Rays of Hope

When we got on the bus to go to Fukushima, the atmosphere was very different than normal. There was no squabbling about leg room or people announcing loudly that they were about to sleep for the whole time, instead there were whispers and everyone seemed very...
A New Look at Space Efficiency

A New Look at Space Efficiency

When I think about renewable energy sources, I imagine plains filled with wind turbines and deserts filled with solar panels. With in America space isn’t really a big issue having a vast field dedicated to just wind turbines isn’t uncommon or inefficient....

Working with the Pigs

On my first and only day working with pigs during food life, I faced my first real inclinations towards vegetarianism. Although an organic farm, I was surprised to discover that ARI’s pigs are kept in small, darkly-lit pens with no space to roam freely outside. The...
The Power of DIY

The Power of DIY

This course has consistently stressed the importance of local empowerment as opposed to marginalization. This focus has led me to reflect on the importance of self-motivation and small-scale activism at the grassroots level as well as the guiding philosophies behind...

The Disturbed and Undisturbed Land in Japan

Something that has been going through my head a lot over the last few weeks, especially after going through some of the photos I have taken, is the idea of what “nature” in Japan has been disturbed by humans, and what has not. At this point, I am confident...

Expectations for the Dead

Insult is given in commemoration of the environmental havoc wrecked by the Ashio Copper mine’s water pollution. Incense lies half burned beneath the concrete altar. The vases are sealed by spider webs and filled with black water. A dry lichen grows along the face of...