Bringing Life Back to the Soil
(08/26/21 11:25pm)
By: Ivy Richter
Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies
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By: Ivy Richter
By: Fiona Lawler
I had the amazing opportunity of being a regular volunteer this spring semester at the Talawanda Oxford Pantry and Social Services (TOPSS). I have been witness to many efforts of sustainability that continue to be practiced by the organization as well as those still in the making.
According to the Department of Energy, data centers are responsible for about 1.8 percent of total U.S. electricity use, and from 2000 to 2016, data center electricity use increased 280 percent. Data centers account for more power usage than most people realize, and 5G networks will use significantly more energy than 4G. These increases have negatively impacted the environment and will continue to do so if left unchecked.
As Miami University’s Earth Week comes to an end, the University’s sustainability efforts continue with the focus of the many sustainability-focused organizations, leadership, and collaboration with the City of Oxford. This year, there were several exciting events to celebrate Earth Week, including Cooking Demos by L.E.A.P., Greenhawks Media Trivia, and EcoReps’ French Fries at Miami’s Farm.
When we stop to think about the dilemmas looming over the farming industry, most of us could readily rattle off a list of issues. For example, livestock agriculture is contributing significantly to climate change, water supplies in the growing regions of the southwest United States are increasingly threatened by drought, the dominance of genetically modified seeds may threaten native species- the list goes on. However, a widespread social justice issue within farming has been materializing for over a century that remains widely concealed: the disappearance of the Black farmer.
Over Easter weekend I decided to take a road trip to Fargo, ND with some of my friends. Why go to Fargo? Well besides being known for the movie and tv show that take place in it, Fargo also has over 60 parks and conservation areas! I spent one of my days there photographing in the Orchard Glen Nature Park, within the Forest River Conservation Area.
I want to preface this by saying that I love Miami and I love Oxford, ESPECIALLY in the springtime when I am walking to class in shorts and a sweatshirt with iced coffee in my hand and the sun shining bright on our beautiful campus. However, I also think that staying in Oxford for long periods of time can get mundane and take a toll on our mental health, at least for me. Freshman year, I NEVER went home and I took pride in that, thinking it proved something that I was happy here. However, as I have gotten more self-aware and self-assured during my time at Miami I have learned that giving myself breaks by changing my surroundings every now and then is really beneficial for my mental health; as a matter of fact, I like Miami more when I leave for a couple weekends intermittently throughout the semester. When I take myself away from Miami for a brief moment, it really makes me appreciate what I love about the school and people to begin with. Whether it’s going home and seeing my family or going on a small weekend trip with friends, I have a huge appreciation for these breaks. In fact, the latter of the two is what I did this past weekend and wanted to share with you all. I went to Cincinnati with my boyfriend for a night and it was the perfect getaway for relaxing and resetting before returning to finish the last 4-5 weeks of my Junior year.
If you have been on Netflix recently, you probably have seen the newest release, “Seaspiracy.” This documentary, filmed and produced by Kip Andersen, covers the environmental impact of fishing and how we are slowly killing the oceans. Everyone should watch this film to learn about our oceans, see the scenes of chaos we are inflicting on ocean species and ecosystems, and realize how many things are adding up to the destruction of our oceans. Here are some key takeaways and shocking facts from the film:
Whether you are living in a dorm, apartment, or house, whether you have lots of light or a small amount, there are options for growing your own plants and even herbs or vegetables. I will admit the process is not always easy, especially if you’re like myself and don’t have a natural green thumb, but there are a lot of resources available to get started on your journey to become a successful plant parent.
The yearly highlight of Rebecca Eldemire’s childhood was going to the Columbus Observatory with her mom to see the Monarch butterflies, or as she used to call them, “flutterbies.” Now, a garden on Miami University’s campus is dedicated to the life and aspirations of Becca that brings these migrating butterflies through Oxford every year.
As customers in supermarkets, people have many options when it comes to purchasing raw meat. In recent years, there has been a rise in popularity of all natural, grass-fed, organic meats, as well as meat substitutes. Documentaries and novels about factory farming have brought awareness to the public of what happens to animals behind farm doors. People are now looking for brands that specify and ensure that their products are antibiotic-free, cage-free, and free range.
It was early October, the crisp, cool air of autumn barely present to cool me from the sun rays of late summer still shining through the trees’ leaves. Vast arrangements of dried multi-leaves covered the route I trekked through Western Woods near Miami University’s Belk greenhouse. The purpose of this pathway, or why it's even gated, remains a mystery to many students. Yet, as a new member to Miami's Apiculture Society, I knew exactly what awaited at the end of this trial; it was hive inspection day.
Three Valley Conservation Trust is a non-profit organization in Oxford that protects farmland, waterways, and other natural areas around Oxford and Southwest Ohio. Three Valley does this through easements which are legal agreements between the organization and the land owner which prohibits development on the land. They aim to preserve the natural beauty of Southwest Ohio as well as maintain water quality, healthy agricultural land, and biodiversity. A group of students in Dr. Sarah Dumyahn’s Sustainability in Practice class at Miami is working with Three Valley for their semester-long project.
Recycling is an easy way to reduce individual environmental impact, but it also comes with its limitations. Although dorm and residence recycling programs take a variety of different items, there are some things that are not able to be recycled and need to be taken to specific locations. Some residents in Oxford also contend with the issue of not having an accessible recycling location at their house or apartment and must seek additional locations to drop off their recycling. Although these challenges may require extra time and effort, recycling as much as you can makes a huge positive environmental impact at an individual level.
The Oxford Area Trail System, also known as OATS, is a successful city amenity that has made a positive and powerful impact on the Oxford community in recent years. For those who are not familiar with the trail, it is a paved path for bikes and pedestrians that spans from the Black Covered Bridge to Peffer Park with three additional entrance points along the route. This new system of multi-use paths should not to be confused with the Miami Natural Areas, which includes an additional 17 miles of smaller dirt trails that branch off of the paved OATS trail system. While the Oxford Area Trail System is managed, funded, and maintained by the City of Oxford, respectively, the Miami Natural Areas are owned and operated by Miami University. Although they are separate trail systems, the two entities work together to ensure a positive user experience.
Algal blooms, most often cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, can produce toxins when abundant and have been causing problems for the public for quite some time. When they are in “bloom” they appear to look like a colored film covering the surface of the water, this can be in a wide range of colors, however most often they appear green. They are referred to as “harmful algal blooms” or HABs when they are in abundance due to the effect that they can have on us and the environment. Harmful algal blooms can contaminate the water causing various sicknesses if ingested or skin irritation if it comes in contact with the body, not to mention the negative impacts on the surrounding wildlife.
As busy college students, I’m sure our day to day email inboxes all look pretty similar- a slew of Canvas notifications, club meeting reminders, and campus updates. Naturally, sorting through all this mail to distinguish what’s important and what's not can be time consuming and frustrating. While email is a convenient and quick mode of communication, it has developed into a chore for many of us.
While habits aren’t technically food, good habits do indeed nourish the mind & soul. As a matter of fact, Ibn Khaldun, universally recognized as the founder and father of Sociology and Sciences of History, stated that “Habits are qualities of the soul”. Not only do habits enable you to be on top of your responsibilities and obligations, but they also allow you to get mindful about your activities each day if you are intentional with them. I keep saying “good habits” and “being intentional with habits” because we all have habits regardless; in fact, a paper published by a Duke University researcher in 2006 revealed that over 40 percent of actions that people perform each day are habits, not actual decisions (Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit). Therefore, in order to have habits that improve our self-worth, mental health, emotional intelligence, and everything above, it is essential to develop good habits and eliminate the bad ones. What this entails is being mindful of how each of our habits makes us feel; for example, last semester it was a habit of mine to stay in Farmer for hours on end without interacting with another person or going home. I realized that this was a huge barrier for me to live a happy and healthy life, so this semester I have made a huge effort in coming home throughout the day or doing homework from home in order to ensure intermittent social interactions with my best friends.
As college students, backyards are usually the least of our worries, especially since many of us either live in apartments or dorms. I know that I for one have been careless about leaving empty cups and such out in my backyard every so often. I didn’t think about how hazardous everyday outdoor items can be to wildlife, though, until I saw a local buck with a bright red hammock wrapped around his head pass through my yard. This incident made me start thinking about how I could make my yard more animal friendly, so here are several tips to make your yard an inviting place for local wildlife: