Sometimes hopeless isn’t so hopeless
It’s an awakening
Perspective
Mapping out your mind
Renovating thoughts
Understanding even how small
you may feel, people need you
You are a big piece of life
Own it
Resistance is necessary.

Pursuit of Happiness – Nuno Bennecourt

In regard to population, California had an estimated population of 36,756,666 in 2008, while Montana’s state Web site reports their population to be around 944,640. Between a drastically smaller population and two of the nation’s most renown national parks, Montana, to me, is one of the last remaining areas of the great frontier.

While we briefly drove through Montana when we were exploring Yellowstone National Park a few years ago, this time we travelled deep into the Northwest region of the state to discover the phenomenal views and natural formations of Glacier National Park. The two provided for very different experiences, but both definitely worth visiting. However, Glacier was defiinitely less of a destination and not as widely visited as Yellowstone, which was nice for hiking and experiencing the wildlife.

A great Web site I came across for trip ideas is www.visitmt.com. While not everyone is as adventurous as my family, there is something for everyone in big sky country, I mean who couldnt use a little fresh air once in a while? I, on the other hand, will continue hoping that one day I can wake up to a view of Lake McDonald everyday for the rest of my life. haha.

An article on Mongabay.com, asks the unanswerable question, will it be possible to feed nine billion people sustainably? This scenario could become a reality by 2050 when researchers estimate the population will plateau at around nine billion people worldwide.

Unfortunately the growing food crisis correlates directly with the negative impacts we have had on the environment through not only development but the pollutants we expel daily.

Dr. Camilla Toulmin from the International Institute for Environment and Development said, “Not only will rising temperature and shifts in rainfall patterns render crop production more uncertain in many areas, but the agricultural sector will need to become a better sink for carbon, through sequestration, while reducing emissions of greenhouse gas such as nitrous oxide, which is produced from use of chemical fertilizers.”

All of these ideas will need to be employed simultaneously for any change to take place. Not only that, but the need for open land for agricultural production is increasingly important, but unfortunately becoming harder and harder to come by as time goes on.

For the details, here is the original article.

At the beginning of this year, Washington DC imposed a 5 cent tax on plastic bags from supermarket and other retail stores. While DC isn’t the first city to ban plastic take out bags (San Francisco started banning bags in 2008), it shouldn’t be the last. Unfortunately when I was looking through articles to find what other places have this ban, I found an article about a city in PA that imposed the ban but soon after realized they could not carry out the plan.

Personally, I find it easier to carry home larger, sturdier bags for groceries, but that might just be a city dweller preference. I think back to grocery shopping with my mom and realized it might be harder in areas with more suburbs. Large families would need quite a few reusable bags to make this plan efficient.

While this is a great idea for city living, I think other tactics might need to be taken before a plastic or paper bag ban can be carried out in other cities. Either way, go DC!

That seems to be the case with GMOs. Previously, I was working at an organization called the Environmental Leadership Program. In Fall 2008 we held a Politics of Food Conference at NC State University. The discussions between scientists and farmers regarding this topic were fascinating because both sides had legitimate reasons to either love or hate the modified seeds.

While I wont even begin to tailspin off on a tangent about Monsanto, I will say they have a monopoly on the seed industry. Roundup ready seeds are the predominantly used seeds for farming and most farmers no longer have heirloom seeds for their produce.

It is frightening to think that while the produce may look, taste and grow the same way, no one really knows that those modifications are doing to the plants. Especially how those changes will effect the way the nutrients, if there are any left, will interact with the human body.

On another note, it is promising to see the organic farming industry beginning to blossom, or at least become more prominent. Many shoppers are beginning to consider the ideas that the traditional ways of growing produce and using the same seeds we have been using for hundreds of years might be a better alternative to scientifically altered produce.

I would like to think that my Beefeater tomato tastes a whole heck of a lot better than some perfect looking tomato I could find in Safeway. Just saying.

Here is an interesting interview I found on NPR that gives some more information – http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122498255

On a more positive note, I am beginning to think more seriously about my future and graduate programs. I just haven’t quite figured out what either of those should be as of yet. haha. I am also pledging to be more faithful to blogging, because I really do miss writing.

So.. I am planning to be more focused in my posts. After working at two environmental non-profits over the past year I have become even more interested in the issues. As a result, since I am no longer working at either, I am going to focus my blogging around the issues to not only keep myself in the loop but to hopefully enlighten others about some of today’s prominent environmental topics.

Additionally, I will probably add fun recipes, my cooking blunders and various other tidbits as well. Good to be back, enjoy.

Graduate school. While my father made me think that this was the only way to succeed in the real world, I have finally realized that it isn’t necessarily the only path to success. It wasn’t until I was a week away from the deadline for my OSU application and frantically writing essays that I realized… I have no desire to attend grad school right now. And honestly? You would not believe that sigh of relief that rushed over me when I finally came to that realization. Unfortunately I spent a lot of time and money pretending that this was what i wanted to do after college. Now I realize I have other things I want to do right now, graduate school can wait until I am ready.

Life. Right, a very broad statement, but honestly it seems so much clearer than it ever has before. I have had some significant changes in my life these past couple months. My karma went haywire beginning in January and ended in a major falling out with my best friend, the greatest person I have ever met. Apparently no matter how well you think you know someone, they can still have a few surprises up their sleeve. Unfortunately this surprise has been the worst wrenching feeling I have ever had to endure. At the same time it forced me to make quite a few changes in the way I had been living my life. I thought I had grown up, but now I know I need to step out of my comfort zone. The situation has also forced me to look beyond whats right in front of my nose and realize that I need to make a few changes in the way I act and live my life. I have been an extremely selfish person the past few years. I now realize that I have had some of the most amazing people standing right in front of me all along and only failed to notice what they had to offer. Which leads me to my next point…

Job/ Future. With my new found free time I have not only gotten to know myself again, which is a scary situation in itself. But I have also been thinking a lot about what my plans should be for after college and in the meantime how I can make changes to like myself again. Anyway, my roommate is graduating after this quarter and moving to D.C. We have been talking a lot about her job and the opportunities she has to look forward to. It has really got me thinking about what I want to do…. i mean…. WHAT I REALLY WANT TO DO…. especially now that I have nothing else to lose.

The Plan. My roommate is beginning work in D.C. the second week in April. I plan to begin searching for jobs in D.C. as well. I think that it is time to leave the great state of Ohio, at least for a little while. There are just too many memories, and I think it is time to start over with a clean slate…. like I said… I have nothing left to lose! Then, if everything goes well I will find either a job or a summer internship (to by me some time to find a job) and live in D.C. for a few years. The more I look into things I think that D.C. would be the type of big city life I could handle. Plus, my roommate loves it.

For now I am just trying to find happiness and live up the last quarter I have at Ohio University. Some days are harder than others… and I can’t help but wish on 11:11 and pick up that lucky penny. You never know what will work to bring a best friend back.

Feedback welcome. Job opportunities also welcome.

The sinking sun falls slowly behind the high, 19th Century brick storefronts in Nelsonville’s Public Square, converting it into the backdrop for works of art. Veiled from State Route 33, the square is tucked into the untouched Appalachian hills, giving visitors the feel that they have traveled into another period in time.

The streetlights illuminate artists and musicians as they begin to gather in the street filling their booths with unique, handmade pottery, artwork, jewelry, knitted items and photography. Artists’ demonstrations, art chats, artists at work in their studios, openings of new art exhibits, plays and musical shows complement artists work around the square. Music from banjos, guitars and trumpets fill the night air muddling folk and alternative beats, as people from all over Southeast Ohio begin to arrive at this distinctive stop between Lancaster and Athens.

As the colors of evening fade into the deep navy sky, the starbricks lining the sidewalks in the square appear to shimmer under the moonlight. The tiered Victorian fountain in the center of the square splashes gleefully, while silver and gold handmade earrings and necklaces sparkle brilliantly in the glow from the dimly lit square as visitors peruse the artists’ works. Inside, the shops are buzzing with the sound of conversations of old friends and new friends. Nelsonville Pottery & Gifts, a shop on the square, is filled to the brim with dinnerware, jewelry and other inexpensive handmade gifts that together create a welcoming atmosphere.

This is Final Fridays in Nelsonville, Ohio.

Stepping into Nelsonville Pottery and Gifts on this particular Friday creates a feeling of warmth and familiarity for both first time visitors and frequent ones. The bright atmosphere of the shop, accompanied by the friendly faces and welcoming voices are enough to take the chill of the evening out of anyone’s bones.

Looking around, the work of the featured artist is all around. This month is Susan Sherman with her traditional, yet stylish pottery filling the storefront. From her signature blue bird designs to her plaids and colors, she has a wide range of pieces to offer the crowded store filled with potential buyers.

“My husband and I have been making pottery for over 30 years. We got started making the blue bird designs because we wanted to use traditional patterns that American artists have been using for centuries,” said Sherman. From there the two began making everything from plates, cups, saucers, pitchers, tea pots and creamers to candle sticks and starbrick coasters.

Sherman makes and paints all her pottery by hand. She then fires the pieces in a kiln at the highest temperatures to make them food, oven and dishwasher safe.

“Since I began making pottery, the industry has improved tremendously allowing me to use more colors and better clays,” said Sherman. “I studied art in college and now with so many brilliant colors I can use my skills as a designer and artist to accent my work with plaids and various color mixtures.”

Warm bread and zesty fresh salsa wafts through the air attracting customers to experience the practicality of Sherman’s pottery. She and other artists of the Appalachian region are working to show customers that local art is not only beautiful, but that it is practical too.

“We want people, both local and visiting, to understand that art can be useful in your life and home,” said Susan Sherman, a local potter. “If people understand this then it will not only provide local artists with a lucrative trade, but strengthen the relationship between local art and the community.”

In order to improve this relationship between the community and local art, a handful of the local artists began in 2000 to draw more people into the Public Square. But first, they had to turn the vacant and struggling Public Square into a thriving arts district. The first gallery to open in one of the empty storefronts was The Foothills School of American Craft, which was filled with artists work from all over the region.

“I worked with The Foothills School of American Craft gallery and realized that this was a great opportunity for me to open my own shop,” said Ann Judy of Starbrick Gallery. “Soon, my husband and I began contacting other artists in the area to try and tempt them to open stores in the square as well.”

The Nelsonville Public Square has not always been filled with empty storefronts. During the 1800s, the Nelsonville Public Square was the center of entertainment, shopping and banking; it was the location for all social and business necessities. When the coal mining and paving industry dried up in the United States in the 1950s, Nelsonville was hit hard and poverty spread throughout the region. Although the town was struggling, the Public Square was still the center of the county through the 1960s until the mall era began to drive the small shops out of business. By the early 1980s, many American traditional town squares had died, burdening small towns with empty storefronts.

Today, traveling into Southeastern Ohio is like traveling back in time. The people don’t live in high rises or work in tall office buildings. Instead, the 5,230 people residing in Nelsonville live in traditional homes and many have their own businesses. They live in a town that is free from urban sprawl and far from the hustle and bustle of today’s cities. A few dedicated local businesses helped by ensuring many of the original storefronts were salvaged from reconstruction, helping to guarantee Nelsonville continue to maintain the original Public Square for future generations to enjoy.

With the aid of other more established businesses like Rocky Boots, a world renowned outdoor wear manufacturer headquartered in Nelsonville since 1932, and Stuart’s Opera House, a renovated theatre that hosts concerts, plays, art exhibits as well as other events, the artists created a monthly art festival called Final Fridays held the final Friday of every month (except December). Based on other communities that host gallery walks, the galleries and retail stores stay open late, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., to feature special art events at each venue.

Since 2000, the push to revitalize the Nelsonville Public Square has helped to fill the square full of art galleries and shops leaving few empty storefronts left. It is now home to many of the 1,123 unique businesses that can be found throughout Athens County.
“There are so many artists that live in the hills of Athens County,” said Judy. By offering to highlight them in town, “many local artists have been willing to roll up their sleeves” to help refresh this quaint Appalachian town. From pottery and ceramic work, to jewelry and photography, the artists of Athens County have a wide variety of work to show the community.

After becoming enamored with fused glasswork in the early 1990s, Amanda Buchanan, of Gemelli Contemporary Art, began taking classes in California to learn the art of working with glass and quickly began running the kilns for her teacher. Then, in 2000 her husband took a teaching position with Ohio University and Buchanan quickly became involved with the local artists, fusing glass from her home to make colorful glass jewelry and photo frames.

“I was so inspired by the glass itself,” said Buchanan. “Now I do what I can to bring out the true beauty of all the glass I work with.”

Visitors enjoy Final Fridays because they can put a face with the art they are interested in. The artists aren’t as concerned with making sales as they are with making connections to the people that are strolling through the square.

“Final Fridays really celebrates the local arts,” said Buchanan. “It’s a nice opportunity to meet the artist and know the story behind their art, here you are going to get a lot of stories.”

The event started out very small, with artists having to call their friends and family and invite them out, Judy said. Now that things are rolling more smoothly, it gives people the opportunity to mingle with friends and brings more people into the town to really experience the rich history.

Established in 1805, Athens County possesses a prosperous heritage in which the City of Nelsonville was a wealthy Ohio coal “boomtown,” and a large exporter of salt during the 1800s. Along with being a major mining town, Nelsonville was known for its brick manufacturing.

The Nelsonville Brick Company was in business from 1880 to 1937 and its bricks were known across the United States as “the king of all bricks.” The clay found in this Appalachian region is one of the most durable firing clays in the world. It was used to produce the attractive Victorian starbricks that were so well made that they were shipped all over the nation. These starbricks can also be found on the sidewalks of Nelsonville’s Public Square, but the bricks are not the only artistic and distinct feature of this town.

“I think Nelsonville has some charm that other places don’t because it’s a walking town, has historic buildings, renovations, room for improvement, so its exciting and I think that brings a lot of people in here,” said L’Heureux. “We are really working to make ourselves, along with Final Fridays, a destination point in Southeast Ohio.”

The artists of the Appalachian region are willing to work together to make the Nelsonville Arts District possible. The real advantage of this small Appalachian town is the proximity of the galleries and shops. Many other arts towns in larger cities do not have the advantage of being close together, forcing people to drive from one gallery to the next. Additionally, Nelsonville still has room to grow and each time Final Fridays rolls around, there are new things to see, said L’Heureux.

“Here we still even have a couple vacant buildings to bring more artists in, once we have the Square full, you could spend a whole day walking in just one rectangle and fill the day with different things in Nelsonville,” L’Heureux said.

Originally, not only artists were skeptical about art being a viable business for the Nelsonville Public Square, many of the people living in and around Nelsonville did not see the point of art.

“A lot of local people didn’t bother to come into the shops,” Judy said. “This area is a poor region and at first we were scared art didn’t seem to fit.”

After a couple months, people “began venturing to check out Final Fridays, realizing they could find inexpensive gifts and other unique items here.” The idea behind bringing art into the square was more to attract people from outside the region; “it took a while for the local people to understand that. We’ve since had a couple antique shops move into the square, people understand that,” Judy added with a laugh.

Final Fridays still has a lot of room to grow and the artists are still thinking of ways to improve the event for the next month. With its unique structure and original artwork, each Final Friday has something new to offer its visitors. Now the artists are working to bring in more music and action to the square, as well as improve the turnout.

“No matter when you decide to come out to Final Fridays, there is always something for everyone,” said Rebecca Muhn, a visitor of the event. “Its original, creative and has a great small town atmosphere that is often hard to find.”

From the moment you arrive and step onto the porch filled with various plants and umbrella covered tables you know you have found a place to relax and take a load off for a few minutes. In Village Bakery & Café, time slows down.

You see, Athens, Ohio is not only home to Ohio University, but home to people that want to keep this small Appalachian town, a town that supports locally grown ingredients, meats and cheeses.

The Village Bakery & Café is in tune with the spirit of Athens, and is frequently visited by the eclectic group of people that live here, said Anne Braxton, customer of Village Bakery & Café. There are college students- both from the city and rural areas, as well as professors, local families, and people just passing through.

The moment the door opens, a mixture of aromas envelope you as you step inside. As you stand looking at their menu, scrawled up on the chalkboards overhead, and take in the atmosphere of the place, something happens inside you, the tensions from your busy day somehow disappear.

“This is a relaxing place to come,” thought Kim Knapp – Browne, customer of Village Bakery & Café. “It’s a good place to go and just sit and talk to a friend, I’ve never felt rushed to leave like I do at so many other restaurants.”

Christine Hughes, owner of the Village Bakery & Café, said we don’t need to compete with other stores, but instead embrace that we are all working to support local foods. The trend of using organic and local foods is catching on quickly. All of the ingredients we use are from local producers, except for some of the cheeses, which come from as far as Georgia. Hopefully, more farmers will begin producing more foods locally so we won’t have to outsource for any ingredients.

Because of the culture of Athens, the college and the city combined have an awareness that other areas around the country seem to lack; the desire to eat clean or organic foods and support the local growers. The Village Bakery & Café recognizes the need for an eatery and bakery that only uses local foods. The menu is as unique as the people that frequent, with menu choices from a salmon melt and egg salad to a veggie burger and tofu. There is something for everyone.

Ohio University students have a greater impact on the local economy than many may think. Businesses like Village Bakery & Café have a good relationship with the neighbors, but also enjoy the replenishment of students. They are a part of the community that other areas in the United States don’t necessarily benefit from. The changing faces and fresh energy bring new ideas that influence the town greatly.

Athens is a special place because there are a lot of people that are aware of and sensitive to sustainability issues, added Sonia Marcus of the Ohio University office of sustainability. “By virtue of the fact that you have both a rural area and a university, it’s truly an ecological oasis.”

Village Bakery & Café brings a unique viewpoint, locally grown foods ensure freshness and accountability. People come into our restaurant because it’s original and are curious to try foods made from local ingredients. We have a good variety of people coming in, but all are looking for quality and flavorful foods, said Hughes.

Loraine McCosker, frequent customer of Village Bakery & Café, loves that she can walk there from her home and appreciates that she can always find great, healthy foods to take back with her.

“I love this place,” McCosker said. “It represents what we can do in Athens that you can’t do in other places. We don’t need the big chain restaurants here.”

Over the summer I interned at the Foundation For Appalachian Ohio in Nelsonville, Ohio. It was a great experience and opened my eyes to the world of non profit organizations. I assisted with media releases, background research, as well as other administrative work. While the projects I was asked to complete were not always what I wanted to do, it helped me to understand the inner workings of non profit organizations. I was asked to continue to work there during my fall quarter and witnessed the change in CEO as well as the planning of an event.

I had the opportunity to assist with planning the I’m a Child of Appalachia event that honored John and Annie Glenn, it not only helped to bring the Foundation more into the public eye, but one that hosted prominent figures in the area. It was educational to see how these “celebrities” are prepped and the preparations that needed to take place.

This past quarter was a very busy quarter for me. The classes that have influenced my career decisions and abilities as a writer are and have always been my journalism classes. This past quarter I was privileged to have two amazing professors that have shown me what I am capable of. My magazine writing professor gave us two assignments this quarter. One being to create a story to fit within a department of a magazine and the other to be a feature story to fit within another magazine. For the department story, I chose to use a local restaurant that serves only locally grown foods, which was to run in Eating Well magazine. The feature story was about a local art event that takes place each month in Nelsonville, Ohio. It was to run in Ohio Magazine. I hope that with some work I can submit these stories for possible publication.

The other journalism class I took this past quarter was a public relations class. In it we were to work with a group of 5 people to create a number of public relations plans. I am impressed with myself in my ability to work in a group and how well I have been able to develop as a writer over the past four years.

I look back at work I did before I entered Ohio University and can easily see the maturity and improvement. I am one of the lucky ones, I am a writer, at least I hope. Anyway, I made it through the quarter and am now on to bigger and better things…. like figuring out where I want to be in June 2008. Grad school to study business or working in public relations? Obviously, I have a lot more thinking to do.

On one hand if I went directly to grad school, I could get it out of the way and find a better job. On the other hand, I may not go to the grad school I truly wish to attend, and not have enough experience when I finally graduate from school. This is an issue I must continue to address in order to make a decision I will be content with in the future.

For now, I will leave with the promise of continued posts in the near future.