Udall Legacy Bus Tour Blog: alumni

Showing posts with label alumni. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

The Udall Legacy Bus Tour Comes Home

On Aug. 3rd, our bus rolled into Tucson. Home. Not home to any of the riders -- but home to Mo and the Udall Foundation.

Andrew Lee (Scholar '06) leads the welcoming cheer (Photo by Tom Spitz)

And it was definitely a homecoming. We arrived to the loving welcome of the Udall Foundation staff. Not only were we received with open arms -- but also a full on cheer. The cheer on Friday was surpassed only by the cheer the following day from all the 2007 scholars led by Andrew Lee (Scholar 2006) in front of the Foundation's HQ in downtown Tucson.

The end of the tour coincided with the 2007 Udall Scholar Orientation -- the annual gathering of all the recipients of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship. It was an appropriate place to end the tour considering that it was two years ago at this same event that the idea of a big 'ol bus tour was first kicked around.

The energy at Orientation was infectious. It always is. Udallers, as we saw on the tour, and were reminded of again in Tucson -- are incredibly passionate, caring, and engaged. The "small talk" during Orientation is often about organizing a campus, researching a problem, or tackling policy issues head on. I always find it's such a recharge -- which was a great way to end our Tour.

The official finale of the tour included remarks from Carol West (Tucson City Councilor), Ramona Grijalva (who read a message from her husband, Rep. Raul Grijalva), Terry Bracy (Chair of the Foundation), and Anne Udall (Mo's daughter and vice-chair of the Foundation). After Bret, Jen, and I spoke about some of the most memorable moments of the trip we moved into the building where, amidst the mingling, there were photo and video slideshows showing images of the past two months.

Anne Udall speaking at the finale event in Tucson (Photo by Tom Spitz)

The photos and video -- as good as they are -- can't capture the tour fully. This blog can't do it either. Nor do they do a good enough job thanking everyone who made this tour possible: the Udall Foundation Education Team, the many alumni who helped plan stops, and the many friends who opened their doors to a traveling group of public servants. But we hope that all of it - stories, photos, and video -- have been able to convey at least a little bit of those thanks and communicate what the Udall Legacy Bus Tour was.

Thanks for riding with us!

By: Eli Zigas

P.S.
(Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more video posts ...)

Sunday, July 29, 2007

What’s Up Sea-town What’s Up? (artist from Seattle)

Friday, July 20, 2007 (“Seattle or Bust”)

After a meeting on the bus that lasted from Sprague to North Bend, we got out and stopped at the Cedar River Watershed to stretch the legs, smell some fresh just-rained forest air, and learn about the protected source of Seattle’s drinking water. The best parts of the education center, aside from the displays and the LEED building, were definitely the water drum garden and the ripe thimbleberries.

When we arrived in Seattle, we were on our own for dinner. I made sure to grab some pho while I was in town, as well as some bread from Flying Apron, a vegan, wheat-free bakery. Others went to go to the release parties for The Book That Shall Not Be Named (I’m on page 382, by the way – no comments that spoil the ending, please!!).

Saturday, July 21, 2007 (“Bob, Bret S, and Eli’s trio debut”)

We were welcomed officially to the University of Washington early Saturday morning on campus…with style!!

University Housing and Food Services provided us with a breakfast of local and organic fruits, yogurts, juices, pastries, and fair-trade, shade-grown coffee from Tully’s. And you thought Seattle was only Starbucks! Think again. The nectarines and Rainier cherries were in season, they were juicy, and they were delicious. I hear that the leftover fruit not eaten on Monday was given to us as a care package, to boot. (PS…Housing and Food Services also provided breakfast for the riders on Sun and Mon morning, as well as refreshments for our panels on Monday)

UW Provost Phyllis Wise greeted us warmly and enthusiastically, as did other important administration and staff, including:

- Mona Pitre-Collins, UW Scholarship Office
- Anita Bowers, Housing and Food Services
- Barbara Smith, Housing and Food Services
- Clara Simon, UW Capital Projects
- Stevan Harrell, Department of Anthropology
- David Fluharty, School of Marine Affairs
- John Sahr, representative of Asst Dean Taylor's office

Following this warm welcome, we proceeded to a volunteer event with Earthcorps, a Seattle organization that combines local restoration with global leadership. We worked on maintaining a site which had been restored to native vegetation – good for urban wildlife, slope stabilization, the future of trees in Seattle - at Me-Kwa-Mooks Park in West Seattle. We worked alongside Earthcorps members from all over the US (and all over the world), and also over 20 community members, who came to pitch in for 4 hours of ivy-thrashing, bucket-slinging fun. We had a great view of the Puget Sound.

In the afternoon, I brought Bret M. and Savanna to the Burke Museum, where I worked for 5 months. Professor Stevan Harrell, my old advisor for my studies in China who was also a curator of the museum, met us there and gave us an introduction to the In the Spirit of the Ancestors exhibit, which features Northwest Coast Contemporary Native Art. We also found their special exhibit Yellowstone to Yukon, with wildlife photos from the Rockies, captivating as well.

In the evening, we all went down to Agua Verde, a UW-area staple, for an alumni meetup, but not before we had some afternoon entertainment!
**….maybe that should remain on our private blog. Sapna got a good bachelorette send off, so apologies to the future side job aspirations of Bob, Bret S, and Eli, but I think what happens in McMahon Hall stays in McMahon Hall.**

At Agua Verde, we heard about the sustainability pursuits of the restaurant from Owner Bill, got to sit on the deck, and met up with Jocelyn Lin (’01 Scholar), and Courtney Carothers, (Udall Fellow ’07).

For some awesome news coverage of our events in Seattle, orchestrated largely by my friend Meghan Peters, see below:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/325057_udallbus26.html
and
http://thedaily.washington.edu/article/2007/7/25/udallBusTourPromotesGreenLiving

By: Kayanna Warren

Friday, July 20, 2007

A Maine Education

(Editor's Note: Please join us as we reminisce about Maine)

It's been difficult keeping up with video editing while simultaneously filming our action-packed itinerary, but the longer drives out West are going to give me more time to work (although editing on a moving bus is a separate issue!).
It seems like ages ago that we visited Bar Harbor, Maine, but I just couldn't help putting together some footage gathered while many of the bus crew ate their first fresh lobsters ever, thanks to Ken Kline and the wonderful Sous-Chefs at College of the Atlantic (even though it's a little late!).
With the supervision of Professor Jasmine Smith, our riders learn the not-so-delicate art of eating lobster.

Click To Play

By: Jen Baldwin

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Hooves, Wheels and Rails - Sustainable Transit Art Show a Mile High

Returning to my home was humbling and inspirational. I seem to forget how beautiful Colorado and its people are until I fly away and back again. But let me tell you, being a mile high is hard to top.

After a Thursday spent with old friends and my dear family, I joined the Legacy Crew for a loaded Friday.

Boulder Deputy Mayor Suzy Ageton speaks to the crew at CU

We began early in the morning, taking in spray from the Dalton Trumbo Fountain north of the University of Colorado's (CU) Memorial Center. While water misted our necks, the elegant Suzy Ageton, Deputy Mayor of Boulder, approached. She met us with a smile and immediately began speaking of all that Boulder is doing to be green. The efforts are amazing, really. I can't say enough. For example, Boulder adopted the goals of the Kyoto Protocol in 2002 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 7% below 1990 levels by 2012, has initiated a Green Points Building program, and has begun planning for a new Transit Village Area that will connect RTD's FasTracks Plan to the city of Boulder. Of course, there are always compromises that must be made (i.e. the University of Colorado recently began using coal as its primary energy source) and battles that must be won (i.e. Boulder's ongoing housing crisis). Greening Boulder, as with all things, takes time. You can check out many of Boulder's initiatives here.

A few minutes later, we were in the offices of CU's Environmental Center, the largest student run environmental center in the United States. Marianne Martin, the Center's Associate Director, spoke with us about what they have done, are doing, and plan to do: very much. She then took us on a campus tour, pointing out new LEED certified buildings (such as CU's ATLAS Building and Wolf Law Building), a prevalence of on-campus recycling bins, CU's Bicycle Program, and CU's Recycling Center. The Environmental Center is large and in charge, helping CU to be one of the most environmentally conscious and active universities in the country. You can read more about CU's Environmental Center here.

CU Bike Station

After Boulder and a subsequent informative visit to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, we made our way to Union Station, located on Wynkoop Street in the heart of lower downtown Denver. Within two hours, we had transformed the station into an art gallery. At 3:00 p.m., it was time for "Hooves, Wheels, & Rails: Sustainable Transit in Colorado." An Artistic Exhibition! Originally, I had envisioned the exhibition as a way to bring communities together, celebrate and promote sustainability and livability in Colorado, and provoke thought about the importance of transportation options. More specifically, I wanted to call attention to RTD's incredible FasTracks Plan, the revitalization of Union Station, and the galliant efforts of local organizations such as Transit Alliance and ColoRail. We accomplished just that. Numerous local artists displayed their artwork in the main hall of Union Station. We saw a diverse palette, anywhere from a photo print or painting to a hand-made bicycle. To one side was projected a Google Earth animation of Denver's new development and RTD's FasTracks Plan. Toward the end of the event, Kathleen Osher, Executive Director of Transit Alliance, and Jon Esty, President of ColoRail, spoke briefly about their organizations. Together, the pieces and community gathering embodied Colorado's young enthusiasm for sustainable transit.

During the exhibition, we also held a silent auction, inviting the public to browse and bid at will. Proceeds benefitted the Transit Alliance, a local non-profit organization who "gathers a diverse group of businesses, governments, civic and environmental organizations to preserve the economic vitality, quality of life and environment of the Denver Metropolitan region by promoting public transit as part of a balanced, multi-modal transportation network". At the end of the day, we raised $485 for Transit Alliance, money that will be used specifically for their Citizens' Academy, an educational session about Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in the Denver Metro area to be held this fall 2007.

Last but not least, we were astounded to see an unexpected, but much-hoped-for guest. Our very own Melissa Millage, Program Manager for the Udall Foundation, flew into Denver that morning, surprising us in Union Station as we were setting up for the exhibition. Her presence topped off the day, and we looked forward to the upcoming weekend with our new stow-away.

What a day! Our Rocky Mountain high lasted into the evening as we gathered with local alums Genevieve Maricle (Scholar '01) and Darren Legge (Scholar '06) and artists from the exhibition across the street at the Wynkoop Brewing Company, Denver's first brewpub. Cheers to Colorado!

By: Crystal Olin

Sunday, July 15, 2007

A Kansas Limerick

There once was a Kansan who frowned
He frowned because his oil was browned.
It was leftover grease
The supply never ceased
And into the drain it got downed

Then someone at KU got smart:
“With dependences on oil we’ll part!
we don’t need no soy oil
just bring brown grease to boil
And biodiesel vats we’ll start!”

And so today we got the spiel
About their new biodiesel
Clear as water
But burns way hotter
You can’t deny it’s golden appeal.

(The KU Biodiesel Initiative gave us a talk about their biodiesel production. Associate Professor Susan Stagg-Williams and Ilya Tabakh presented to us. For more information, check out the KU media write-up.

STUDENT CO-OP TEASER TRAILER:

And then we went to visit Ad ASTRA, one of 3 coops administered by KU Student Coops. This tour was led by Dustin Jensen (Scholar ’06 & ’07), and Laura Adams (Scholar ’05) - pictured on the right.

It was a glimpse into communal living in an environment where 10 different people with different skills to contribute – from finding ways to improve building insulation to constructing recycled metal sculptures – to create a sustainable living space. For more resources, you’ll have to sit tight till August (when I’ll post my final project).

By: Kayanna Warren

Udallers Enjoy a Local Burger in Kansas

Fast food made with local ingredients. Not exactly what I was expecting in Kansas. But – hey – Lawrence surprised me for a lot of reasons.

Not least of which was the Udall love shown by all the alums who came out. Laura Adams (Scholar ’05), Trisha Shrum (Scholar ’04 & ’05), Ben Champion (Scholar ’00), Matt King (Scholar ’06), Dustin Jensen (Scholar ’06 & ’07), and fac rep. extraordinaire Sue Lorenz all made it out to the oh-so-cool restaurant Local Burger.

After eating our delicious meal, Hilary Brown, the owner of Local Burger, joined us and shared the history and motivation behind her restaurant. Amazed at the power of good food to improve her health (not to mention the better flavors), Hilary set out to create a restaurant that would offer no-frills local food at affordable prices (similar to the Farmer’s Diner out in Vermont). Her restaurant continues to turn a profit and has a very strong following (including the folks at Sustainable Table who recommended the joint.) She even helped produce a Morgan Spurlock-esque documentary called “Localize Me.”

With full bellies and an inspired mind – all I could think as I made it to the KU dorms was “Why didn’t I make it to Lawrence earlier?!”

By: Eli Zigas

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Alumni Meet-Up Chicago

Ariel Diamond (Scholar '04) opened her home to the crew and fellow alums Shoshannah Lenski (Scholar '05) and David Corson -Knowles (Scholar '02). It was nice to have a home cooked meal!

Good food, good times!

Monday, July 2, 2007

Chi-town Goes Green

After our day flexing muscle with Working Bikes, we set out Friday morning to learn about sustainability in Chicago from the perspective of the city government. Several years ago Mayor Daley declared that he wanted to make Chicago the “greenest” city in the nation, and over the course of the day we found out how the government is working to make that statement a reality.

We started with a meeting at the Chicago Department of the Environment, an office which is responsible for “protecting human health and the environment, improving the urban quality of life, and promoting economic development in Chicago.” Antonia Ornelas from the Energy and Air Quality division hosted us for the meeting and began by giving an overview of the city’s current environmental projects, many of which are based on Chicago’s Environmental Action Agenda

Some of the initiatives we heard about included a recently passed ordinance requiring every new public building to be LEED certified, as well as the city’s permitting system that gives priority to green buildings in the approval process. We also found out that Chicago is one of the most bike-friendly large cities in the nation, with over 100 miles of bike lanes so far, and a plan to have a 500 mile bike lane network completed by 2015.

Next we heard from Dave Graham about how the city manages brownfields, which he defined as sites with environmental health issues that affect the development of a property. Since Chicago is a city still transitioning from a heavily industrial past, many places require remediation to remove toxins from the land before they are safe for humans. Another initiative we learned about is the department’s work to encourage the installation of green, or living, roofs in the city through a grant program. Green roofs help mitigate the urban heat island effect, which is when the temperature in cities becomes much hotter than they naturally would be due to concrete, asphalt, and other traditional building materials absorbing and re-radiating the sun’s energy. Kevin Laberge gave us a guided viewing of the green roof installed on City Hall, which is just across the street from the Department of the Environment.

Our meeting rounded out with presentations by Marissa Strassel and Margaret Rice. Marissa told us about the Chicago Conservation Corps, a project to train and empower city residents to tackle environmental issues in their neighborhoods. Margaret then led a discussion on environmental justice in Chicago, and we learned about environmental health disparities between different communities in Chicago.

Our discussion at the Department of the Environment really demonstrated the potential that local governments have to set up systems that favor sustainable development. By building viable bike lanes, for example, the city encourages people to use a carbon-free source of transportation. And by offering expedited permit approval for green development projects, Chicago provides a strong incentive for developers to consider sustainable building materials and design. Far from traditional command and control environmental regulation, the Department of the Environment’s initiatives instead create conditions that make going green a logical and relatively easy decision. It’s a powerful geographic lesson to be sure: we shape our landscapes, but in turn they shape us. While there is still much work to be done in Chicago, the city has already come a long way.

Antonia Ornelas gives the crew a presentation at the Chicago Department of the Environment

I was both excited and encouraged to hear about what was going on in the city, and that feeling only increased at our next stop for the day, The Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT). Built on an old brownfield site on the west side of the city, the center is a demonstration of the possibility of green building technology. Meghann Maves gave us a tour of the site, telling us that

CCGT’s dual mission is to research sustainable building design, but also to educate the public on what they are learning. The center itself is a LEED Platinum building (the highest level of certification possible), and it is bursting with examples of green building technologies: wind turbines, solar panels, permeable parking lots, storm water collection, green roofs, native plantings, etc. The building also hosts a great line-up of programming related to sustainability – seminars, speakers, workshops – that are open to the public. And perhaps the best part is that it houses a growing public Green Building Resource Center, with ample materials and knowledgeable staff available to help answer questions for prospective homeowners and business owners.

If I lived in Chicago and were taking on a building project, this would be my first stop.

Our final stop on our tour of Chicago’s “green government” was just down the road from CCGT, The Garfield Park Conservatory. The conservatory, one of the largest in the nation, is an internationally recognized horticulture facility and an important part of the City of Chicago Park District and its surrounding Westside community. Thousands of plants are grown here each year for City parks and spaces. The rich and tangy smell of the conservatory alone makes it worth visiting, ant the variety of flora and fauna from around the world was really great to see in the middle of the country’s third largest city.

After a day of much walking, we were excited to rest our feet and spend the evening with Julia Ferguson (Udall ’05) and her dad, Doug Ferguson. Along with good conversation, they grilled us an excellent dinner, complete with Midwestern brats! It was a great way to end our tour of the city, though I know that with so much exciting environmental work going on in Chicago, I’ll be back.

*A special thanks to Samantha Bingham, Clean Cities Coordinator, for helping us set up our visits at the Department of the Environment and the Chicago Center for Green Technology!

By: Julie Curti

Friday, June 29, 2007

Gneiss, Gneiss, Baby - a.k.a Purdue Rocks!

Hi from Indiana! On Wednesday morning, Cristina Carbajo (Scholar ’05) led us on a really gneiss tour of Purdue’s campus erratics. (sorry, I know, I know, the geology puns). They’ve put together a Geology Walking Tour to get folks interested in geology and the natural world. I learned that there are large, well-valued limestone deposits in Indiana that are used extensively in East Coast architecture. I related everything I remembered about crystals to Crystal. (man, I’m on a roll – but it’s true!) We also went on a walking tour of trees and saw what I think was a locust tree, with ginormous curly bean/seed pods. Jen pointed out that they were curly like Savanna’s hair (but not nearly as awesome, I might add).

Off to Chicago!

By: Kayanna Warren

Ciao For Now . . .

After another great, long day we headed up to Whipple Dam State Park to hike, swim, and BBQ with Matt McMahon’s family. We were welcomed with open arms by Marge and Sam, Matt’s parents, along with his sister Cathy and her cute, water-loving puppy. Cathy is actually a caterer, and with Marge and Sam well-practiced in camping with large groups, we were greeted by quite the spread. I personally loved the olive tapenade and marinated grilled mushrooms. We definitely appreciated (ate) all of it after an afternoon of planting, repotting, weeding, and digging fence-post holes. Not to mention a great swim and a few hilarious games of sharks and minnows (that’s right). This was the last of many great days and nights which Matt, the “East Coast guru”, had put together for the tour. He left the park with his family, en route to the airport and New York City, where he lives and works as a restoration ecologist with Great Eastern Ecology. We all appreciated his hard work, great sense of humor, and especially his dance moves throughout the tour. He’s a big sweetheart, not to embarrass him or anything. We’ll all miss him, but the BBQ, thanks to both Matt and his family, was a great way to send him off.

By: Jenny Vazquez

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Ithaca Hospitality – I’m Homesick for Cornell Already, New York!

For Beth Fiori, Scott Perez, and Ding Kong.

After days of travel, Cornell welcomed the Udall Legacy Tour with high energy and friendly smiles. Traveling to different stops almost everyday is an amazing opportunity and adventure. It is motivating to be a part of the Morris K. Udall Legacy. It is also inspiring to travel around the country, highlighting and working towards solutions to pressing environmental and Native American issues. I have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful new people, I have observed fascinating new places, and I have already gained a great deal both personally and intellectually….. to think we have only been on tour for less than two weeks! I can only imagine how special the upcoming weeks will be.

While traveling on the Udall tour is exciting, adventurous, and encouraging….. it is also very busy, and sometimes exhausting.

I was incredibly thankful when we visited Ithaca – their generous hospitality left us feeling rejuvenated for another 5+ weeks of travel. In honor of those who made our stay at Ithaca and Cornell so wonderful, I have put together the following:

The top ten things about Ithaca Hospitality during the Udall tour visit:

1. Our Udall family/hosts that share the vision of the Udall Legacy – Beth Fiori (Cornell Fellowship Coordinator & Udall Faculty Representative), Scott Perez (Cornell Graduate Student & ’99 Scholar), and Ding Kong (Cornell Undergraduate Student & ’07 Scholar) we love you!

2. Meeting Carolyn Peterson, the Mayor of Ithaca, and her grandson Sebastian.

3. Banquet Dinner with Cornell Community members - Faculty, Staff, and Students (Thank you Cornell for hosting this wonderful evening!).

4. Orientation material with organic dark chocolate included and a Moosewood dinner for the Udall Riders upon arrival to Cornell (Thank you again Cornell! Excellent organization, food, and company!).

5. Max at the Farmers Market – One of the cutest children we’ve met on the tour who visited the Udall Motor Coach with his father at the Farmers Market. Max would say “Biodiesel” and “Welcome to Ithaca” in an oh-so-cute voice.

The crew doing outreach at the Ithaca Farmer's Market

6. Ithaca Farmers Market – Great community, zero waste (everything at the market was either recyclable or compostable), plus lots of great food: Samosas, Lemonade, Strawberries, and much much more. Yum.

7. Single Rooms at Cornell with Recycling Bins (We all are great friends, but with living and working together 24/7, everyone enjoyed a little privacy)!

8. & Single Bathrooms.

9. Fresh fruit and Breakfast (in the same building as our housing!).

10. Free Laundry and Detergent – the machines were even more sustainable front loading washers.

~~~~

By: Jessica Fagan

Cornell University … what!

Ithaca, NY welcomed us with open arms. As we rolled into Cornell, we found Scott Perez, Udall Scholar 2001, waiting there for us. We stayed on the Cornell campus in the Ecohouse and had almost all of our meals catered there thanks for to Beth Fiori, fellowship coordinator. Ding Kong, a 2007 Scholar, tagged along to most of the events. Cornell was our first stop with a tribal emphasis.

On Friday night Beth and Scott took all the riders and Joel to Moosewood Restaurant. Saturday morning we went to the Ithaca Farmers Market and had front row parking. We ran a public outreach project which went very well. Jenny V. bought a plant for the bus. We came back to the Ecohouse and Scott gave a talk on some tribal issues in the Ithaca/New York area. We then took a walk to the Herbert R. Johnson Museum of Art to check out the “Walk in Beauty: Discovering American Indian Art” show. Native people from all across the country had art on display at the museum, which offered a great variety for the public to see. After spending about a half hour there we broke up into different groups to hang out and go on our own. Some went to an organic farm, others went for a walk around campus, and some went to Akwe:kon, the Native American house on campus.

We had a nice dinner on Saturday night with many guests including Jane Mt. Pleasant, Director of the Cornell University American Indian Program.

Cornell was fun and after Ithaca, we headed to Penn State.

By: Martina Gast

From City to Countryside – Borderview and Allenholm Farms, Vermont

After a successful press conference, which unveiled our coach's Green Certification through the University of Vermont (UVM), tour riders and community guests traveled around the Vermont countryside to visit two local farms. Director and Natural Resources Specialist, Dr. Lisa Chase and Senior Program Manager, Dr. Dave Kestenbaum, both from the Vermont Tourism Data Center, developed the UVM Green Coach Certification program.

Lisa is also a ’99 Udall Fellow. After the exciting morning press event, she helped the Udall tour plan our afternoon which highlighted two local area farms in Vermont: Borderview Farm in Alburgh and Allenholm Farm in South Hero.

Our first stop was Borderview Farm in Alburgh, Vermont. To get to Alburgh from UVM, you must cross a bridge over the famous Lake Champlain. I had never been to Vermont nor seen Lake Champlain before our visit. It was a spectacular site. The water and mountains were breathtaking. Alburgh is a small town, called an Island by locals, but is rather a peninsula attached to Canada. Borderview farm is located right next to the Canada and USA border… which is probably why the farm received the name Borderview. Fellow rider Crystal Olin, one of our community guests, and I lightheartedly walked the few feet across the Canadian border. After leaving the country (jokingly), we quickly returned to the United States to rejoin the group. Dr. Doug Lantagne, Dean of the UVM Extension, introduced the Udall tour to the owner of Borderview Farm.

Borderview Farm is owned by Clare and Rodger Rainville. Borderview was previously a dairy farm. The Rainvilles, over the past three years, have converted the farm into a laboratory in partnership with the UVM Extension. They currently grow Canola in an effort to better understand and make local biodiesel. The farm also supports ongoing research projects to identify optimal growing conditions for plants (e.g. wheat, spelt, and soy beans). Dr. Heather Darby, UVM Extension Assistant Professor, works directly with the Rainville family. Heather gave us a tour of the farm. She was very engaging – lots of energy and high spirits.

The stop emphasized the need to have a self-sufficient local economy. The tour riders were also reconnected to the land. It is too easy for society to go to the grocery store and buy food products without even knowing how the plants that produce their oats, wheat, and different grains and beans actually look like. The farm was well marked with different signs and jars full of the various different harvested products. The farm was practical, experimental, and educational. I walked away from Borderview with increased knowledge of more sustainable farming practices.

After saying good to Rodger and Heather, we loaded back onto the biodiesel motor coach. I must note that besides traveling on our biodiesel motor coach, we have traveled using many forms of public transportation. Throughout our various adventures in the big east coast cities, we have journeyed on the DC “Metro”, the Philadelphia and NYC “Subway”, and the Boston “T”. However, after driving to South Hero, we went from the fast paced hustle and bustle of city transportation to a rural Vermont wagon and donkey!

When we drove up to Allenholm farm, located in South Hero, Vermont, owner Ray Allen welcomed us and directed the group off of the motor coach and onto his tractor pulled wagon. He drove us from his small family farm store and petting zoo up to his home and apple orchard.

Ray welcomed us into his home, which also serves as a bed and breakfast. Ray and his wife Pam both own and operate Allenholm farm along with their children and grandchildren. Their family has owned Allenholm since 1870 and their grandchildren are the 6th generation to live on the farm. The Allen family made an excellent lunch for our visit. We ate lunch outside in their beautiful yard – full of gorgeous flowers. Fresh applesauce and strawberry lemonade were some of my favorite menu items. Their beautiful apple orchard and Lake Placid were in view off in the distance. Perhaps my favorite part of their house was seeing a cute dusty orange cat curled up on its back in one of the bedrooms.

After our homemade lunch, Ray and Pam took us back onto the wagon to revisit their farm store and petting zoo. Ray and Pam talked with us about their business which includes a Bed and Breakfast, Farm Store, Petting Zoo, and Orchard. They also host different events on their orchard and will sell other items, such as homemade apple pies, to local area businesses and restaurants. They utilize several forms of agrotourism. Agrotourism helps them develop a sense of community at Allenholm and stabilizes their farming business.

The Udall riders really enjoyed visiting the Petting Zoo. A couple of the Allen’s bunnies had just birthed two litters of baby bunnies. Ray showed us the less-than-24-hour baby bunnies. They were hairless, but very cute, and already wiggled their little noses. The animal who received the most attention was their donkey Willy. Pam explained how spoiled Willy is on the farm. Ray will give Willy kisses by putting a peppermint candy between his lips … letting Willy “kiss” it from his mouth. Everyone was laughing at this silly site! He asked if anyone else wanted to try. Sure enough, Bret Strogen, Matt McMahon, and Julie Curti were up to the challenge. One by one they gave Willy a big kiss.

Doug explained that out of his many visits to Allenholm, he had never seen a visitor kiss Willy. I think everyone was surprised. Especially when the donkey, while kissing Julie, gave her such a big smoocher that Willy knocked her glasses off! Ray even let Martina Gast, who is afraid of horses, take a ride on Willy’s back. What a spoiled donkey! While I did not give Willy a kiss, the rest of us were very much a part of the laughter and excitement.

After visiting the animals, we went into the Allen’s farm store and ate dessert. They made us fresh apple pie with soft serve ice cream. It was amazing! Of course I couldn’t leave Vermont without trying some Vermont cheese and purchasing some Vermont maple syrup from the Allenholm Farm store. When we left Allenholm, it was like saying goodbye to our own family. Allenholm Farm was very welcoming. Having grown up in Virginia, I felt like I was in the south even though I was actually in the northeast…. Lots of kindness and home cooked food.

By the end of the day, my mouth was literally hurting from smiling so much. Borderview and Allenholm Farms both give me hope that society can work towards both peace and sustainability. I would like to thank both farms for giving us their time, passion, and for sharing their knowledge and businesses with us. I also give a big thank you to Rachel Cadieux who works for the Farm Service Agency with the US Dept. of Agriculture. I had the pleasure to learn so much about Vermont farms and culture while sitting next to her on our motor coach throughout our adventure. I can’t believe we'll be back in New York tomorrow. However, I’m already planning a return trip back to beautiful Vermont!.

By Jessica Fagan

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Acadian Days and Rhythms

On Tuesday, the Riders of the Storm were ready to call the tour quits and settle down on the sunny coast of Maine. If there was one thing we all agreed on as our stay at College of the Atlantic came to a close, it was that we loved Bar Harbor. Though we were sorry to leave, Acadia National Park was the perfect spot for our last hours in the “the way life should be” state. Jessica, Bret M., Bob, Martina, and I met in the park that morning with kids from the Penobscot Nation Boys & Girls Club for the second mini Parks in Focus program of the tour. We were provided with essential assistance and local knowledge by College of the Atlantic students John Deans (Udall Scholar ’06) and Jasmine.

We were enormously grateful for their helping hands not only because they allowed us to include a couple more young activists in one of the most fantastic parts of the Legacy Tour, but also because, of the five riders helping in Acadia, only Bob had ever before visited the park. Jasmine and John agreed to help us out at the very last minute, and we could not have run the program without them. Both provided us with transportation and the ecological knowledge necessary for the environmental education component of Parks in Focus. For the digital photography side of the program, our trusty Bob took the lead – Bob also knows more than a little bit about the geology of Acadia. For Jessica, Martina, Bret, and me, the day was, well, a walk in the park.

We met the Boys & Girls Club group at Otter Point in the southeast section of the island where Jasmine took us down to the water’s edge and opened our eyes to the botanical and animal wonders of the tide pools. For the second half of the program we took the group inland to the Gorham Mountain Trail where Bob taught us all about the geologic history of the park. On the trail, the kids learned a few more techniques for taking photos. Though the program ran for a solid four hours, the time came quickly to a close and we said goodbye to the kids, rewarding their efforts and attentiveness with a plethora of Udall goodies and some Clif bars. We soon found ourselves lying on Sand Beach alongside the other riders who had spent the early afternoon clearing drainage on the park’s carriage roads with help from Acadia’s Volunteer Coordinator Jonathan Gormley and other park volunteers. The riders who volunteered were also lucky enough to meet with the Deputy Superintendent of Acadia National Park.

With our projects done for the day, most of us took the time to relax and get a bit sunburned on Sand Beach while a handful of the riders climbed a steep mountain known as the Beehive for a fabulous view of the island and surrounding ocean.

We left the park that evening and drove late into the night to arrive in Portland for a mere nine-hour hotel stay. As I drifted quickly to sleep that night, I thought back on our wonderful and far too brief stop in Maine. Did you know that COA has a masters program? For those of us on the bus who see this tour as a great way to explore potential future places of residence, Bar Harbor has made the first cut.

By: Savanna Ferguson

Thank You Maine!

Stepping off the bus in Bar Harbor, Maine, we all found a haven and a welcome change from the frenetic pace of DC, Philly, NYC, and Boston all in the previous 5 days.

Why would anyone come to College of the Atlantic and Bar Harbor, Maine?

Take a good look around, and you’ll know why – proximity to Acadia National Park and its trails and beaches. (Of course, some 300 come for the school program – all students major in Human Ecology, but with different emphases. Talk about a school focused on the environment!)

We were treated to sea kayaking our first morning there. It was my first time in a kayak and my first time touching the Atlantic Ocean, as far as I can remember. Jenny and I paddled our boat alongside a number of our busmates, and College of the Atlantic (CoA) Udall fac rep Ken Cline, Udall alumni John Deans (’06) and Henry Steinberg (’04, ’05) led us around two of the closest islands. We saw clouds of jellyfish, caught up with alumni we knew from Orientations past, played a bit of bumper kayak, and fought the assailing winds, high tide, and growing swells back to shore.

In the afternoon, some folks went on a hike up Beehive, and others took the time to relax (O so welcome!) and catch up, taking in what Maine has to offer.

In the evening, some of us got the opportunity to cook, using as many ingredients we could find that were local and organic. A highlight, other than the respite for our wallets, was LOBSTER!

Maine lobster, folks. It’s listed on the ‘good alternatives’ of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch list. We got a spirited lesson on how to eat lobster by New England local Jasmine, who also helped with the Parks in Focus event the next day. It was a grand ol’ exoskeleton cracking, lobster juice spurting, and leg gnawing time. Those were some delicious lobsters! My favorite piece was the claw.

I took the time to talk to John Deans about sustainability at CoA, which I will include in the How to Green Your Campus resource guide available through the Udall’s website after the tour. It was definitely interesting to hear the perspective from a small school about the process of identifying places for improvement, spreading awareness, and making those changes – apparently, big schools are not the only ones facing those challenges.

All us riders say Thank You Maine!

By: Kayanna Warren

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

In Search of the Green City - Part II

After the Big Apple came Beantown. We arrived mid-day, stopping first at the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Boston Nature Center, a refreshing spot of green before continuing on to the city's downtown. This stop set a tone for the day that reverberated through my head as we continued to explore. Perhaps Boston’s nickname was a forewarning for the seed of thought that has been planted in my mind and will undoubtedly continue to sprout through our time on the road.

As we consider what it means to be human – to develop, to live, to grow, to build, to sustain – it helps to find reflections of our patterns in nature. Issues of sustainability – environmental, economic, and social – are present at every scale and in a variety of contexts. Consider, for example, a natural ecosystem such as that defined within The Boston Nature Center. The plants, animals, micro-organisms, air, and water co-exist to form an inter-dependent and ever-fluctuating community of life.

This poses the question: What is a sustainable ecosystem?

Furthermore, what defines a native species? An invasive species? What are the right diversity, mixing, and organization of plant and animal life? When do we, as grid-laying, culture-categorizing humans, give in and let the natural order take over? How much human intervention is appropriate?

These are questions that can be applied, as well, to cities and governments around the world.

What is a sustainable urban ecosystem?

Who has a right to live there? Who has a right to move there? How important is diversity and fluctuation? What is the right organization or layout of a city? When is it right to preserve history, and when do we give in to natural organic growth and adaptive uses?

To break down these enormous questions, we can look first at the smaller components. In the case of cities, we examine individual buildings, public spaces, and uses. How is each component its own ecosystem and how can it become both independently sustainable and also contribute to the larger sustainability of a city? In Boston, we had a few opportunities to explore this idea.

First, we toured The George Robert White Environmental Conservation Center (GRWECC), located at the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Boston Nature Center in Mattapan. As the first municipal green building in Boston, it is a simple and elegant model of sustainable design. The GRWECC has been designed, built, and maintained so as to protect and conserve the natural environment. Additionally, it provides a comfortable, healthy working and learning environment for employees and visitors. To minimize its environmental impacts and maximize energy and water efficiency, the GRWECC has gone to a variety of measures. The building utilizes renewable energy technologies (i.e. geothermal heat pumps, photovoltaic shingles, solar hot water system), efficient insulation, high-performance glass, environmentally-sound materials (i.e. wood from certified sustainably-harvested forests, recycled products, local resources), strategic orientation for maximization of natural lighting, an erosion and sedimentation plan, xeriscaping, and passive-solar design. As an individual building, therefore, it is very near being a sustainable ecosystem. What makes the GRWECC absolutely incredible in the eyes of sustainability and livability, however, is its role in the larger community of Boston. Located on 67 acres of what used to be the Boston State Hospital, the GRWECC and Boston Nature Center (BNC) restore a formerly-neglected property to its natural state, then take it to a new level of sustainability in modern culture. The site is home to a wildlife sanctuary with 2.5 miles of wheelchair-accessible trails and boardwalks, as well as the Clark Cooper Community Gardens, one of Boston's oldest and largest community gardens. The GRWECC and BNC (situated within one of Boston’s highest density residential neighborhoods) are easily accessible to the local community, located only one half mile from two bus routes and two miles from a commuter rail and subway station. Bicycle racks and public showers make the building and site accessible also to bicyclists.

Our second stop was the NEXUS Green Building Resource Center, located in downtown Boston. The Center is equipped with 6,000 square feet of educational showrooms, networking space, and a resource library on green building and sustainable design. Noah Chesnin, a 2002 & 2003 Udall Scholar, gave us a tour of the space and explained many of the Center’s goals and initiatives. Similar to the GRWECC, NEXUS is a component of the Bostonian urban ecosystem which models and supports sustainability on multiple levels. It re-uses an older space in an older downtown building, utilizing green technologies and materials. Easily accessible via public transit and networking with other sustainability groups, NEXUS’s role in the larger community is critical. It educates, inspires, and provides resources for building owners, architects, engineers, designers, developers and the general public about green building and sustainable design.

Our third stop of the day was Boston’s Haymarket near Faneuil Hall. We were eager to get out in the city and explore what we first envisioned as a friendly local farmer’s market, but we came away from the experience with mixed feelings. All of the produce we encountered was imported from foreign sources and the vendors were aggressive. The produce,