Welcome to the Environmental Studies Capstone Course blog. Over the past decade, community interest in reclaiming control over food production and consumption has fueled a wave of food activism, what Sandor Katz calls"America's Underground Food Movements."
Participants in this course are taking part in the urban agriculture food movement. In addition to reading , discussing, researching and writing on urban agriculture, we are participating. We are planning and planting a garden on campus, forming allegiances with campus and community groups, and contributing to a more sustainable community.
So I've been looking up some possible solutions to the cat problem and found several safe, natural ideas that might work, possibly in combination. The two most common ideas are to deter them either by smells they don't like and/or by creating a ground surface that discourages digging.
For the smell route the best suggestions seem to be to plant lavender, to spray/spread a cayenne mixture, or anything with citrus--orange and lemon peels scattered about and such. Obviously the lavender would be permanent and additionally enjoyable for us, but the second two would probably require reapplication every fews days.
As far as digging, one site I found suggested laying chicken wire in the dirt before planting, or putting stone gravel on top of the dirt to make it less attractive for deposits and digging. I'm a little wary however of methods that allow them to get in the garden before they discover its undesirable...I was wondering if just a high chicken wire fence around the box might also work?
What are y'alls thoughts? I personally don't have any experience with any of these--can anyone vouch for the effectiveness of one over another??
Seems there has been some trouble initiating the plotting and planting stages of the urban garden project. One main issue is the amount of morning sun our garden gets. I think the one next to the monkey grass is surely out... it gets hardly any afternoon sun also. What does everyone think about the plot next to the Sociology Dept? I would like input so that I do not make any executive decisions, but tomorrow (Sunday) is the only real day I have to dedicate to building the garden box and I might have to go ahead and do it. I agree that we should also direct our efforts to the Bogarden, Morris St garden, etc, but it would be nice to have something to show for our efforts on campus. I believe there is still hope for our little garden! Things that grow better in partial shade are rooted plants like carrots radishes, etc. That means our tater tower is golden too :)
Also I had another idea for our class. Since it is "Urban Gardening" how about we take it to the streets? the people, I mean. What if we put the word out there that our class is wanting to help anyone in need to start their garden for them. I mean, I'm sure there are lots of people in the community with an interest in growing their own herbs and veggies and doing it organically, so why don't we promote that by helping them get started? I don't know how to get the word out there though, I was just brainstorming about radio talk shows and local media like that, but what do yall think? Help people help themselves, just like Hamburger Helper helps you to have a great meal :) Just a thought.
Anyways, if we make the decision to not plant on campus, that's cool because we can still move the box once it's built. I'll be constructing it tomorrow around 10 or 11 if anyone's got time on their two hands to lend... come on by!
Anyways, hope everyone's weekend is going lovely-ly.
As we are coming to an end with The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved, I have to say that this book definitely surprised me. I admit that my expectations for this book were pretty undefined, but I had hoped to gain some knowledge about the Food Movement, essentially enough to push me even more over the edge of tolerance. With that in mind, I definitely felt that there was an abundant amount of facts and useful information on this topic. I felt that at times, Katz was a little repetitive with his points, yet overall did a good job in choosing relevant facts that supported his argument. Also, his little anecdotes were often sporadic, but did indeed, keep the reader intrigued.
Not only does Katz touch on the incidences that led up to the food crisis we are in today, but he also provided many ways to change the customs we are so used to by providing ideas for the future. Although I felt some were a little extreme and unrealistic (i.e. picking up road kill off the side of the street to take home with you for dinner), Katz put things into perspective, and opened the reader to the realm of possibilities that are out there. With my growing interest in the food movement, I feel that this book put the foot down on my drive towards food activism.
One aspect that gets at me the most is how much everything is interrelated. The environmental issues that are of most importance today can almost all be directly related to industrial agriculture. From reducing CO₂ emissions, to preventing water pollution, to decreasing prominent health issues, the major source to many of these problems are due to the malpractices of agriculture. By going back to the roots of traditional farming, where poly-culture and small farms are favored, we can reduce many of the harmful acts on the environment. But HOW is the question, right?
I am a true advocate towards the food movement; however my problem begins with moving my knowledge from my brain to the next person, to my home, to the community. How do you convince someone to buy local in just two sentences? Without going into all the facts, leading into a rampant, and eventually loading the listener with tons of facts that they might not even be all that interested in, and likely will not even retain. I would love to be a community leader for change, but I am wondering how to put these deep, compelling, passionate feelings, into two straightforward, persuasive sentences. thoughts?
Ok, so I think we have wood and tools covered; madeliene put wood back there and various people, including jono and I are bringing tools, such as screws and drills, etc. As of now, Jono is bringing our friend's truck down to campus, so maybe we can get soil after class? Soil is the final question...We can definitely construct things today though...
The sun at 3:15 pm was mainly on plot 2 with a little creeping over to the st. phillips side of plot 4. Plot 1 got a 1 ft. wide sliver of sun on the sociology building side. The bushes on the "back fence" are going to be our major limiting factor for afternoon sunlight in plot 1 and 3.
Allo everyone! the wood is back there and ready for some fresh coatin' :)
The dimensions will be something like 2 1/2 x 8 and this week we should see about borrowing tools and such to put it together.
I'll be painting the boards in the sunshine behind the Sociology dept after classes tomorrow until I go into work, from 12 to 230ish. Come stop by and join in the fun if you're able! Or whenever you can, go by and throw some touches on them yourself!
I am so excited about all this coming together.. and with such wonderful weather to work in!
Hey guys, I went by to check the sunlight today at 12, there was some light on the grass around plot 1, but most of the direct light was on the sociology building.
Sandor Ellix Katz’s chapter “Plant Prohibitions: Law Against Nature” is centered around the idea of “invasive species”. She explains how states have protective laws that prohibit certain invasive species to cross boundaries. Some states have what she describes as “dirty lists”, or lists that specify only those plants that are not allowed to cross their boundaries. The United States has uses this system. Other states have “clean lists”, or lists that specify only those plants that can cross their boundaries. The latter system is more restrictive. These lists are increasing superfluous bureaucratic regulations. Many people traveling from foreign countries are forced to get rid of their live foods, which are believed to be a threat to local ecosystems. However, this food gives people a connection to their home, and there is no set way of knowing how invasive one plant species may be. Katz argues that the current dialogue of “alien” as bad and “native” as good has created a xenophobia against foreign plants. She calls for a “neutral vocabulary” to discuss plants.
Katz also addresses how the search for exotic plants was the driving force behind globalization, when Europeans explored the Orient to find exotic spices. It seems that when an “invasive species” is beneficial for a nation’s economy and can fit into a market niche, it is not thought of as an evil plant that will destroy ecosystems. Take corn for example. Corn eventually became a staple crop in Africa in the 19th century after being brought over by the Europeans. Corn quickly surpassed the native cassava for grain production, “invading” Africa’s more traditional agriculture. It also completely changed Africa’s subsistence farming, leading to an unstable, monoculture-mechanized agriculture. Corn in Africa fit into the Europeans needs of the Industrial Revolution. Mining in South Africa provided Europeans with vast natural resources and valuable commodities, especially gold and diamonds. However, they needed cheap labor in order to reap as much profit as possible. With the use of mechanized farming, corn enabled a mass scale of food to be produced for little money. Cheaper food meant the miners could be paid less, and the Europeans could gain more profit. In other words, corn helped facilitate a labor system founded on the ability to keep labor wages low. Looking at the history of plants crossing borders, what makes a plant “invasive”? If a plant completely overturns a traditional way of agriculture, is it “invasive”? Or is it a commodity, as it helped those in power stay in power?
Welcome to the Environmental Studies Capstone Course blog. Over the past decade, community interest in reclaiming control over food production and consumption has fueled a wave of food activism, what Sandor Katz calls"America's Underground Food Movements."
Participants in this course are taking part in the urban agriculture food movement. In addition to reading , discussing, researching and writing on urban agriculture, we are participating. We are planning and planting a garden on campus, forming allegiances with campus and community groups, and contributing to a more sustainable community.
