Allison Rose

Each morning, my mother goes outside before the sun rises and does a prayer with her corn pollen. I do it every so often, but whenever I participate in my morning prayer, I feel like I'm balanced in all aspects of my being. There's a specific Navajo term for this called hozho, and it represents harmony and your overall wellbeing, and partaking in the sunrise is crucial into achieving this balance. I agree with Berry!

Instead of spending another 30 minutes in front of a screen, I spent the extra time studying and reading for my classes. It actually helped me stay on top of my readings this past week and for that I am eternally grateful.

It's easier to see how your community thrives, I think. And by that I mean: how is my community recycling? Is my community nurturing the Earth? What kind of people reside in my neighborhood? Etc. The vast majority of people in my neighborhood are old retired people or families with small children. I see how the older people interact with their yards, and steps they take to provide for the community. As for the younger families, I see what activities they take part in the community, like sports or academic functions. There's a more intimate connection while walking by the houses than driving by. 

I think North America, the United States specifically, is prone to capitalistic tendencies and a free market mindset. Our country is largely ran and funded by corporate companies, and they don't see our food as a resource or human need anymore. These companies see our food as a commodity, and they will do whatever it takes--within rules of law--in order to make money off of consumers. It's no longer a feed/eat society, it's a producer/consumer society. Meat is sold in bulk, and in order to provide that bulk to the consumer, companies raise cattle by the masses! I also think that the US is largely uneducated as to a balanced nutritional diet and where we can find natural proteins outside of meat. I myself am a vegetarian, and I attain the majority of my protein from eggs, nuts, and a variety of veggies. There's this common misconception that meat is REQUIRED to attain your daily servings of protein, but the vast majority of meat sold in supermarkets are littered in fat (as well as other icky things). If we educated communities to eat more plant based in order to better support local products, and reduce carbon emissions, then I think a plant-based diet will start taking off!

During one of our general council meetings at work, my coworker brought up her attendance at the sustainability leadership council and what PCC could do to better conserve energy on campus. We had a large discussion on technology in all of our buildings and how much money and energy would be saved if we turned off all electronics when they're not in use, especially in classrooms! I know that in some classrooms, computers automatically restart and stay on for the rest of the night. Why not have the computers automatically shut down at the end of the night when they're not manually turned off? The same with projectors, TV screens, etc.?