CHANGE, RESPECT, DIGNITY

I'm using this article in my class on Friday...

So, in an effort to make Biology come alive for my students I am trying to select interesting articles. Last week I used an article about the Christmas Island crabs. It was a great article that the students really enjoyed, but it brought a great deal of awkwardness too. One student asked me, "Teacher, are these the same crabs that you get down there?" And of course, I laughed. I quickly tried to resurrect my defunct teacher persona, "While that is very amusing, no, these are not the same." And I moved quickly forward. The article did not end there, no, it went on to describe how the island is made entirely of bird droppings and inhabited by boobies (look it up.). Anyway, since I am a glutton for punishment and I really value the engagement of my students, I am including another article to grab their attention on a really boring topic (the nitrogen cycle). I'll update you with results on Friday...

"Flush-Free Fertilizer
Most urine ends up in the toilet, as it should. But the garden may be another appropriate place to send human pee, according to scientists in Finland. The yellow liquid appears to help cabbages grow. Researchers from the University of Kuopio grew cabbages under three conditions. For the first group of plants, they added conventional fertilizer to the soil. They treated a second group of cabbages with human urine that had been stored for 6 months. They let the third group grow without any soil treatments.
In Finland, researcher Surendra Pradhan shows off large cabbages that were grown in soil fertilized by human urine.Results showed that the urine-treated cabbages grew to be bigger than the other groups. Those plants also carried fewer germs. So, how does a pee-grown cabbage taste? Just fine, the researchers say. They made sauerkraut from cabbages grown in all three conditions. A panel of tasters noticed differences in flavors among the groups, but they liked all three equally. Nutrients in a person's urine depend on what she or he has eaten. Analyses of urine used in the new experiments, however, show it contained amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium that were similar to concentrations of those nutrients found in commercial fertilizer. According to the team's calculations, urine collected from one person throughout a year could fertilize a 90-square meter (970-square foot) plot of soil. More than 160 cabbages could grow in that space. Compared to a plot treated with conventional fertilizer, a pee-treated plot could grow 64 kilograms (140 pounds) more cabbage, the researchers say. Compared to an untreated plot, the urine-treated plot could yield 256 kg (564 pounds) more cabbage. Earlier this year, the same team reported that cucumbers also grow better with human urine than with conventional fertilizer. The power of human pee to grow crops is only just being realized. Next time you flush, imagine the possibilities!—Emily Sohn "
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20071010/Note3.asp

I'm a teacher!

Whoohooo!

I am now a teacher!

I taught my first class yesterday in....drumroll.....BIOLOGY!!

Yes, a Theatre/PoliSci/Theology person that has spent the last year and a half working in a salon, is teaching High School Biology. Hilarious, and yet, perfect. With my new passion for Creation it is perfect that I am teaching the ecology unit. I love it! It is hard, but I love it. More updates to come, but I would love your prayers. This is important work and I want to honor these students and their immense potential.

CHECK OUT THIS NEW CLEANING LINE:

Truth:

I'm not a big fan of cleaning. Don't get me wrong, I like things clean, but I am truly frighteningly compulsive. If I clean, I REALLY clean. It takes me forever because I get crazy detailed, and I can't just clean one thing. Anyway, I was getting frustrated last week by the impending assault of soap scum in my shower so I walked my little self down to Smart n Final and found a godsend:

This stuff is AMAZING!!!

I cleaned my bathroom for almost two hours and I didn't get nautious or dizzy AT ALL!!! I have surfed the web and the Clorox site and this stuff seems to be the real deal, (its made of coconut and lemon oil), and it seems like Clorox is moving its entire company into further sustainability and transparency (by listing all ingredients). I am ecstatic to see corporate America jumping on the green bandwagon (its a great wagon to be on for everyone!)-

C'mon everyone-jump on!!!

Lesson One: Arrogance

Capitalism exacerbates the arrogance of the human need to own things. Since the beginning of human history, this desire to conquer and control, is the catalyst for misery in the world. This idea is encapsulated in the driving experience we endure daily.

There is an exceptional amount of ownership arrogance on American roadways. Whoever drives the biggest, baddest car has the biggest…, well, anyway… More than in the vehicles themselves, this arrogance exhibits itself in our driving habits. We are atrocious, maniacal monsters! We cut one another off, thwarting the laws of physics, we blast through the yellowish-red glow warning of impending doom, because we are so important, we need to get to where we are going. Or else.

There is a pervasive myth in Los Angeles, an insidious and destructive myth:

“You must own a car to live (to succeed) in Los Angeles.”

My first lesson in this green journey obliterates this myth. Here is the truth: I CAN, I repeat, CAN, live in Los Angeles without a car. Further, you CAN! Yes! YOU CAN, live in Los Angeles without a car. It is actually a thing of liberation. We can pause, we can slow down the frenetic pace of our lives, and we can enjoy our communal journey. We miss out on so many of God’s beloved people when we are alone, picking our noses in our solitary, fiberglass coffins.

Indeed, it is a risky thing sharing our daily journey with the masses, because we cannot continue in our stereotypical mental prisons. We are forced to think of others in new ways. Ultimately, we are forced to reconsider the exceptionality we assume of ourselves; we must recognize the continuity between others and ourselves.

Truthfully, it has taken some small adjustments. I need to think in some new and creative ways, but living in this new way is not only possible, this new life is inspiring and invigorating!

The Beginning of a Journey

Sustaining Creation (Re-Creation)

I’ve always thought about ecology, but it’s been an overwhelming mountain of information and, what seemed to me like, deprivation. I didn’t know where to start, but a recent car accident has helped me to begin a journey into caring for our planet, and taking better care of all people. Join me here as I sort through information and try to discover what it means to love God, love all people, and love all of Creation.