a little insight as to what I am doing and why

This comes from a questionnaire I filled out for something...  the answers are fairly short but give a decent indication of what I am doing and why, if you are curious.

Questions for Web Profile

3. Degree(s) held and from where. 

BS- University of Florida; MS in Environmental Education – Nova Southeaster University; MS in Coastal Zone Management – Nova Southeastern University; currently pursuing PhD in Energy and Environmental Policy – University of Delaware

4. Brief description of your job.

I am a PhD student working towards my degree in Energy and Environmental Policy.  My personal interest is in sustainability and conservation, particularly in the marine and coastal zone.  My research focus is on ecotourism as a tool for conservation and reducing environmental injustice (and not greenwashing). I feel that ecotourism provides travelers with a unique experience and experiential education that can produce a cognitive and emotional shift, and a sense of environmental literacy and connection to the natural world.  This should translate to behavior changes and most importantly today - the overall human perception of the environment and wildlife.

6. Explain how/why your job is important to society.

  We currently face some of the biggest global environmental problems that humanity has ever known.  The ocean is a major part of this and sadly, home to some of these problems, such as: climate change, overfishing, species extinction, pollution, the garbage patch, the list goes on.   We are water beings on a water planet; just one part of the global ecosystem.  Humans are the reason and source of the crises we face today, and the root cause has been our mistaken perception of the earth and our place on it.  It is not here for our exploitation and resource use - it is our home.  The environment and wildlife do not need management, humans do.  I think education is paramount to changing peoples’ perspectives and understanding and thus behavior.  I have selected ecotourism as a research focus for a few reasons.  For one, I have participated in ecotourism and those experiences have helped me become the person I am, with the motivations for sustainability and conservation work rooted deep in my heart as a result.

7. How did you end up doing what you’re doing?

To continue what I said above – I have been lucky enough to travel a lot, mostly ecotour style trips.  Through those experiences, I have developed a deep connection to and appreciation for this planet, the natural world, our nonhuman neighbors, and the immeasurable beauty and sophistication of planet Earth.  There is nothing else in the world for me to do or pursue academically or professionally than exactly what I am doing.  I chose to focus my research and dissertation on ecotourism because I know first hand how powerful it can be.  It is a growing field that can truly help resolve issues of environmental and social injustice, through education, funding, partnerships, etc.  Most importantly – it can truly open peoples’ eyes to what is around them.  I believe ecotourism can be (and is) a powerful instrument towards a true transformation in human attitude and behavior.  It is important that ecotourism retain its integrity, though, as a quickly growing field in an increasingly marketized world.

8. Were you inspired by anyone in particular? If so, who, and how did he/she influence your career choice?

My mother certainly, as she was my first travel buddy!  We traveled a lot together over the course of 10 years or so, it has tapered off now but I still travel when I can.  Through the trips we did, I was able to see places and things that opened my eyes and changed my world!  I met many amazing people along the way.  Another important person was my first graduate advisor, Jane Dougan, who had similarly dedicated her career to environmental education and building a future of individuals like me (and you!)  Hugh Harrop was a naturalist/guide on one of our first trips, to see baby harp seals.  We traveled with him to other places as well and he went on to start his own ecotour company in the Shetlands. There are many but I cannot list them all here.  Most important of all is Mother Earth herself. 

9. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? 

Doing something that I truly love, following my heart, and knowing that I am doing everything I can to make a positive difference in and for the world. I am lucky to be following my dreams.

11. Describe the most fun and exciting experience you have had during your career.

Some years ago I worked with sea turtles in South Florida.  The work was not easy, but incredibly rewarding.  Hatchling releases were some of the most fun “work” experiences because they are the most adorable little things, and its amazing to think someday, hopefully, a couple of them will turn into 300 +lb sea turtles!  It was great to share that with people in the form of education experiences, too.  It never stops being a thrill and a beautiful thing to see, no matter how many times you see it.

12. Describe the most disappointing or frustrating experience you have had during your career.

Doing something you love and are so passionate about and interacting with those who simply do not care, understand, or have any interest whatsoever.  It can be a very unpleasant reminder of exactly what we are up against in the world today.  People who take no responsibility for their actions or even try to undermine the work we do.  It is important to not let that bring us down though – have to keep fighting!

meatless monday!

I thought I'd share some important info for meatless monday... I've been vegetarian for 15 years, but even 1 day a week can make a huge impact.  Environmental info below.  I won't even get started on the treatment of the animals in this post....

Make it a meatless monday! 

Amount of U.S. grain fed to farm animals: 70%

Pounds of corn and soy required to produce just one pound of pork: nearly 7

Water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 14 gallons

Water needed to produce a pound of meat: 441 gallons Threatened and endangered species imperiled by livestock grazing: 161

Of all water used for all purposes in the United States, more than half goes to:livestock production

According to Cornell ecologist David Pimentel, animal protein demands tremendous expenditures of fossil-fuel energy—about eight times as much for a comparable amount of plant protein.

The meat industry is a major cause of fresh water depletion. According to Ed Ayres, of the World Watch Institute, "Around the world, as more water is diverted to raising pigs and chickens instead of producing crops for direct consumption, millions of wells are going dry. India, China, North Africa and the U.S. are all running freshwater deficits, pumping more from their aquifers than rain can replenish."

According to Ayres, "Pass up one hamburger, and you'll save as much water as you save by taking 40 showers with a low-flow nozzle." 

want to learn more?

CHOOSE VEG

“We are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it GDP.”

here is some reality for ya... (and a really excellent article)

None of the world’s top industries would be profitable if they paid for the natural capital they use

By David Roberts

The notion of “externalities” has become familiar in environmental circles. It refers to costs imposed by businesses that are not paid for by those businesses. For instance, industrial processes can put pollutants in the air that increase public health costs, but the public, not the polluting businesses, picks up the tab. In this way, businesses privatize profits and publicize costs.

Of the top 20 region-sectors ranked by environmental impacts, none would be profitable if environmental costs were fully integrated. Ponder that for a moment. None of the world’s top industrial sectors would be profitable if they were paying their full freight. None!

Here’s how those costs break down:

The majority of unpriced natural capital costs are from greenhouse gas emissions (38%), followed by water use (25%), land use (24%), air pollution (7%), land and water pollution (5%), and waste (1%).

So how much is that costing us? Trucost’s headline results are fairly stunning.

First, the total unpriced natural capital consumed by the more than 1,000 “global primary production and primary processing region-sectors” amounts to $7.3 trillion dollars a year — 13 percent of 2009 global GDP.

(A “region-sector” is a particular industry in a particular region — say, wheat farming in East Asia.)

Second, surprising no one, coal is the enemy of the human race. Trucost compiled rankings, both of the top environmental impacts and of the top industrial culprits.

That amounts to an entire global industrial system built on sleight of hand. As legendary environmentalist Paul Hawken put it, “We are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it GDP.”

But the UNEP report makes clear that what’s going on today is more than a few accounting oversights here and there. The distance between today’s industrial systems and truly sustainable industrial systems — systems that do not spend down stored natural capital but instead integrate into current energy and material flows — is not one of degree, but one of kind. What we need is not just better accounting, it is a new global industrial system, a new way of providing for human wellbeing, a new way of relating to our planet. We need a revolution.

the rest  <--click to continue reading

vegan stuffs

Ill start by saying: wow, it sure is harder to keep up w/ thoughtful blogging that I thought it would be.
Ill finish by saying: I am going to take this opportunity to share another (well done) blog with you here--
in honor of Earth day (every day!) and the power of going veggie/vegan - here is a hug!

Vegan Hug!

wtf was up with that dream?

I just woke up abruptly out of a very weird dream, and I'm trying to note some of it here before it all disappears into the mental place where dreams go to die and wont return no matter how much you struggle to recall.

lets see what I can remember now... it has been a solid half hour.

I had to move, like, into a new apartment but I dont know why. It was a big rush though.   I had a few friends around, I cant say who they were but they were the random faces playing the role of real friends from back home.  most of this took place in ft lauderdale and surrounding areas, or so it seemed, not up here in DE where I am.

the friends helped me find a new place to move to and so when I was informed what had been found for me, I went there... my stuff was somehow already accounted for. I had a truck, not a car.  not because of moving, I mean i just drove a truck in the dream.  So I headed to the new place, though in the dream i had no idea where it was yet i thought i did? or something.  so I was driving towards the henry whatshisname tunnel in lauderdale only to finally call the friend person and learn that the place was off stirling road. i turned around and went there and the friends were already there helping get things set up. it was a somewhat old run down place (but most are over there).  it was okay on the inside, it was a 2/2, and even had this weird storage thingy in front that you had to open w/ a key and was shared w/ the neighbor. it looked like a big storage thing for tools that you get from home depot, with all the drawers. but when you opened it, it was useful shelves and also a cloth-lined laundry hamper.  inside i found that the AC unit control looked like an equalizer and didnt seem work well (for AC or equalizing) my cats were already there as well.  i then discovered 4 small cats (they were kind of weird looking... like retarded cats???) in a windowsill that had been left behind by the previous tenant (presumably), along w/ some other items that appeared through the process..

i called the office for someone to  come retrieve the pets and other items.  the guy came and was useless, beyond taking the cats.  no help on the AC/Equalizer, no help when i asked about transferring my alarm over, no help w/ any questions and actually kind of just left the apt while I was talking to him.   like, just walked away. i think it was 6pm and he was done w/ work but still...

then.... I went outside to find my truck had 1 flat tire and was already up on a jack - like the kind that comes w/ your car.  actually it wasnt just flat, it was shredded - all f'd up. and then suddenly my mom was there telling me i needed to take care of that immediately, soozin!  i called AAA, knowing also that i did have a low tire earlier (this is in real life as well), but that was a different one.  while on the phone w/ AAA, i looked at the initially low tire and saw a huge gash in the side and it immediately went flat. it was sort of like it exhaled, actually.  Then the truck started sliding all over the place in the parking lot, i couldn't keep it steady or still (Im sure THAT means something). out of control up on the jack and all.

i asked AAA to bring me new tires since I only had 1 spare (which were different sizes between front and back, btw).  then, I realized they didnt have my new address so I had to call back.  but, i didnt have my new address either!  so i went inside to ask my friends what it was and i couldnt find them and because suddenly the 2/2 was a big townhouse or something and they were scattered all over.   turns out my building was called "elephant". yea, i dont know.  then some friends i could actually recognize as real were there and getting ready to go out.  also, the shower curtain wouldnt stay up because the gizmos that you use to hook it on there -- they didnt work right on this particular curtain rod.  and I dont know where my shit was, i kept finding things left behind by the other tenant - everything from a coffee table to an art easel thingy and other things i cant recall.  my stuff... not sure where it was.  some other things went awry during the dream but i cant remember them. i dont remember saying in the dream that it was the worst day of my life..   and somewhere around here i woke up abrupty and now I am going to the gym to get this weirdness out of my head.   so yea.  huh?

watch this immediately

i dont know if this counts as a blog post, but I dont really care either way ... this is worth sharing in whatever format.  watch immediately !

napping ...

In the library?
After careful consideration, I see nothing wrong with this.  Yes you can buy coffee and other caffeinated items on site until late into the evening hours, I still think library naps are acceptable at this level of academia.  While spending the better part of my afternoon here trying to get lots of work done, I started feeling my eyelids getting heavy while my vision began to blur...
To my left I see a nap in progress.  I considered this but opted for the coffee instead.   On my journey to the coffee area I ran into a colleague.  She had just slept for 45 minutes in some other section of the library and was headed to class.  gotta do what ya gotta do!