Where do you hope your career will take you over the next 10 years?

At what point did you decide this is what you wanted to do?

How did you end up where you are?

How many previous jobs have you had?

What is your favorite aspect of your career?

If you walk around the University of Illinois (UIUC) campus, you’re bound to see at least a few squirrels. But look closer: there’s so much more happening around you than meets the eye. Boneyard Creek runs through campus’ engineering quad and is home to hundreds of organisms. Most of us look over the bend and just see water but if you ask Irenka Carney, she’ll tell you otherwise. Her roots are in Environmental Science but she’s an artist at heart, so when University of Illinois representative Iliana Brown reached out and asked Ms. Carney to use her talents to help raise public awareness about local biodiversity, she was more than thrilled to get involved.

Irenka has been serving her community for years. Three years ago, friend and Women’s Resource Center worker Rachel Storm asked Irenka if she’d be interested in teaching a series of summer art classes that focused on sustainability through art for the Channing Murray Foundation (a local center for community activities). The first summer was a great success, as the classes really engaged the community in sustainable art through projects such as making recycled paper from scraps (one of Irenka’s personal favorites). Seeing and appreciating this level of community involvement, she decided to really take the classes on as her own and has run them every summer since. Her hard work has even earned her an Urbana Arts Grant to continue running the classes and she hopes that with a continued rise in community interest, she can run the classes through the fall.

More recently, Irenka was contacted by UIUC asking if she’d like to be involved with a collaborative project between the University, the city of Urbana, the city of Champaign, and the Champaign County Design and Conservation Foundation. The 2013 summer plan called for local artists to paint a number of murals around storm water drains in Champaign and Urbana to represent the various species that are impacted by the pollution that runs down the drains. While she initially had plans of her own mural, due to time restrictions she would instead help other artists complete their murals. This would turn out to benefit Irenka; in the following year, Iliana Brown reached out yet again asking Irenka to paint a mural of her own over the Boneyard Creek, which she gladly accepted.

While still using some of the ideas she had from her previously planned storm water mural, Irenka’s new mural represents the biodiversity of the area by depicting several different species of all shapes and sizes in and around the Boneyard Creek. The background of the mural can be viewed as two halves with land on the left and water on the right, while the critters shown are located strategically based on their primary residence in the habitat (i.e. birds are shown over land, fish are shown in water). She spared no minor detail, making sure to fairly represent even the smallest of organisms in the water by painting enlarged representations of several microorganisms that most typical passer-bys wouldn’t even know to consider. In an effort to provide the most accurate representation, her inspiration for some of the pictures came from recommendations and photographs from local environmental specialists. Irenka’s mural can be seen on Wright St. over the Boneyard Creek in Urbana. If you have the time, I would encourage you to go and check it out. While the majority has been completed, there are a still a few details to be added to the mural in the spring, so you might even see her there.

It’s important to take a step back to understand the significance of the work at hand. Our environment is directly impacted by our daily actions. Whether someone is dropping a wrapper into a pond or pouring their drink down the storm water drains, careless decisions have consequences on our environment and the variety of species that share it. These consequences aren’t easily spotted because we see no immediate impact. The murals serve as an attractive way to inform the community of local biodiversity, without which our ecosystems would drastically change, often resulting in further habitat loss. Each organism plays an important role in their respective habitats, often living symbiotically with the other organisms within. We humans are inextricably a part of those relationships.

Pollution is just one source of biodiversity loss (others include overexploitation, habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change), but is perhaps the most direct human infliction on the environment. Through exposure to the vast number of species within, we hopefully will begin to think of our environment as home to much more than ourselves. In Irenka’s words, “It’s really easy for people to think about nature as something out in a forest preserve and to not think about the city they live in as ‘natural’.” She hopes that the various art works will “help to break down that false dichotomy and get people realizing that there is nature where we live and we can protect it.”

Clown Fish are orange in color with three thick white stripes, and range in length from about 3.9 inches to 7.1 inches. They are native to warmer waters, and can therefore be found in the Pacific and Indian oceans, but are not found in the Atlantic. They live in the bottom of shallow seas, in reefs, or in shallow lagoons. They have a win-win relationship with Sea Anemones, which also are native to tropical reefs. Sea Anemones capture and prey on small fish and shrimp using the poisonous barbs in their tentacles; this also fends off predators. The Clown Fish is immune to the poison, and in turn can swim amongst the anemone as it pleases, often calling it home. This benefits the clown fish not only because the anemone provides shelter, but also because the clown fish may feed on the small invertebrates that are caught in the anemone. This in turn benefits the sea anemone because the clown fish projects it from pests. An added benefit is that because the clown fish are omnivorous and do feed off the anemones’ pests, their fecal matter provides nutrients to the anemone. There are currently 30 known species of clown fish, all of which have an average life span of 6 to 10 years.

Info:

http://www.teachoceanscience.net/teaching_resources/education_modules/coral_reefs_and_climate_change/what_lives_on_a_coral_reef/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphiprioninae

According to studies reported by the U.S. Environmental Information Administration, buildings account for about 39% of carbon dioxide emissions, 40% of primary energy use, and 72% of electricity consumption in the United States (Klein-Banai). In an effort to reduce these adverse affects on the environment and the economy, an era of “green building” has been born, which calls for more sustainable buildings that demand much less energy and maintenance. As defined by the EPA, green building is “the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction” (Green Building).  The concept dates back to early 1900’s, but did not become a reality until the 1970’s when technological advances allowed for implementation of greener practices (Patsalides).

Prior to construction, there are a vast number of decisions to be made in determining the sustainability of a building, including: a building’s structural materials, the source of those materials, heating and cooling methods, sources of lighting, landscaping, and so on and so forth. With so many minor details considered in creating an environmentally-friendly building, one could imagine the frustration and difficulty in trying to design and construct sustainably. Fortunately, the U.S. Green Building Council was founded in 1993 and has since established a crediting system to promote sustainable building. Now, buildings are awarded points for the incremental decisions they make in designing, and later constructing a new building. The more points awarded, the more sustainable your building is. The name for this certification system is LEED, or “Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design” (LEED).

There are four levels of certification: certified (40-49 points), silver (50-59 points), gold (60-79), and platinum (80+). New to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Electrical and Computer Engineering building is currently seeking LEED platinum certification and strives to achieve net-zero energy, meaning the building would supply its own power (on an annual basis). Once that goal is achieved, the ECE building will be among only 8 other net-zero energy buildings in the U.S., a feat impressive in itself, but even more so when you consider that the ECE building is at least nearly 20 times larger than any of those other 8 buildings.  Dr. Phil Krein, chairman of ECE ILLINOIS’ New Building Committee, believes this reflects the University’s “sincere commitment to sustainable design while capturing the spirit of a department that’s always pushing the limits of technological innovation” (The Building Campaign).

In order for the ECE building to being striving for platinum certification, a number of aspects had to be considered. Terra Cotta was selected to comprise most of the building’s exterior face because it is a more readily available, natural material that insulates the building well, saving energy on heating and cooling. LED lighting used throughout the buildings cuts energy costs because they have a longer lifespan and require less power to run. Low-flow faucets and toilets eliminate unnecessary water waste. The building even goes so far as to offer lower-level showers to promote biking as a means of transportation to the building, avoiding harmful vehicle emissions to the environment from those who may otherwise drive to the site. As an environmentally-mindful individual, these design choices are refreshing to hear, but as a citizen, I also love seeing beautiful infrastructure.

Perhaps one downfall of the new ECE building’s mystique is its lack of aesthetics. A few artistic structures can be spotted around the building, but may not be particularly appealing to the typical passer-by. A major surrounding structure, the “light filter,” serves as a shield from light during the warmer months while allowing more light through in the colder months, aiding in heating and cooling; however, the structure is somewhat bulky and overwhelming. As mentioned prior, the terra cotta exterior is ideal for sustainability purposes, but its bright red and orange colors aren’t necessarily warm and welcoming for the building’s many daily visitors. Therein lies a challenge for the future designers, architects, and engineers of the world: developing these sustainable “green” buildings without sacrificing beauty.

Without a doubt, the green building movement is necessary to create a more sustainable future. Buildings like the ECE building serve as great examples for future projects and speak waves about how far technology and human awareness has come. However, we must be careful not to pat ourselves on the back just yet; there is a lot of work to be done. LEED certification is by no means a perfect measure of sustainability in buildings; it certainly isn’t the only rating system out there. Living Building Challenge, Green Globes, Build It Green, and ENERGY STAR are all sustainable building rating systems set forth by organizations, similar to LEED from U.S. Green Building Council. Through trial and error, we will get better at assessing and rating these green buildings. Some may not like the look, and some may disagree with the strategies/designs involved, but over time, with a bit of patience from its citizens, society will produce even more efficient, more visually appealing buildings. Until then, with the continued improvements to the ECE building, it’s exciting to see the current initiative underway here at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Works Cited

“Green Building.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

Klein-Banai, Cindy. “Sustainability and Buildings.” Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation. OpenStax CNX, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.

“LEED.” U.S. Green Building Council. N.p., 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

Patsalides, Laurie. “How Green Building Got Its Start.” The History of Green Building & Construction: The Beginning of Green Homes. Bright Hub, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.

“The Building Campaign for ECE Illinois.” ECE Illinois. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

I think the greatest argument anyone can make for the preservation of biodiversity is this: of all adverse environmental impacts man has made to the planet, the irreversible damage done to biodiversity is by far the largest. Climate change, CO2 emissions, and change in land use are very serious environmental threats, but none of them measure up to the amount of biodiversity loss earth has faced. Biodiversity is crucial in the grand scheme of things; the interactions between soil, bacteria, plants, and animals define the earth’s nitrogen cycle. Unfortunately, the adverse affects done to the nitrogen cycle is the second largest irreversible environmental threat the earth faces, and that is partly directly linked to the decline in the planet’s biodiversity. In nature, everything intertwines, so when any one aspect is damaged or inhibited, the domino effect kicks in and as a result, we see other sectors of the environment suffer as a result.

As seems to be a common trend in the United States, big businesses have stepped in and started complicating things for more people: this time, farmers. Corporations boast processes that speed up food production at lower costs than traditional methods but as a result they lower the quality of the food produced. Because these methods are so much cheaper, they can afford to sell the food at a lower price, causing more consumers to buy in, meaning greater profits for those corporations while farmers struggle to compete. Some farmers are hired to produce crops or raise livestock for these larger food companies, like Tyson or Smithfield, knowing they can’t support themselves otherwise. Those that do try to compete must sell their product at a much higher price but label it “organic” or “certified naturally grown” (1) as to appeal to healthier consumers. The problem is that many consumers are more concerned with finding affordable options for their family than they are concerned about where that food comes from.

In the popular 2008 documentary Food Inc., directed by Robert Keener, some of the underlying processes/characteristics of America’s business-run food industry are revealed through various interviews and unflattering camera shots. One portion of the film features Maria Andrea Rodriguez, whose family of four works long days and must eat on a tight budget. She mentions, “When you have only a dollar to spend, and you have two kids to feed, either you go to the market and try to find something that’s cheap or just go straight through a drive-thru and get two small hamburgers for them. . .  this is what’s going to fill them  up, not that one single item” (Food Inc). Fitting the description of a “broke college student,” I can’t afford to purchase the more expensive, more honest food products either. Unfortunately, corporations know of this struggle and thus flaunt their low prices to take advantage of these low-income families or indebted students. While “organic” or “certified naturally grown” sounds wonderful, the prices associated with these labels likely appeal more so to consumers who are financially better-off.

Rather than being forced to partake in a dramatically flawed food system, some individuals have taken matters into their own hands. Lisa Bralts-Kelly, who served as the Director for Urbana, Illinois’ Farmers’ Market for five years, has since written numerous pieces on food and the role it plays in her life, often discussing the many benefits of having a garden. As she explains it, “to put trust into the big food system is folly;” by growing their own produce, consumers can somewhat side-step the ongoing conflict in the food industry. She also acknowledges that her example of growing a garden led her neighbors to follow suit and now they often gather to share food from one-another’s gardens.

Even my parents have bought into the garden trend as the result of a family friend named John’s lifestyle. John grows 15-20 different types of vegetables in his garden and has several fruit trees around his property.  He also has ten chickens in a coup from which he currently cooks the eggs, planning to one day make a meal of the chickens themselves.  Since planting his garden a little over two years ago, John and his family haven’t purchased any produce from the supermarket. John and his son also hunt and fish, producing their own proteins as well. Impressed by the self-proficiency of John and his family, my parents decided to take on a garden of their own. As it stands, they grow only a few crops (cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, and green peppers) but even that saves them money at the market, all the while providing a healthy outdoor activity. Similar to Lisa Bralts-Kelly and her neighbors, John and my parents exchange produce amongst themselves and enjoy discussing their experiences in gardening.

There may be no greater way to live a “healthy lifestyle” than planting, maintaining, and eating from a garden. Seeing first-hand the benefits of having a garden, I would love one of my own. However, being a college student, these are defining years in my life where it is important to maintain good grades, participate in extracurricular activities, and search for internships; I have a lot on my plate. Another problem I face is living in an apartment where I don’t own any of the surrounding land to plant on. Other consumers work multiple jobs, sometimes adding up to 60 or more hours a week; they’re just too busy and too exhausted. Although challenging, I see the value in having a garden. Once I own a decent plot of land, I plan to grow my own food. As it stands, I’m caught in the trap set by corporations; I can’t afford to not buy their cheap food. Once I have a garden, I’ll produce my food in a manner that is less expensive and more honest than any corporate process will ever be.

Two weeks ago, I didn’t know much of anything about grassland prairies and was not inclined to get informed. To the naked eye, the topic appeared to be as boring as, well, watching grass grow. To me, land was land, and as long as there wasn’t an office building or a strip mall sitting on it I thought the environment was well-off. It wasn’t until prairies became a topic of discussion in a class of mine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) that I started to see things differently.

A birds-eye-view perspective of the state of Illinois reveals that there remain miles upon miles of uninhabited land, which is exciting for us land-lovers but not necessarily a cause for celebration. Over many years, the state has been converted from its natural habitat for agricultural purposes; as it stands, nearly 80% of Illinois is agricultural land (Facts About IL Agriculture). Now even that doesn’t sound so awful, but we must consider what is being lost in the conversion: the natural prairie land that used to define this state and the biodiversity associated with it.

There was a point in time when Illinois was called “The Prairie State,” but given the circumstances, we could probably do away with that nickname. Tall grass prairies make up less than .01% of the state now, where as just 200 years ago, it comprised 60% of the land (Ellis).  In the grand scheme of things, 200 years is a frighteningly short period of time for such a drastic change in environment and loss of biodiversity. Fortunately, there are those who are making an effort to reclaim some of the prairie land that has been lost.

Red Bison is a Registered Student Organization at UIUC determined to restore and recreate the natural prairie environment in the state. Right now, they’re working on a project at the corner of Florida Avenue and Orchard Street in Champaign, IL. According to Scott Nelson, President of Red Bison, as early as 2010 when the group got involved, the 2.7 acre plot of land was home to only “overgrown weeds and grasses, with no native plants.” After a slow start, a research affiliate for the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center’s Prairie Research Institute named John Marlin took over the project in 2012, and has since rallied volunteers of all ages (3 to 86 years old) to extract the weeds and other invasive plants in exchange for over 30 types of native grassland prairie plant species (Prairie Restoration). On a cool and cloudy Thursday morning, I took a trip out to the prairie to see firsthand the work that was being done.

The first thing I noticed approaching the prairie was the spread of color across the field; enough to make anyone forget how gloomy a day it actually was. There are many yellows and purples from Golden Rod and New England Aster grassland species, which come spring season completely line with native insects to be pollinated. Once arrived at the prairie, fresh air is in no short supply as these tall plants tower over the average 6 foot male. Some of the plants, such as the Gray-Headed Cone Flower, carry distinctive scents with them that, for whatever reason, feel all too familiar. The beauty of the site is enough to provoke seemingly suppressed feelings of guilt for the, what used to be, 600,000 acres of natural prairie which has now been reduced to all but one acre in the entire city of Champaign. Located conveniently across the street from the university president’s house, the Florida & Orchard prairie serves as a reminder that there once stood natural beauty before man stuck his hand in the cookie jar.

Luckily for us, the battle is not entirely lost. Efforts are currently being made to recreate and restore some prairie plants on and around the UIUC campus. Currently, the school is implementing the iCAP, or Illinois Climate Action Plan, which calls for campus Carbon-neutrality by 2050. Prairie plants play an important role in this, as they consume CO₂ in the air to create O₂, aiding in establishing greater Carbon balance on campus. Furthermore, restoring some of the grassland species may help to attract native animals, increasing what is otherwise a scarcely-diverse environment with few natural beauties for everyone to appreciate.

Two weeks ago, if I managed to stumble upon the Florida & Orchard prairie, I might’ve thought the field had a few plants and a lot of overgrown grass. But after a bit of reading, a few interviews, and one visit to the prairie, I’ve grown to understand and appreciate what used to be our natural habitat. So if you see someone planting those tall grasses on campus, try not to overlook it; be glad that efforts are being made to restore what little bit of history we can. It’s a simple rule: if you borrow something, in time, you’re supposed to give it back. Well, not everyone is so inclined to offer up their land or to take time to restore and recreate these native habitats they know so little about, so it’s up to informed individuals like us to do what’s right and take back the prairie state.

Sources:

Ellis, James. “Understanding Prairie in the Prairie State.” Illinois Master Naturalist 2014: 1-19. Print.

“Facts About Illinois Agriculture.” Illinois Department of Agriculture. N.p., 2001. Web. 11 Sept. 2014.

“Interview with Scott Nelson.” Personal interview. 9 Sept. 2014.

“Prairie Restoration at Florida & Orchard.” ICAP Portal | University of Illinois – Native Plantings & Prairies. Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE), Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Sept. 2014.

When I was just a young child, no one really placed emphasis on where the food I ate came from; my parents never appeared to be concerned about it themselves. My mom was the sole cook in the family, as opposed to my dad, who probably could cook as much as I could when I was still a kid, so whatever she decided to make that night was what we ate, no questions asked. Of course nothing was forced upon us; we all loved my mom’s cooking.

It wasn’t until around high school when I met a few people who were vegetarians or vegans. In explanation, they’d say their decision was made for the sake of the animal; they couldn’t imagine a poor, innocent pig being slaughtered so they could enjoy their morning bacon and eggs. Later in life, I started seeing the videos online of slaughterhouses, which provided a more personal perspective. Even then, while I appreciated knowing some of the costs, the videos didn’t influence me enough to change my meat-eating habits.

My first viewing of the documentary “Food Inc” took place on Thursday September 25, 2014 in my Environmental Writing class. The film provided a different, much larger-scale perspective of farmers and other works and their involvement in the food process. Farmer’s argue that their food is natural and therefore healthier for you, so you should overlook the higher costs and purchase their food. Bigger companies want to woo you with their low prices as a result of “cutting corners” in the production process, which farmers would argue is flawed and leaves room for potential disease.

In any case, I still remain a cheap-eater. Being a “broke college student,” I don’t personally feel as though I am in much of a position to be spending a few dollars more on many food products I buy as a way to “stick it to the man,” and personally I don’t feel internally motivated to do it either. I’ve eaten certain foods from the grocery store my entirely, without knowing anything different, and I’ve done pretty well anyway. I don’t mean to offend anyone by stating my stance, but this is simply my natural response to it all.

I do see value in growing your own food/providing for yourself. My parents recently started a garden in their backyard and I couldn’t be happier for it; it provides them with cheaper means of providing food for themselves, it provides them with healthy food, and it’s a great activity for couples to engage in without breaking your wallet from a night on the town. I’m glad to see more people planting their own gardens, as I see only benefits of doing so.

What I love about writing is that it offers the opportunity for one to organize their thoughts and feelings before making them public. In conversation I often find myself at a loss of words, either for lack of interest or due to the presence of pressure. I most effectively communicate in written words, as it gives me time to think, reflect, and often retract certain statements or ideas that need not be said.

At this point in my academic career, I feel confident in my writing ability. I can not exactly recall when I noticed it, but I believe it may have been in high school. In English classes, I received A’s and B’s on most, if not all assigned papers, sometimes prompting praise from my instructors. After completing the ACT in my junior year of high school I found my English proficiency proved to be my strongest asset of the categories measured. This was great because it gave me physical, statistical evidence of my writing ability.

In the first semester of my freshman year of college, I took an English 121 course. After turning in our first assigned paper, my teacher requested I stay after class, and follow her to her office to discuss my work. Being the professional that she was, she began by asking me about myself and my prior experience with writing. I would later come to find that she was concerned, due to the quality of my writing, that my paper may have been plagiarized.  She quickly understood the reality of the circumstance and apologized. Of course, this was never an issue again, and I went on to complete the class with a 98%.

I am confident that writing will play a substantial role in my life beyond school. It serves as a powerful means of organized communication not only intended for the working world, but all areas of life where there is anything to be said about anything.

Who would I rather “have a drink” with: Michael Pollan or Derrick Jensen?

Based on: “Why Bother” by Michael Pollan vs. “Forget Shorter Showers” by Derrick Jensen

Both articles address a similar issue: how to handle the irreversible damage man has done on the planet. Throughout his piece, Pollan speaks in a more relatable language than Jensen. Pollan uses seemingly-comical statements and contradictories to address his points, which certainly kept me interested. He also provides a very realistic solution: plant a garden, and he does a great job invoking readers’ emotions to support that idea. Jensen seems to approach the problem on a larger, more intimidating scale. He suggests that the world may require a borderline revolution in order to slow down future damage to an otherwise-doomed planet. He suggests the potential abolishment of electricity specifically, an idea too radical to actually expect in this day and age. At the end of the day, I would prefer to have a drink with Michael Pollan, as I appreciate intelligent, but easy-going conversation. Jensen seems to be a little too radical to be reasoned with, whereas I believe speaking with Pollan would result in, at least, a very productive conversation.