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Charlotte Basher
IND 209- Environmental Service Learning
Fall 2011
Final Reflection
This semester, I took part in cleaning up the Ecotrail and establishing signs that can
distinguish the entrances to the path. The signs are a vibrant blue color that can be seen from far
away either from behind Schenk Hall or coming from Business. Together the class cleaned up
the trail by removing the invasive species Knotweed from the rain garden and along the trail.
During classes, we cleared the trail of branches and stabilized the stone walkways across the
water. This was especially important for the Environmental summit. Tours were offered to
visitors to view the Ecotrail and needed to be safe and clean for those to see.
At this
environmental summit, students were able to attend to be informed on issues such as
urbanization, metrorail expansion, energy saving measures, and they were even given free light
bulbs. I think the Daemen community learned greatly from these topics offered at the Summit.
Students were more aware of their carbon footprint after this day than before. I learned that
replacing energy saving lightbulbs in your house can not only save on energy costs, but also save
precious minerals from being mined. That being said, I think this issues still needs to be
addressed. In Duns Scotus at any given time of the day, there are numerous classrooms with
lights still on and no one I the room. Also, bathrooms are another room that lights remain on and
no one may be in there. I suggest motion sensor lights for these rooms and vibrant signs to be
placed near light switches to remind people to shut off the lights when not in use as well as
computer monitors and projector screens.
For a majority of the semester, my time was spent at the Pelion Garden and Garden of
Stewardship. When I first arrived at the Pelion Garden I was leery of the community we would
be working with. I am from Buffalo and have always built my idea of the city as a less fortunate
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living area where crime rates are high. This notion of mine was developed by years of news
casts and newspaper headlines as well as family opinions. However, after working with this
community, the people really are good people. They don’t bother you unless you do something
to them or their property. They may not have all viewed our work at the Pelion Garden as a
positive experience; however, over time I believe they will view it as part of their community.
Many of these residents come from low income families can only afford the housing in Buffalo.
They may not be able to maintain their housing, but if they live a happy, content life, who is to
judge what is right and wrong of them. Many of these people cannot afford the amenities that I
have, such as a garage, a swimming pool, a large backyard; as a community, they come together
to unite in the garden and share something with each other. This garden can be a social
gathering for neighbors, an outdoor classroom for students, or a place of relaxation. However, a
challenge I do see is maintaining the upkeep of the garden if community residents cannot afford
to maintain certain structures, such as the trees or the stone pathway. I feel Groundwork Buffalo
has gone above and beyond the expectations of the community to transform an empty plot of
land into a beautiful setting for the community to take part in. The same can be said for the
Garden of Stewardship. At first, I didn’t know how my efforts to clean this garden and prepare it
for winter could help the community. It wasn’t until we has brought the remaining vegetables
into the soup kitchen that the women was so grateful for the brussel sprouts and collard greens
that we left. I left that day with a satisfaction that my work had really made a difference for
those who made come to the soup kitchen and will receive a healthy meal. I understand that
volunteer labor is what drives the work of these gardens.
Daemen has provided a great
partnership with Groundwork Buffalo to help supply labor. However, I feel more colleges can
be involved in this effort. Many clubs and organizations at UB need to complete community
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service hours to maintain their funding from the university.
Offer opportunities to UB’s
undergraduate association for students to come out during the weekends to help maintain or plant
a garden. To obtain tools, the Environmental summit can partake in a tool dive and have area
residents drop off used tools. Possibly do a 50/50 raffle at the summit as well where all proceeds
benefit the financial needs of these gardens in purchasing needed items. Daemen can also be a
site for a tool drop off all year long, similar to a clothing drop off.
Between both communities, the challenges we faced were the acceptance of our help in
creating and maintaining these gardens. Not all residents want to see groups of young adults in
their community as they may view it as causing mischief. After a few weeks of working in the
Pelion Garden, the residents were more welcoming of us and they knew more of why we were
there. The amount of time we put into that garden made the residents feel at ease that we do not
intend to destroy our own work and would not want to make them feel unwelcome. Working
with the students from City Honors also helped our image that even the high school students
would not want to destroy something that they call their own as well. However, I do think a
notice to the the surrounding homes explaining what will be occurring over the following weeks
would be a better approach than showing up. This may ease some of the aggression that was
held by the surrounding homes at times during these garden projects.
I do agree that what is good for the environment is bad for the economy. Yes, organic
produce is more expensive than non-organic produce; this is also good for the environment and
humans alike. However, if every farming community took part in no pesticide use then this price
would come down as the price of pesticides will increase from a low demand. This is difficult to
implement when many farming communities are funded through government agencies that
provide stipends for pesticide usage. Additionally, for the Buffalo area, expanding the metrorail
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would also hurt the economy. Providing funding to expand the metrorail would come from tax
payers dollars, possibly increasing taxes over time to pay for it; this is good for the environment
as less cars would be on the road utilizing fuel and emitting toxic fumes. At the same time, this
project would generate jobs.
The idea of sustainability in reference to how we each live was a large topic in the
classroom. For many of us, including myself, a roof over my head for shelter, clothing, and food
are all I need to make me happy. This can then be taken to an extreme for many. I do not want a
large home with multiple baths and bedrooms in a suburban development. A home large enough
for myself and one other person, but small enough to keep my home costs down is all I need. I
do not need the most fashionable clothing, but enough clothing to supply all 4 seasons in
Buffalo. As for food, I am content with growing my own garden and purchasing from farmers
markets for additional items. Living on a farm also gives me the opportunity to raise my own
animals for food. Living in an apartment complex or other high rise is environmentally efficient
as it only has one or two water and gas supplies for the building. Homes have their own separate
supply as well as sewer. Safety is also a concern for home living. For those in an apartment or
high rise would increase crime as many people come and go. Living in a home within a
development can keep you more safe as you and your family are the only one in that building.
Most neighborhoods maintain a neighborhood watch group, especially for those with children.
What would increase crime rates are gangs coming into your community. This allows for
increase drug use and robbery to occur. If I were a community leader with a tight budget, the
only cost effective way to maintain community safety is to develop neighborhood watch groups
and to educate everyway on how to keep yourself and home safe. Also, educate community
residents on how to be watchful of any suspicious activity and to report anything to police.
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Overall this semester I have felt a sense of satisfaction that I have helped area
communities to develop a better community and possibly make residents closer. I have for the
past four years been involved in a community organization that is not recognized by the Daemen
community. I will continue to be involved in this organization not as a result of this course, but
for my own gratification. My understanding of the environment has changed based on the
information this semester. I may stretch the life of my cell phone now and recycle all my
electronics. For my family, they are learning little by little how to recycle properly, but one
change we did make was changing our light bulbs.