Always Another Bend in the Road

Turning a new corner means having the chance to see some unfamiliar sights.

My experience of Earth Week this year opened up a lot of uncharted territory. As I blogged about last month, I helped in efforts to boost sustainability and environmental engagement at the University of South Dakota and in the city of Vermillion, South Dakota. With its various activities, Earth Week on campus and in the community was a big success and laid the groundwork for more to come.

My favorite experience of the week served as both a celebration of this year's work and a hope for the future. On the Saturday following Earth Day, I participated in a guided nature hike at North Alabama Bend, a piece of land the US Army Corps of Engineers owns and works to preserve. The hike included information about the land's relationship with the Missouri River and the resident eastern cottonwood trees, the people who had tried to homestead it, and the work being done to keep it in a natural state. Special thanks to Tim Cowman for guiding the hike. To learn more about North Alabama Bend, click here.

Despite a strong wind blowing for the full two hours, I enjoyed the hike. I'd never been to the property before, but the experience left me with the urge to explore it more in the future. It was the perfect way to cap the week and look ahead to new projects and experiences.

There's a place up ahead, and I'm going just as fast as my feet can fly.

New Growth

A drop in the bucket may not seem like much until its water helps a plant grow.

This year, I had the opportunity to make a contribution to a budding sustainability effort at the University of South Dakota. I've already blogged about one of the initiatives from the university's Sustainability Club here, but there's been a lot more going on, and Earth Week showcases some of the fruits of our labor.

Many people at the university and in the city of Vermillion came together around the idea of sustainability. As the Sustainability Club worked to bring recycling back to campus, the Sustainability Program locked up world-renown author Frances Moore Lappé for an Earth Day lecture, and members of the community worked to build a full week of events around the author's appearance.

The schedule of events kicked off today with a showing of A Fierce Green Fire and a discussion of Lappé's books. Earth Day features a bike-to-campus event, a sustainability fair for students, and Lappé's visit. However, the slate of events doesn't end there. To see the full schedule, click here.

It's been great to contribute to the celebration of sustainability (my environmental communication students and I helped promote the events), but it's been even more fun to see the excitement for environmental issues take root here. Ideas for future efforts have already sprouted.

Drip, drop, drip, drop.

Earth Day Eve

Tomorrow is Earth Day. I hope you get a chance to celebrate it in some way or the other.

My plan for the day is going to be pretty basic. After a very busy last few months, I want to get out and have a lot of nature time. Also, I have decided to make tomorrow the day I start timing my showers. I don't usually take very long showers, but I've never actually timed them. After I get a baseline, I'll work on cutting down the wasted time.

That sounds like a pretty good Earth Day: some reconnecting with nature and a step toward greater sustainability.

A Day of Reconnecting

Last month, we had Earth Hour. Friday, April 22, is Earth Day.

Because it began as an attempt to produce actions that help improve the environment, Earth Day can sometimes be seen as a time that is just about "saving the planet." After reading some ideas for things to do on Earth Day, I realized that, indeed, I was carrying this faulty assumption.

While it's great if you can turn the day into a chance to limit your carbon footprint (walk or take the bus instead of your car), improve wildlife habitat, or support environmentally friendly policies, you can also make it about relaxing and reconnecting with the natural world. For you, maybe it's a 15 minute stroll outside to get some fresh air, an hourlong walk near the river, a quest to photograph as many different bird species as you can in three hours, or a day at a state park.

Whatever you choose, you can turn this year's Earth Day activity into an initial step, one that you might possibly expand upon next year.

You don't have to be an environmental activist to observe Earth Day. It's about strengthening the connection between people and their environment, and there is no reason you can't reap the benefits of that, so think about setting aside some time (no matter how much) on Friday for an "environmental experience."