Maybe cities aren't the best proponents of environmental justice (as of now). Most often, cities are the scene of the crime - fires at a Chevron refinery in Richmond, CA, air pollution from the port in Wilmington, CA. These cases and others like it impact already vulnerable communities the most, but it doesn't have to be so.
Environmental Justice. It was hard to define this especially because I hear so many different meanings. But the best and clearest definition I've heard comes from activist Majora Carter "no community should be saddled with more environmental burdens and less environmental benefits than any other." In her TED talk, Carter speaks of how the creation of a greenway along the South Bronx waterfront transformed the surrounding neighborhoods with green open spaces and mixed-use economic development.
I am inspired to think that cities don't have to be the sites of social and environmental degradation anymore.
Here is Majora Carter on "Greening the Ghetto"
3.25.2013
Me on Vacation
From either humortrain.com or failblog.org (I forget)
Ugh, the sad truth. It's spring break and I have to drag myself to go outside. But so far, it has not been a total waste. I went to a Trader Joe's for the first time and splurged on their chocolate almonds. It's the small victories that count.
The big victory is that I survived near death by challenging my inexperienced Angeleno legs to bike San Francisco's hilly streets, much to the annoyance of the motorists behind me. Never mind the hills, the ridiculous wind speed alone almost toppled me into the car's path. I'm exaggerating, but those winds do travel really fast.
So, chocolate almonds and conqueror of Market Street, SF. Pretty good start to my first spring break away from home.
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| Farmer's Market at Market/7th St |
2.19.2012
Millard Canyon Hike
I like to sleep in until 10am when there's no class I have to push myself out of bed for, but I woke up at 6:22am this Sunday morning ready to go hiking in Altadena near JPL.
The day had a rough start. There was a group of us going in a small bus, but two of my friends went on their own and got desperately lost, never making it to the canyon. Although from what they described, they did have an exasperatingly hysterical adventure of their own, getting lost in the canyon and having a run in with a Jet Propulsion Lab security guard (never to be messed with) and getting mistaken for house maids in a gated community. But that's definitely a whole other story.
Those of us on the bus headed out from Pasadena City College in the right direction thankfully. Along the way we passed the haunted/Enchanted Forest where my friend described the morbid details behind the forest's notoriety. Evidently, there used to be a meat processing plant underground, somewhere in the canyon wall I suppose, where two men dragged their victims to their deaths. Though now teenagers and college students dare themselves and their friends into the canyon during the dead of night, keeping an eye out for ghosts and scarily enough, the cops. The bus rumbled on and we passed near Gravity Hill where, as the story goes, the ghosts of schoolchildren from a horrible accident push your car up the hill while the car is in neutral. We passed the places of these (could be true) urban legends and headed into Millard Canyon.
We had reached the Millard campgrounds and gotten off the bus before I, mortified, realized that this wasn't the place we were meeting the volunteers from another organization. The bus was about to leave stranding us, but my friend signaled the driver and let him know that this wasn't the right place. We boarded the bus again and headed down the canyon towards JPL finally reaching the right road.
We had planned to join with a local environmental organization called the Arroyo Seco Foundation, but found that they had headed up the canyon trail before we got there. However, one of the organization volunteers was thankfully notified that we were trying to reach them and so came down to meet us.
Once in the canyon we wound our way through jutting rocks and the small streams sheltering the small frogs that call the canyon home. We passed over makeshift wooden planks over larger streams, careful not to let any one of us fall into the water. One of volunteers had smartly brought his rain boots and was able to make his way through the course of the stream without fear of getting wet.
In addition to frogs we also found a salamander that was accidentally startled when one of our participants passed a little too close to it prompting the salamander to hurriedly make it's way up the canyon from the stream.
The main reason we went in the hike though was to pick up trash and so as soon as we met up with the rest of the group, which consisted of a couple girl scouts and boy scouts earning their badges with their parents, we got some trash bags and those metal trash picker uppers whose name escapes me and began to look for any trash around the canyon.
It was a really fun time. We learned a bit about the plants around and how it was used in the past. For instance, the Native Americans used mule fat for bows and arrows because of how straight it is. Though it's called mule fat because miners on their way up the canyon would feed their mules the plant to keep them nourished.
The air was fresh and brisk and there were only a couple of people on the canyon trail with their dogs. Though it felt isolated and was quiet, at the top of the canyon to the side were houses, which might have explained a rusty sink we found at the bottom of the canyon.
Bonus: There's a couple great bike paths near the canyon that go alongside the stream and JPL.
I will definitely be returning soon.
The day had a rough start. There was a group of us going in a small bus, but two of my friends went on their own and got desperately lost, never making it to the canyon. Although from what they described, they did have an exasperatingly hysterical adventure of their own, getting lost in the canyon and having a run in with a Jet Propulsion Lab security guard (never to be messed with) and getting mistaken for house maids in a gated community. But that's definitely a whole other story. Those of us on the bus headed out from Pasadena City College in the right direction thankfully. Along the way we passed the haunted/Enchanted Forest where my friend described the morbid details behind the forest's notoriety. Evidently, there used to be a meat processing plant underground, somewhere in the canyon wall I suppose, where two men dragged their victims to their deaths. Though now teenagers and college students dare themselves and their friends into the canyon during the dead of night, keeping an eye out for ghosts and scarily enough, the cops. The bus rumbled on and we passed near Gravity Hill where, as the story goes, the ghosts of schoolchildren from a horrible accident push your car up the hill while the car is in neutral. We passed the places of these (could be true) urban legends and headed into Millard Canyon.
We had reached the Millard campgrounds and gotten off the bus before I, mortified, realized that this wasn't the place we were meeting the volunteers from another organization. The bus was about to leave stranding us, but my friend signaled the driver and let him know that this wasn't the right place. We boarded the bus again and headed down the canyon towards JPL finally reaching the right road. We had planned to join with a local environmental organization called the Arroyo Seco Foundation, but found that they had headed up the canyon trail before we got there. However, one of the organization volunteers was thankfully notified that we were trying to reach them and so came down to meet us.
Once in the canyon we wound our way through jutting rocks and the small streams sheltering the small frogs that call the canyon home. We passed over makeshift wooden planks over larger streams, careful not to let any one of us fall into the water. One of volunteers had smartly brought his rain boots and was able to make his way through the course of the stream without fear of getting wet.
 |
| Can you see the frog?? |
In addition to frogs we also found a salamander that was accidentally startled when one of our participants passed a little too close to it prompting the salamander to hurriedly make it's way up the canyon from the stream. The main reason we went in the hike though was to pick up trash and so as soon as we met up with the rest of the group, which consisted of a couple girl scouts and boy scouts earning their badges with their parents, we got some trash bags and those metal trash picker uppers whose name escapes me and began to look for any trash around the canyon.
It was a really fun time. We learned a bit about the plants around and how it was used in the past. For instance, the Native Americans used mule fat for bows and arrows because of how straight it is. Though it's called mule fat because miners on their way up the canyon would feed their mules the plant to keep them nourished.
The air was fresh and brisk and there were only a couple of people on the canyon trail with their dogs. Though it felt isolated and was quiet, at the top of the canyon to the side were houses, which might have explained a rusty sink we found at the bottom of the canyon.
Bonus: There's a couple great bike paths near the canyon that go alongside the stream and JPL.
I will definitely be returning soon.
2.04.2012
Financial Literacy 101 - Scholarships!
I'm a broke college student. Tuition at the UC's run up to $4000 a quarter for a estimated total of $13000 a year including fees :( The number of students graduating with a debt from loans is frightening. Some debts can go up to $15000.
So one Saturday, I went to the UCLA CCCP Financial Literacy workshop and learned that there is help out there, and more importantly, that there is something I can do about it. Here was the agenda for the day:
Workshop 1: Scholarship Tips
Workshop 2: Financial Literacy
Workshop 3: Employment Strategies
So one Saturday, I went to the UCLA CCCP Financial Literacy workshop and learned that there is help out there, and more importantly, that there is something I can do about it. Here was the agenda for the day:
Workshop 1: Scholarship Tips
Workshop 2: Financial Literacy
Workshop 3: Employment Strategies
1.24.2012
Some Wise Words
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you hoped for.
- EpicurusI saw this posted up in the office of a friend today. It's really helped me stay grounded and optimistic. Sometimes words catch me by surprise. They're scratch marks on a paper or ink on a screen, but woven in just the right way, they can be beautiful, inspiring, hurtful, powerful, heartfelt and genuine.
1.23.2012
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