SEA's Sustainability Audit

By Matt Tyler, SEA President

It is easy to blame “lazy” or “inconsiderate” students for sustainability failures on campus: leaving lights on and driving to campus are the bane of student environmentalists, and backhanded comments about someone throwing away a plastic bottle have become the vernacular in closed circles of recycling snobs (myself included). The environmental community must remember, though, that institutions affect people’s behavior, and we cannot expect the average student, already bogged down by full schedules, to go out of his or her way to recycle a bottle when bins are not easily accessible; we cannot expect students to ride bikes to campus when safe bike lanes are only intermittently available throughout the Athens community; and we cannot expect students to turn off lights when light switches are not easily accessible. These are coupled with more sociological factors—the fear of being the “weird kid” who goes around turning off the lights or digging through trashcans to look for recyclables (been there, done that)—and problems of collective action. Why should I go out of by way to do something when there is no incentive for me to do it?

In a politically polarized climate, it is also easy to associate environmentalism with liberal political ideology. What we are advocating for, however, has no such implications; we are calling on personal responsibility to ensure a greener future. Leaving lights on wastes student money—especially when lights are left on next to giant windows (looking at you, Tate Atrium)—and recycling could save students money on tipping fees and reusable plastic.

In order to gain a better understanding of why students avoid certain sustainable practices (and how we can encourage them to live more “greenly”), SEA has decided to perform a “Sustainability Audit” this year. This audit will consist of light raids—going around campus and turning off lights that have been left on unnecessarily and recording where they are consistently being left on—and waste audits—which, you guessed it, means that SEA members will be digging through the trash (and will be doing some nice people-watching to observe how students interact with recycling and trash bins). We will also be promoting the newly established “Bulldawg Bikes” program in the Ecology building and Building 1516 in an effort to reform transportation at UGA. After collecting this data, we will systematically institute new measures (such as signs, motion sensor lights, and more accessible switches) that will pragmatically and economically address sustainability issues on campus and encourage eco-friendly practices.

SEA has consistently strived to make immediate and pragmatic impacts at UGA—this has resulted in an energy proposal in 2010 (which created precedent for the recently-installed solar panels on the Jackson Street art building), a bike share program, and the proliferation of the Every Watt/Drop Counts campaign. We are hoping that our Sustainability Audit will provide us with new information on how the average student interacts within the sustainability community at UGA and will allow us to promote a more vibrant culture of environmentalism that will benefit all students without requiring significantly more effort.

Throughout the process, we will be using student-powered data collection. If you are interested in participating in a waste audit (don’t worry, you won’t have to dig through the trash if you don’t want to) or a light raid, please join us for our next meeting on Wednesday, October 3^rd at 5:30 pm in MLC 268 or email ugasea@gmail.com. All students (even non-SEA members) are welcome to join us!

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Bored? Get out and volunteer!

By: Jennifer Doolan
So the school year just started and you find that you have a free weekend afternoon. Take a break from studying, grab a friend, and get to know Athens by helping out around the community with these eco-themed activities.


Love riding your bike around campus and want to learn how to fix minor problems without taking it into the shop? Check out BikeAthens bike recycling program. The program distributes reconditioned bikes to individuals in the Athens community in need. They rely exclusively on volunteers to recondition the bikes, but the best part is there's no experience necessary! They teach you everything you need to know as long as you are willing to get your hands dirty. New volunteers are encouraged to go to the Wednesday sessions, but you can also volunteer Sunday and Monday. 
Also if you have an old bike and don't want it sitting in the landfill, they take bike donations in any condition.
http://bikeathens.com/programs/brp/

Feel like you've been cooped up indoors all week? Head out to Sandy Creek Nature Center or Bear Hollow Zoo and try your hand at promoting environmental education and awareness. You can become a trail guide and lead nature hikes with little kids, or become a public program volunteer and help with fishing workshops, Snake Day, Earth Day, and stream/pond studies. 
http://athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?nid=2712                           
http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?NID=472


You guys need to check out Daily Groceries Co-Op. It's a member owned grocery store on Prince Avenue that sells local produce, organic products, and bulk foods. A majority of the workers at this amazing place are volunteers, and you will want to become one after spending 10 minutes with the people in the store. While you're there, sign up for a new member orientation session (it lasts about an hour) and after volunteering one 3 hour shift a week you will receive 20% off your groceries for the following week.
http://www.dailygroceries.org/

There are plenty of other opportunities such as:
-State Botanical Gardens of Georgia: http://botgarden.uga.edu/volunteer.html (also a very cute place for a date)
-Athens Farmers Market: http://athensfarmersmarket.net/volunteer/
-Recycle your old shoes by giving them the the Athens Humane Society's shoe recycle drive. (who doesn't want to help out cute animals?): http://www.athenshumanesociety.org/blog_fullpost.php?ID=445&Category_ID=3

Whatever you end up choosing, I promise you will feel better about yourself and the community you support.

A Summer in Costa Rica

by Tiffany Eberhard, UGA '15

     Hello Environmental Lovers! I hope everyone is having a great eco-conscious summer! I have been Costa Rica for the past four weeks and wow what a wonderful experience! I first vacationed with my mom and sister for a week. We saw Squirrel monkeys, white faced capuchins, howler monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and hundreds of different plant species in Arenal Volcano National Park and Manuel Antonio National Park. Then I met up with the Environmental Anthropology study abroad group (after being lost trying to find them in the San Jose area for an hour). Such a cool group of people!

I am taking two anthropology classes for three weeks. The first is Community, Conservation, and Development on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. We have been traveling up the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and staying in coastal towns. My next class might sounds like a joke but it is not. Ready for it… It is the Anthropology of Surfing. We learned how to surf and talked to many local and tourist surfers about their lifestyle and the effects of surfing on the Costa Rican economy. These two courses go hand in hand because surf tourism is bringing more development to Costa Rica. We looked at the positive and negative sides of tourism and how the locals feel of this change in their country both socially and economically. The style of research we participated in is called ethnography. We interact directly with the people we are learning about by spending time with them. I have found out the best way to do this is hanging out and talking over a few beers.

We examined the effects of tourism on the environment as well. Costa Rica is known as one of the leaders in conservation and we were able to feel the beauty of this country up close and person on a four day camping trip in Santa Rosa National Park. We also we able to surf at the world-renowned surfing spot called Witch’s Rock. I could go on and on about how amazing the country of Costa Rica is. I heard many people, local and foreigners, describe the country as tranquil and I completely agree. The people are extremely friendly, the country is welcoming, the landscape changes from beautiful to more beautiful. No wonder there are almost more foreign settlers here than local Costa Ricans. But at the same time, one has to keep in mind that buying up this land and changing the landscape into foreign paradise can inflate land prices, or alter the culture. The lasting conservation work and the efforts of many people to preserve and protect the environment and culture allows travelers and locals alike to enjoy Costa Rica. I hope everyone gets a chance to experience this magical place. Respect the wonderful country of Costa Rica that so many people call home now. Pura Vida!

Have an interesting environment-related summer story to share? Email ugasea@gmail.com


Our first meeting is Wednesday, August 22nd at 5:30 pm in MLC 268. SEA you there!

Point/Counterpoint: The T-SPLOST

Over the past few months, Atlanta has been bombarded by a deluge of ads advocating and denouncing the T-SPLOST, a 1% sales tax that would be used to fund various transportation initiatives. Amidst the debate, the Tea Party and the Sierra Club have become unlikely allies against the T-SPLOST while, simultaneously, a handful of Atlanta Democrats, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and prominent Republican leaders (including Governor Nathan Deal) have championed the initiative, leaving many voters confused as to what the T-SPLOST really means for them. In an effort to help elucidate the controversial proposal, Students for Environmental Action has curated opinions from two student environmentalists representing the contrasting views and what the T-SPLOST means for environmental and transportation advocates in Georgia.


The T-SPLOST Will Provide Much-Needed Change to Atlanta's Transportation Infrastructure
Candler Vinson, Emory Sustainability; The Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance

     The T-SPLOST (Transportation-Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax), which will generate nearly eight billion dollars over its ten year lifetime, gives Metro Atlanta the first opportunity in decades to truly upgrade its worn and weathered infrastructure, as well as build new infrastructure that will support the region in the upcoming decades. The project list has been wrought from debates and conversations of the members of the Atlanta Regional Commission's Regional Roundtable, a board made up of local government officials from the 10-county region and the City of Atlanta. The project list that resulted reflects the different needs of different parts of the region. In the city and surrounding, denser neighborhoods, transit improvements are the major focus of the T-SPLOST's funding; it will decrease in-town traffic, give more options for traveling through the city, and help people get from their homes to the major economic and social centers of the city. On the other hand, the suburban areas that surround Atlanta would not be as well serviced by transit (although there are plans to extend transit services to these suburban areas in Clayton, Cobb, South DeKalb, and Henry counties) and are alternatively supported by new roads to provide more routes and more space to alleviate traffic now and prepare for growth in the future.
     When it comes down to it, the T-SPLOST promotes a multi-modal system for getting around Metropolitan Atlanta. This means more options for Atlantans, more connectivity between economic and social hubs, denser development around transit oriented communities, which will attract more younger professionals, appeal to more large corporations, and make it easier for visitors to explore the city; it will also mean less time spent by individuals in their cars, reduced air pollution from exhaust of idling vehicles, decreased commute times, and job creation that spans the course of the ten-year tax period and beyond. Some people will argue that Atlantans don't need to be taxed any more, but it's simple economics: all goods and services must be paid for. Additionally, squabbling over a single penny, 1% on the tax dollar, is petty and selfish compared to the good that will come of it. And anyway, there's a civilian committee that will have the last say on regional projects, and county-wide projects will be voted on locally. Likewise, arguing that the T-SPLOST contains too much funding for transit or too many road projects is foolish and naïve; that is how politics works. Furthermore, it is belittling of the hours upon hours of our elected officials' time spent selecting only the best projects to help Atlantans, and all Georgians, as we step, bike, ride transit, and drive into the 21st Century.


The T-SPLOST Will Be Detrimental to the Long-Term Transportation Health of Atlanta
Heather Hatzenbuhler, Georgia Youth for Environmental Solutions

     As a young progressive who supports the idea of paying for public goods and absolutely loves riding public transit (the Metro is one my favorite things in D.C.), it may be surprising that I will be voting “No” on the TSPLOST tomorrow. This bill, however, does not work to address the major issues related to transportation in the metro Atlanta area, and will actually create more problems than it solves.
The following are a few reasons why I am opposed to the proposal:

1. The administration of the funds is a mess. The money will first go to the Georgia Finance and Investment Commission (GFIC) to be dispersed for transportation projects, which the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) will then funnel to each region. Then the Governor, the Speaker of the House, and Lt. Governor will create a “Citizens Review Panel” to oversee this new tax. This sounds like bureaucratic inefficiency to me, and I seriously doubt that any panel appointed by Mr. Deal will represent the needs and interests of most Georgians.
2. The current list of projects have conflicting priorities that do not present a cohesive vision for transportation. We cannot make mass transportation and automobile commuting easier, faster and
cheaper at the same time. These two things are mutually exclusive. To more accurately address congestion and the negative externalities related to heavy car traffic a gasoline tax or toll is a much more efficient solution.
3. It is unsustainable. It funds far too many expansion projects for roads and rail without any long term plan for funding maintenance and operation of these projects. This is the same kind of short-sided budgeting decision that lead to the bankrupting of MARTA and other transportation projects across the state and the nation.

In the forty minutes it has taken me to write this blog, I have heard five commercials urging me to support the TSPLOST. In our political world where money = speech, I am very skeptical of platforms that have enough financial backing to afford FIVE prime-time commercials on NBC, the official broadcaster of the 2012 Olympics, an event projected to reach an audience of over 5 billion. To me this casts serious doubt on the claim that this tax will benefit all Georgians. I do not claim to be a transportation expert, but I have done my due diligence as a voter to inform myself on the issue. We do need good policy solutions to“Untie Atlanta” but the TSPLOST is not one of them.

A Summer in the Bitterroot

by Mariana Satterly, UGA 2014

My mug of tea empties itself about the same time the sun sets, right around ten here in the evening. After a day spent polishing assessments, a novel and a relaxing meal on the back porch suits my disposition perfectly. The view from the house where I have now spent six weeks affords a panoramic display of the Bitterroot Mountains, an impressive range that reaches over 10,000 feet into the star-filled Montana sky. This is the backdrop for the MPG Ranch, the conservation property where I will spend the better half of my summer as an intern.

Luckily for me, a last-minute scramble to fill a few free weeks in my summer brought MPG to my attention, and an earnest desire to work with an environmental organization along with a car that would take me to Montana brought this UGA undergrad, a suitcase, and a new pair of hiking boots to the ranch. I was welcomed by a host of researchers and seasonal crews, all outdoors enthusiasts, and quickly felt at home with the white-tailed deer, mule deer, and elk with whom I share the slopes. This “ranch” operates as a conservation property, a field station and project site for restoration ecology. With over 8600 acres of rangeland, forest, and riparian resplendence, the staff here have their hands full with wildlife management and rehabilitation efforts. Black bears and mountain lions patrol the “boondocks,” the new-growth woodlands just over the mountains in my backyard, and a moose and her calf shelter in our wetland addition to the floodplain of the Bitterroot River on the east of the property. The birders point out the cedar waxwings and blackbirds that badger the increasing number of raptors in our skies, and a great-horned owl stood sentinel late in the night last week on my fence. I am surrounded by a vivid wilderness on land still visibly healing from decades of unsustainable ranching, proof that MPG’s efforts, only a few years old, are already working.

My job here is highly self-determined. As an English and Economics major, I do not easily blend into the mix of restoration ecologists, mycologists, and botanists conducting research. However, I share a passion for environmental stewardship, and I shadow everyone involved in their daily efforts creating a natural landscape in this already beautiful valley. I serve as a volunteer of all trades, so to speak, and investigate my own projects on the side. The ranch’s operations, funded by a sole, generous benefactor, make for a unique efficiency that caters to this mix of private and state trust land, and it has been my task of late to envision for the ranch a transition to nonprofit status. My assessment now complete, I will conclude my internship with a survey of herbicide application (as it pertains not only to human health but to our restoration efforts) and a public guide to the MPG Ranch to encourage community knowledge of our work and expand our outreach programs.

Could I get any luckier? I spend the weekends exploring this beautiful state, fishing in alpine lakes, eating from the garden, floating the river, hunting for mushrooms, hiking through the mountains, and engaging with Missoula, a liberal, music-making, bike-filled city much like Athens. Most thrilling is the thought that just about everyone here is involved in some form or another in the battle to protect the environment. Whether it’s Tanner, who hopes to manage fisheries restoration once he’s out of school, Ylva, who is making ground-breaking discoveries in mycorrhizae research in invasives, or the local farmer, who preaches sustainable land use practices, it’s inspiring. I can only hope to be involved in such an essential and successful project when I choose a career. Maybe I’ll try my luck again here, in this rich community; not only is this valley worth the visit, it’s worth the time.

Fall 2012 Meeting Times!

Hey hey SEA,

Here is SEA's meeting schedule this semester. All meetings will be at 5:30 pm!

8/22 - MLC 268
9/5 - MLC 268
9/19 - MLC 250
10/3 - MLC 268
10/17 - MLC 268
10/31 - MLC 268
11/14 - MLC 250
11/28 - MLC 214

Please email ugasea@gmail.com if you have any questions! To sign up for ListServ updates, visit bitly.com/SEAListServ

We look forward to seeing you in August!

Spring Semester Sustainability in Action (SIA) Immersion Program in Costa Rica

by Dr. Quint Newcomer, Director, UGA Costa Rica

Sooner or later, a school of higher education—perhaps a school that teaches teachers—is going to realize the potential and create an entire program devoted to connecting people to nature.  Enter this program, learn about the benefits of human restoration through the natural world, and then decide what profession you will choose (law, education, urban planning, or any other) to apply that knowledge and intent.

-Richard Louv, The Nature Principle: Human Restoration   

 and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder, p. 282

UGA currently offers certificate programs in Organic Agriculture, Local Food Systems, Environmental Ethics, and is in the process of creating a new Certificate in Sustainability.  Additionally, all of the SEC universities and Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) support degree programs in Environmental Studies and/or Environmental Sciences, and many now offer majors, minors, and Sustainability certificates of their own. None of these programs, however, offer semester-long, faculty-led, international field experiences that integrate coursework across a range of associated classes.

To address this gap, UGA Costa Rica has developed a new semester-long immersion program available to UGA students, as well as those at SEC and ACS institutions. The courses offered, taught by UGA faculty—including two Meigs Professors, Dr. Jim Porter and Dr. Dean Rojek—will count directly toward Environmental Studies majors (and minors) as well as to the UGA Organic Agriculture, Local Food Systems, Environmental Ethics, and Sustainability Certificate Programs.

Location

The cloud forests of Monteverde, Costa Rica are one of the most biodiverse terrestrial places on the planet. These forests envelop the Continental Divide bridging the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica with the Pacific, sloping down toward the thriving wetlands and mangrove forests at the Gulf of Nicoya coastline via the Bellbird Biological Corridor (BBC), a 256mi² region (see map, right). This region is the living classroom setting in which the Sustainability in Action program will take place, with the forests, streams, farms, and human communities in the BBC and throughout Costa Rica serving as the laboratory for instruction and research.

Program of Study

As part of the cultural immersion experience, students will live with local families in San Luis for two weeks during the program (within walking distance to the UGA Costa Rica campus).

The program will include course offerings in:

·       environmental ethics, values and policy (EETH 4230)

·       environmental sociology (SOCI 3400)

·       conservation ecology (ECOL 3530)

·       global climate change (ECOL 2100)

·       organic agriculture (AESC 3125)

·       applied GPS and GIS project (FANR 5900 or FORS 5950)

·       Spanish (beginning and intermediate from first through fourth semester; composition and conversation for those who have completed intermediate)

·       independent study / independent research (for those who have already taken one or more of the courses above and prefer to work with our faculty on a special project)

This experience will include site visits to EARTH University, one of Costa Rica’s leading academic institutions focusing on sustainable agriculture in the Tropics; to Rancho Margot, a privately-owned sustainable farm on the shores of Lake Arenal; and to the farms of Rodrigo Crespo, one of the partners in the Bellbird Biological Corridor initiative. Students will observe a wide variety of agricultural land uses, from small-scale shade-grown coffee to vast pineapple and banana plantations and cattle pastures. In addition, they will study within montane and pre-montane forests, dry forests, mangroves and wetlands, gaining a better appreciation for the connectedness of different forest types across a relatively small region. And they will meet fishermen, ranchers, coffee farmers, tourism operators, and commercial developers, as well as government and NGO representatives, gaining insight into the social and institutional realities that shape land-use decision making. They will also be actively involved on the organic farm at the UGA Costa Rica campus, learning to evaluate and prepare soils, grow herbs and vegetables, apply integrated pest management and weed controls, and more. Finally, as part of the global climate change course, students will work with Dr. Jim Porter to evaluate the impacts of changing climate conditions on butterflies in San Luis.

Faculty

With the exception of Spanish language courses, which are taught by faculty from the University of Costa Rica, all courses will be taught by University of Georgia faculty.

·       Dr. Jim Porter, Odum School of Ecology

·       Dr. Jackie Mohan, Odum School of Ecology

·       Dr. Scott Connelly, Odum School of Ecology

·       Dr. Peter Hartel, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

·       Dr. Kris Irwin, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

·       Dr. Dean Rojek, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences (Department of Sociology)

The program will also incorporate many guest lectures from Costa Rica experts.

For More Information

For more information on the program, please visit the UGA Costa Rica website, www.ugacostarica.com, or contact the UGA Costa Rica Director, Dr. Quint Newcomer, at quintn@uga.edu.