Community Gardens

I've wanted to work with community gardens for a long time, but I've never made the effort to make this goal happen. I even considered, after graduation in May, volunteering to work on a small, organic farm in the southeast. If I can't find another job, that's probably where I'll end up. Community gardening appeals to me since I admire the communal life, living and working beside people without all of the hub-bub of individual ownership. I wouldn't mind sharing a cooking space or living space if these people in question had some of the same ideals as me. I like the urban garden movement especially the efforts made by Macon Roots in the downtown Macon area.  There is now a weekly market on Mulberry street that caters to those who want to buy produce, milk or eggs, or meat from local growers. I think it's a wonderful idea, allowing people to eat locally grown food and that which has not been grown in huge, impersonal commercial farms. I don't agree with commercial agriculture, thus I switched to a pescetarian diet almost 3 years ago.

Some hazards that come with urban gardening are pollution, both point source and non-point source. Because of the high rates of impervious surface in urban areas, there is a lot of runoff including fertilizers, pesticides, and vehicle chemicals. Litter is also a problem.  The air pollution from vehicles and industry affects the soil and water used with the gardens. Gardening can also be expensive, especially at the beginning. The urban garden fad is catching on in the United States, and I am so excited for where it takes our sense of community.

Ring of Fire!

Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash

What a wonderful song!

The Ring of Fire film looks at volcanism as it occurs along the Pacific Rim, also known as the Ring of Fire. The Pacific Ring of Fire runs from the southern tip of South America to Alaska, then to eastern Russia south to Southeast Asia and New Zealand. According to Wikipedia, about 81% of the largest earthquakes have occurred in this area. Because of the numerous plate boundaries, many which are subduction boundaries, there are many disturbances like earthquakes and the formation of volcanoes in these areas.

The picture above is Mt. Rainier located in western-central Washington. 

One of the sections of the video focuses on the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens in Washington State in 1980.  Most of the volcano was destroyed in the explosion, which resulted in a pyroclastic flow decimating a wide ecosystem. I traveled to Washington State in early 2000 and found the state to be quite beautiful.  We visited both Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Rainier, which are both massive national parks. Actually both of these volcanoes, Mt. Rainier being a dormant one, are part of the same chain, the Cascade Range which consists of a lot of seismic activity.