes at a price and we determine the ever-rising cost.

Bibliography

• "History of Hydroponics | « Boswyck Farms." Boswyck Farms RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
• "Aquaculture - Laws, Regulations, Policies, and Guidance." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.

Burton Sustainability PAEP Poster

Cory, Andrew, Chris, Sam

PAEP Reflection: Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences

Anthony Jannetti

The Vermont Institute for Natural Sciences (VINS)

For our group’s PAEP project, we chose to visit the Vermont Institute for Natural Sciences, which is a non-profit organization that proactively affects positive eco-conscious lifestyles educates people on the natural environment and their place in it. VINS is also a raptor sanctuary and rehabilitation center, and does presentations with their resident birds of prey, to raise awareness and to raise money to ensure the sustainability of the institute.

            VINS focuses on wildlife research and education to teach communities how to value, and to be of value to, their natural world. Since 1972, the 47-acre wildlife reserve has been home to countless raptors, and through informing and training communities, they seek to address how the, “beauty, function and critical importance of regional ecosystems and how our personal decisions can have a positive impact on their health and sustainability” (VINS).

            Many raptors are admitted to the institutes rehabilitation program, and VINS is responsible for determining the severity of animals’ injuries, and whether or not they can be reintroduced into the wild. VINS also acts as a professional information outlet for those private and public entities that seek out environmental education. Inclusive of which are educational services such as: Environmental Learning for the Future Program, Naturalist-in-Residence Program, and specialized VINS field trips. Since educational outlets are usually geared towards youth, VINS seeks to educate youths early on, so they might be informants and advocates to others in the future for environmental causes. VINS trainers and handlers deal with this directly through programs such as: Raptors Up Close, and Bird ER. These programs educated youths on wildlife ecosystems, food chains, and the equality of all living things.

            VINS is mainly a sanctuary and institute focused on proactively affecting positive environmental and wildlife developments through education. Therefore, many of the policies that directly affect the wildlife VINS works with is through the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Policies such as: the Community Wildlife Program (CWP), which “provides assistance and resources for professional and lay planners in Vermont” (VFWD), and the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP). “WHIP is a voluntary federal program that helps landowners interested in creating and enhancing high quality wildlife habitat on their property” (VFWD). VINS is a benefactor of the CWP, but also an advocate to their audience for the WHIP program, which promotes agricultural and environmental therapy for privately owned land, with federal government financial aid and technical assistance for those who would otherwise not know what to do.

            VINS exemplifies efficacious environmental policies, to promote the cultivation of a societal world which values the environmental, not because of what there is to be gained from it, but rather how we can conduct ourselves in a way with which we will be beneficial to the environment; bridging and bonding the lives of societal individuals to the natural world, and demonstrating to these individuals the interconnectivity of all living things. VINS approaches ethics in a way that instills values and environmental outlook that enables individuals to conduct them efficaciously, transcending societal ethics, a.k.a. laws and regulations.

            This project was a success, but there were moments of confusion. It was great, because it allowed me to work with a group of students, from various majors, that I normally wouldn’t have a chance to work with. This interdisciplinary approach was very effective, when evaluating VINS, but as is the nature of projects such as these, the ambiguous and case specific nature of the assignment challenged us to gather information and make inferences about policies and ethical frameworks that were not explicitly depicted in both our site visit, and through the institutions publications. I’m not normally a group project person, but even with its challenges, my group was able to do our work independently and come together to create something with substance and effect. I would say that overall I think we did a fine job, on a really interesting project. I would recommend this course to any and all Champlain College students.

WORKS CITED

 "Vermont Fish & Wildlife." Vermont Fish & Wildlife. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.

"Vermont Institute of Natural Science." Vermont Institute of Natural Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.

Meg Tighe PAEP Reflection

Megan Tighe

PAEP

Vermont Institute of Natural Science

            The Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) is an organization that strives to better the greater community through environmental education, research and avian rehabilitation. As a nonprofit, member-supported, organization, VINS aims to make “high-quality, compelling, and fun environmental education programs,” (About) that engage the community and hopes to inspire individuals to do their own part in environmental conservation. VINS attracts more then 40,000 people annually from throughout New England and has high hopes that this number will begin to raise as people become more aware of the future of our environment.

            On 47-acres, located in Quechee, Vermont; VINS stands as a six building compound. With 17 state of the art raptor enclosures, 4 exhibit spaces, 2 class rooms and about a mile of nature trails, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science has been a leader in wildlife conservation since 1972. They are nationally recognized for their innovative natural science curricula and educational programs. The institute is open year-round, and with daily presentations with the raptors, VINS hopes that people will be motivated for change. They hope that when people experience their 47-acre facility, they will be inspired to change the way that people treat the environment, our environment.

            VINS main outreach program is avian rehabilitation. They offer many educational programs like Environmental Learning for the Future Program, Naturalist-in-Residence Program, but Bird Rescue is by far viewed as their most important program.  They stress the fact that “stress kills!,” (Rescue) in their program. The rules to avian rescue are as follows: the parents are known to be dead, the animal is injured, the animal is in immediate danger or the bird is found with a cat. In any of these circumstances, the bird needs professional care from the licensed wildlife rehabilitators at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. After VINS receives an animal, they assess whether the bird can be later released back into the wild. To determine whether the bird will be able to survive, they perform a multitude of tests, like seeing whether the bird can catch their own food. The bird must be able to catch a mouse in a certain amount of time to be considered capable of surviving. If the bird is deemed to be incapable, the trainers begin to work with the bird for educational purposes.

            VINS’ mission is “motivating individuals and communities to care for the environment through education, research, and avian wildlife rehabilitation,” (About).  We spoke with a trainer at the facility and he gave us some incite on the policy that VINS aims to follow. The greatest issue that they face is that it is illegal for them to take in birds that are not native to Vermont. So legally, if some one brings a non-native bird to VINS, they have to reject it. Nathan, the trainer, expressed his distaste for this policy but also told us that passionate environmentalist are usually willing to cross state borders in order to get the injured bird to the correct facility. Permits are also necessary from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department in order to work with the raptors. The handlers cannot begin rehabilitation with the birds if they are not cleared and legally permitted. As Nathan expressed, this is their duty and life calling. They feel obligated to help those that cannot help themselves, and I believe this is the way everyone in our world has to learn to live. The greatest illustration of character is doing something for someone that doesn’t benefit you at all.

            As we learned in Ishmael, humans are the cause of most environmental destruction, and VINS sees it the same way. Almost all of the birds that pass through VINS are there because of human involvement. The number one cause of injury of birds is car accidents; another is destruction of their habitat, which forces them to unsuitable homes. Everything that VINS does is to help the raptors return to the wild. They do not believe it to be ethical with training the birds for human education. That being said though, they hope that further education will help the future of raptors and only use the birds for short periods of time before retirement. VINS wants to teach people how to have a positive impact on the environment, and how to have less of a negative effect. Precaution is key. We must be aware of what is out there in order to protect it.

            I took with me a saying from our site visit that is not backed by the organization, but I heard it from one of the trainers. He said that because humans cause all of the accidents involving raptors, it our responsibility to save them. Raptors do more for our ecosystem then we realize. They keep the rodent population at balance, which in turn, allows vegetation to grow. Humans need and want flowers and vegetables that could potentially be destroyed with an influx of rodents, so we need to fix the problem that we are creating with the raptors. Its not only car accidents though. Its glass doors, logging, the grooming of trees and bushes, domesticated pets…the list goes on and on. The world was not just made for man (Ishmael). It was made for all living things, but with our Taker philosophy of life, we will never be a sustainable culture. We aren’t only killing the raptors with our lifestyle, we are killing our future generations… we are killing ourselves.

            As a group, I think we did an overall great job in learning about and discussing raptor rehabilitation. We did struggle with timing. It was difficult getting four people together on four different schedules, but we made it work and I am completely content with everything we accomplished. Maddy, Meaghan and I were able to visit VINS in person and experience their raptor presentation and feeding. Luckily, with some smooth talking, we were able to enter the facility for free and got a moment to speak with a raptor handler, which in my opinion was the most helpful to our project.  I got the feeling though that VINS doesn’t really know what they are doing half the time. Not in a disrespectful way to the organization, but its very go with the flow, ‘we’ll just deal with things as they come’ kind of attitude, which made it very difficult for us to find and obtain information that was relevant to our project. I had a great time working with my group and wouldn’t change a thing.

            Every person that we came across at VINS was so passionate about their work. The honestly believe that every bird in our ecosystem makes a difference and that it is their goal and job to save that bird. The Vermont Institute of Natural Science is an extremely ethical organization and I’m glad that I am well versed on their mission so that I can make it mine to spread the word. We will perhaps never return to the Leaver culture, but we can do our best to adapt to a better Taker culture that cares more for the environment and its future. 

Works Cited

DesJardins, Joseph R. Environmental Ethics: An Introduction to Environmental Philosophy. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1993. Print.

"Vermont Institute of Natural Science." The Trust for Public Land. TPL, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.

"Vermont Fish & Wildlife." Vermont Fish & Wildlife. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.

"Welcome to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science." Welcome to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. VINS, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.

Quinn, Daniel. Ishmael. New York: Bantam/Turner Book, 1995. Print.