actually, the title kinda lies. i'm not really that disoriented, but when i think about where i'll be soon it does induce a kind of mental malaise, like trying to understand one of those magic eye things. also, the poor sleep and extra doses of coffee probably don't help.
classes, however, have been anything but stupor-inducing. this last saturday we visited Polyface Farms in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and it was absolutely incredible. they practice "alternative pastoral farming," but it is so simple and straight-forward that it makes industrial agriculture seem like some Lewis Carroll fantasy. i won't bore you with all the cool facts i learned from the very charismatic owner/farmer/tour guide, but one definitely sticks out: if all of the pasture land in the US operated with the methods they employ,
the organic content of the soil would increase, thereby allowing for a much denser biomass (more grass), and the revitalized Great Plains could potentially sequester all of the carbon in the atmosphere produced since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. now i know that sounds far fetched, but this guy was really, really smart. even if it is off, when i was on the farm it did not seem to improbable just judging by the difference in the shade of green between his fields and the other farms.
so that was a good day. these last few days we've been cranking out papers, so there hasn't been much more exploring around dc (although i did go the the National Geographic building, just to pay homage). today we were visited by the Beehive Design Collective, a group of artists who create these amazing graphics depicting various issues of global importance. the one we saw was a 30' x 8' black-and-white banner visually telling the story of the drug war in Columbia and its many roots and reprocussions. the eye-warping visuals aside, their philosophies are also really innovative and cool. plus the young woman who represented them to us is an IHP alum, so it was cool to see what one student has done post-program.
plane leaves in three days, so the next time i post here will probably be from an internet cafe somewhere in Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar. usually it gets easier to embark on a journey, but i've made sure to intensify each one to balance off the equation. what i'm trying to say is, i'm definitely a little nervous. but i feel confident that whatever hits me will be valuable in the larger scheme o' tings.
classes, however, have been anything but stupor-inducing. this last saturday we visited Polyface Farms in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and it was absolutely incredible. they practice "alternative pastoral farming," but it is so simple and straight-forward that it makes industrial agriculture seem like some Lewis Carroll fantasy. i won't bore you with all the cool facts i learned from the very charismatic owner/farmer/tour guide, but one definitely sticks out: if all of the pasture land in the US operated with the methods they employ,
the organic content of the soil would increase, thereby allowing for a much denser biomass (more grass), and the revitalized Great Plains could potentially sequester all of the carbon in the atmosphere produced since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. now i know that sounds far fetched, but this guy was really, really smart. even if it is off, when i was on the farm it did not seem to improbable just judging by the difference in the shade of green between his fields and the other farms.so that was a good day. these last few days we've been cranking out papers, so there hasn't been much more exploring around dc (although i did go the the National Geographic building, just to pay homage). today we were visited by the Beehive Design Collective, a group of artists who create these amazing graphics depicting various issues of global importance. the one we saw was a 30' x 8' black-and-white banner visually telling the story of the drug war in Columbia and its many roots and reprocussions. the eye-warping visuals aside, their philosophies are also really innovative and cool. plus the young woman who represented them to us is an IHP alum, so it was cool to see what one student has done post-program.
plane leaves in three days, so the next time i post here will probably be from an internet cafe somewhere in Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar. usually it gets easier to embark on a journey, but i've made sure to intensify each one to balance off the equation. what i'm trying to say is, i'm definitely a little nervous. but i feel confident that whatever hits me will be valuable in the larger scheme o' tings.
Posts
1 comment:
Hey Tanner! Wow You visited Polyface Farms, amazing! I've been reading quite a bit about Joel Salatin and he seems to be a very interesting guy. Michael Pollan has written quite a bit about him in his latest book- an omnivoures dilemma. Check it out, if you haven't already. Good start to you adventure!
Isak
Post a Comment