It’s been a while since I’ve posted. The simple motion of
going to school early in the morning can become such a vortex of much needed
concentration that often I don’t even think about anything other than the continuous
stream of homework and tests that pile up. But the perpetual cycle of school
does not change the true facts: the environment still needs saving! I hope I’ll
be able to post more regularly from now on.
I have a couple of things I want to cover over the next
couple of days, so here is the first topic!
Interim Semester – Summit to Sea Service in Bali
Our school, SAS, has a week in February that is dedicated to
out of classroom learning. Each high school student selects a trip they feel
suits their interests and I chose a service trip to Bali. With our sponsors, Ms.
Began and Mr. Crawford and the group Ecofieldtrips, we did a variety of activities that helped give back to
the South East Asian community. We toured Eco Bali’s spice and vegetable
gardens, filled with bamboo and other verdant plant life. We also walked through the cool caves that once served as irrigation
tunnels for the rice paddies. We hiked up Mt. Batur, the most active volcano in
Bali in time for the sun rise and experienced the wonders of Ubud’s monkey
forest.
Bamboo in Bali |
The last two days of the trip were spent at an organic farm
called “Side-by-Side.” The farm tries to mitigate the harsh consequences of
using pesticides and herbicides, such as the eutrophication of lakes, by using
natural fertilizers such as compost; run by an American woman named Pamela
Tibbs, Side-by-Side includes local farmers in its quests to making farming a
more sustainable practice. The intense manual labor included weeding the plots
of land, creating beds for the vegetables, helping with building a green house,
and assist in the process of making liquid compost. Although the work was
overwhelming at first, with our fingers fatigued from holding the tools so
tightly and our faces muddy as dirt mixed with mud in the humid Bali climate, I
really enjoyed the gardening. Knowing that our efforts would be put to good use,
one which was cognizant of the sometimes harmful impacts of farming on the environment
was enthralling. I hope someday I will go back and show my family what we
worked on and see how far it has come along; I also now want to encourage people
to go for the organic products. While a tomato grown on a farm like Side-by-Side may not be as shiny and plump as that grown on an herbicide, chemical fertilizer, and pesticide using farm, the
organically grown tomato is healthier for you and the planet.
Going into the grocery store may seem like a nonchalant, quotidian
action but what all of us need to realize is that the purchasing of the locally
grown, organic tomato actually supports a wider network of people trying to
make a difference in the world.
Think green, no matter where you are!
What to look forward to next:
Global Issues Network and 350.org – are you doing the simple
actions that matter?
A side of Bali one never sees....you are an inspiration Ramita.
ReplyDeleteI wish I was there.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!!
-Arun
Y.V.Ramana
ReplyDeleteCongrats Ramita for the successful field visit to Bali.
Your write-up clearly reflects your tastes in preserving our
mother planet GREEN. Your concise exposition of the visit
is an indicator of the satisfaction derived.
Good work. Keep going with your interests.
Great expression Ramita. Go Green!
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. Very interesting to read. I really love to read such a nice article. Thanks! keep rocking. Solar energy
ReplyDelete