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I Have Been Enlightened...now what

Last blog entry I read the Furman Sustainable Master Plan. I really do not have much that I want to add to the plan. The goals are very clear, the plan is laid out, and the university is now responsible for carrying it out. 

I believe that there is something so vital and necessary to the study and practice of sustainability that cannot be taught or enforced- passion. I was so lucky to have two amazing professors in the Earth and Environmental Department this past semester that not only taught me the foundations of EES, but also that this kind of lifestyle can not be carried out without passion. I think that passion is what guides and inspires the human race to flourish. Passion is necessary for sustainability because this lifestyle is not easy. I see more and more that it is the farthest thing from easy. I think that sustainable methods, for example the ones on Furman's campus, are easy to talk about. However, it is the enforcement, the pure mentality of it, that seems almost impossible to convince people of.

I am at an utter loss as to why humans do not care more about preserving this world in which we live. I can not figure out why such a disconnect between nature and person has occurred. I do know that passion for this subject is required to inspire others. I think that one must have passion for the environment, in order for this reconnect to spread within society. The Master Plan is wonderful, but at the end of the day, it is still words. The Sustainability Planning Council is an example of a group of people who are truly passionate in changing the lifestyle of this campus to one that benefits both nature and society. However, I think the mass public must be inspired as well. A fire must be lit within the hearts of every person who calls themselves a citizen of this world, because without a love and enactment of sustainability, we might now have this world for long. 

The most important things I have learned all year can be summarized in a video my To Walk The Land professor Dr. Ranson showed us today on the last day of class. It is truly amazing and I highly suggest everyone to watch it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXDMoiEkyuQ

Furman University Master Sustainability Plan

A very unique aspect of Furman that originally drew me to the college was not only the major of Sustainability, but also the sustainable practices carried out by the institution. Every day I feel pleasantly shocked by the initiatives of the university. My learning about sustainability is filled with wonder as I am actually able to see the tangible effects of the lifestyle. I know that Furman can do more when it comes to sustainable initiatives, but I am in awe at how far they have come. With this being said, I was very interested in reading the “Furman Sustainability Master Plan”. This document, which was contributed to by some of my awesome professors, lays out Furman’s plan and goals in sustainability. Ok the document is about 40 pages long so I did not read the entire thing, but what I did read was so enlightening and informative that I thought I would share:

Basically Furman has just really began its sustainability initiatives in the past decade. Here is a brief timeline of events: in 2001 the board of trustees voted to promote sustainability, in 2002 all the new buildings and renovations had to meet LEED silver, in 2003 Hipp Hall became the first LEED building in South Carolina, in 2004 sustainability became the main strategic goal as the new university plan puts it at top priority, in 2005 the SPG (Sustainability Planning Group) was created, 2007 the first greenhouse gas inventory was created and President Shi signed the ACUPCC commitment, in 2008 the Center for Sustainability was established, in 2009 Climate Action Plan strategies were developed and the Sustainability Master Plan was completed, and from 2007 to the future this plan will be enacted. In 2026, the university hopes to be completely carbon neutral.

Some brief highlights from the master plan that might aid in understanding the lingo from above:
The first wave implemented was centered around how to be more energy efficient. To combat this, Furman started creating LEED buildings. LEED certificated (The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Buildings Ratings System) greatly saved on energy. However, energy was not everything as the university wants to focus on creating environmental citizens. I am going to steal a paragraph from the Master Plan as they desctibed this process much better than I could-
“To help ensure that such fundamental conversations are nurtured
and renewed, we have focused considerable attention on
integrating sustainability-related topics and issues into the
academic program. In fall 2008, for example, the Furman faculty
implemented a new curriculum that requires all students take at
least one course dealing with “Humans and the Natural
Environment.” At the same time, the university launched an
array of related curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular
initiatives to connect the university’s academic emphasis on
sustainability with student life and community outreach activities.”

The Sustainability Planning Group in using the Climate Action Plan, have a unique goal of making the university carbon neutral by 2026, its bicentennial year. The Group has now added over one hundred new members and has changed its name to the Sustainability Planning Council. The Council is run by some amazing people I have been fortunate enough to meet. It is
co-chaired by Tom Kazee, Provost, Angela Halfacre, Director of
the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability, and Bill Ranson,
Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
I believe that the Sustaibility Master Plan is an amazing document that should be read by all, no matter their area of interest. The document concludes by stating:
“Sustainability has become a core principle and a transformational
force at Furman. Our efforts in this arena have won national
awards and stimulated the growing interest of students, faculty,
staff, alumni, and community members. Student organizations
have initiated a dizzying array of campus projects. A cadre of
student leaders committed to sustainability has emerged to lead
our efforts on campus and—after they leave Furman—in their
communities. The fabric of campus life has been altered.
Nurturing sustainability also nurtures our sense of community by
focusing attention on a compelling goal: to ensure that Furman
remains a perpetual landscape of possibilities for generations of
students to come. Step by step, Furman is making a difference.
The campus community is justifiably proud of its sense of place,
and even prouder of the culture of sustainability that is spreading
across the campus. The seed of sustainability that germinated
over a decade ago is blossoming into a collective vision:
Sustainable Furman. The good work of nurturing our
environment, our campus, and our community, is never over. Nor
should it be. This plan reflects that ongoing reality and
commitment.”

BRB FAN-GIRLING OVER THE LAST AMERICAN MAN

The title of today's post- BRB (be right back) FAN- GIRLING (the reaction of a girl after she meets someone she is obsessed with, usually inducing the reactions of shortness of breath, fainting, high pitched noises, fierce head shaking as if in a seizure, and endless blog posts)- all has to do with my meeting of The Last American Man Eustace Conway.

Eustace came to the Furman University campus to speak to us about his life on his 1000 acre wildlife preserve called Turtle Island, located near Boone, North Carolina. There, he lives a completely naturalistic lifestyle that has been forgotten in our developed world. Mr. Conway brings people "back to the basics" in the best way possible- by opening their eyes to the fact that we are connected to the natural world around us, and how we chose to live not only will positively or negatively impact it, but us as well.

While I was listening to Eustace, I was completely blown away not only by how amazing his stories were, but also by how truly humble he was. I think finding someone as genuine as Mr.Conway is a true rarity in life, and should be greatly treasured. He has so many accomplishments, a few including:

Moving into the woods at age 17 and living there for the next 17 winters

At 18, canoeing 1000 miles on the Mississippi River

Completing the entire 2000 mile journey of the Appalachian Trail

Kayakeing the entire southern coast of Alaska encountering whales and icebergs

Setting the world record for coast to coast horse travel in 103 days

and just being super awesome in general

Eustace told us that Earth is the support system for all life. He believes one of the biggest problems with society is the complete disconnect we have to this system. His grandfather is the one who taught him to be meaningful (in my mind I was like yo Eustace same here lets be best friends!). He has a spiritual connection with the land, because of the mutual relationship he shares with it. He beseeches modern society to answer this question to increase their self awareness: How much are we using and how much are we putting back? He warns that society can only consume so much before the cutoff point, which he argues is very near. He profoundly states that- we only have one life and it is an amazing thing, so don't follow like sheep in the wrong direction. He continues "if you don't change the direction you are heading, you are likely to end up where you are going."

Of course I was sitting there silently grinning while also yelling "PREACH EUSTACE" in my head. I had to met him. It was imperative. So afterwards I dragged my friends to the line forming in front of him. Actually, they reluctantly walked down the theater aisle, I jumped over the seats clumsy. We eventually walked onto stage and shook hands with him. IT WAS AWESOME. I felt like a pilgrim out in the woods of The Great Awakening listening to a very nice version of Jonathan Edwards. I swear, Mr. Conway looked right into your SOUL. He asked what I was thinking about doing, and I responded (in somewhat alien language since I was fangirling so hard) "sustainability." He said,"alright, well sustainability is where it is at, it is brings all this together." I just nodded dumbfoundedly since I had his approval. I asked if I could have a picture for this blog, he said "alright blog here we come!" (I died a little inside out of joy). 

P.S- did you know that Eustace Conway is on History Channels hit show, Mountain Men?!? He said he struggled to be on the show, since he does not own a TV. However, it was a good way to spread his message, and he says, if you are going to watch TV, why not make it good TV.

Pictures to follow!!!

Happy Cow Pictures!!

A soil sample that shows how great the soil is with good farming practices 

A field that his cows will graze on.

Farmer Tom :)

Add baby cow to the list of animals I am sneaking into the dorm room.

This pond collects the runoff of the farm and then turns it into the main water source. This way, substances like manure will not enter local watersheds. 

Happy Cows!

The trip back- sporting a happy cow hat

Feelin Farmy Part Two- Happy Cow Edition

Alright so I said this week was very farm oriented. The second place I want to talk about just might be the greatest place ever- sorry Disney World. It's-

HAPPY COW CREAMERY!

This creamery has very a unique story and lifestyle. The owner and founder is farmer Tom Trantham. His story of hard work is utterly inspiring. As he told us about his story, I frantically wrote as much as I could in my scrawl. I will try to relay it back as best as I can and hopefully no misinformation will be given! I have attached the link to the Happy Cow website. Out of all of the links I have put up on this blog, this is the most important. You have an obligation to click on it and watch the video on the beginnings of Happy Cow. SO DO IT thank you :) 

http://www.happycowcreamery.com/

Alright here is my version of the summary:

Tom Trantham bought his first grocery store at 22 years old. He had learned the business from his father. Even though the store was doing well, he was miserable. He expanded the business and bought one of the largest independent grocery stores in San Diego- but found that he still dreaded the alarm going off in the morning. He then decided to sell it all and move back to the south to become a farmer. Everyone in the business told him it’s all about produce produce produce- you have to start producing. With the use of a lot of fertilizers, by 1981 he was one of the top producers in the state, but he was broke. The 80s were a bad time. 1986 was the worst drought seen in the South Carolina region in 100 years. Everything on his land was dried up and burnt to a crisp. It was then that ABC wanted to come out and talk about how the drought is affecting the local farmers. At first he said no, but Tom told us one of the most important things I have heard this year- the biggest problem is our lack of knowledge about the truth- we are misinformed. Because of this, he decided to go on the news and inform people about what corporate America tries to cover up. He showed the news around his farm, and the segment aired that day. After this, a man in Indiana got in contact with Tom and told him he had 8 acres of alfalfa he wanted to give him. The only thing was, he had to come and get it. Well, Tom told us that his little pick up could not carry 8 acres worth of alfalfa. There was yet another miracle as Conoco Gas heard about his predicament and supplied trucks and trailers for him to pick up the alfalfa.

After this, Tom was finally caught up on his debt, but in 1987 he still needed money from the bank for fertilizers. With his current situation, he was denied. This next part Tom claims actually happened:

He said his 17 year old cow could sense something was wrong with him, so she called a meeting with the other cows. She told the other cows that “Tom is meaner than a goat,” we must not be producing enough milk. The cows looked over and saw a neighboring field filled with oats and other wild plants. It was then that the cows decided to break out of their fence and eat the plants on the field. Like a stamped the cows trampled over the fence and starting grazing on the discarded land. Even though this field was not fenced, none of them left. Tom said he saw this happen and had decided to just give up. The cows were not producing milk, and now they were breaking out. Instead of getting his cows together, he went inside, defeated, and watched TV. It was then that something crazy happened. The next day, after the cows were back in their enclosed area, they produced 200 lbs of milk. He let them graze again and they produced 500 lbs more. After researching this phenomenon, Tom figured out that he had been feeding the cows the wrong nutrients. When he fed them, he gave them the whole plant. However, after looking at the field the cows grazed on, he saw that they only ate the top part of the plant. This is because the top part is the most nutritious and digestible part for the formation of milk. The bottom part of the plant is basically just a woody material that provides support, which inhibits the cows from producing milk. Further, he found that the cows could eat the top half, the horses the bottom half, goats could the remains, pigs would come and eat the roots, and then chickens would get any scraps. This way, an entire field can be utilized!

Farmer Tom has practically zero waste- everything is a resource. He has not used chemicals for over 26 years. Big corporate companies use animals like a machine. The average cow for them is good for about 3-4 lactations. Tom has cows that are over 15 years old. For 17 years he worked a 16 hour day 7 days a week because he believed in what he was doing. He says that milk does unbelievable things when it is not contaminated. After drinking his milk, I could not agree more. I’m guessing my classmates were happy as well since we all bought gallon jugs like the world was about to end. 

More Pictures of the Furman Farm

COMPOST

Notice Gandalf the White chillin in the background

BRUCE

Gabby!