For the final part of my Columbus To Do List experiences I was able to make it to Schmidt’s and the Scioto Audubon. While the weather was poor while I was there, I still had a fabulous time and was able to bring a couple friends along with me for the ride (and to help finish all the food we tried to eat).

Schimdt’s was exactly as I had imagined it would be and it’s atmosphere was one that was very fitting for German Village, I believe. The cream puffs were, in fact, HUGE, and I never did finish mine sadly. However, it does take the cake (or the cream puff?) for being the best tasting assignment to date. I would love to go back another time to try out the rest of their food and to enjoy their atmosphere for a little longer.

The Scioto Audubon put me in mind of a hodgepodge of fun recreational activities. Had the weather been nicer there would’ve been plenty to do and I most certainly intend to go back, as it isn’t far from my home. Because of the poor weather I wasn’t able to get any photos where anything is distinguishable or where my phone wasn’t nearly ruined. However, I have provided the map of the Audubon to give you a good idea of the park and to help guide you as I talk about my experiences.

As an animal lover, before the rain started to pour, my intentions were to go visit with dogs in the dog park for hours and I’m still a little heartbroken that I was deprived of that opportunity. We stopped by the rock climbing wall, and although I am not a rock climber myself, this looked like it would be a lot of fun honestly. From the top the view would be spectacular and I can only imagine how great of exercise rock climbing is.

Learning the depth of the history in German Village intrigues me to learn the history of other cities and villages around the world. My hometown also has a very deep historical past, so it’s odd to me that I’ve never been intrigued until now, but it is something I believe I will be more receptive to from now on.

To anyone else that intends to explore German Village, I believe it is imperative that you watch the neighborhood video before exploring. The video is incredibly detailed, in depth, and gives you such a good understanding of why that piece of the city is the way that it is. For example, before watching the video I had no idea about the effect that World War I had on German’s here in Ohio. That eventually started the decline of the German population in German Village.

My favorite part was still the Book Loft, simply because I adore books, but the village itself is beautifully unique and is one you should check out at least once during your time in Columbus. While Columbus is usually known for a lot of hustle, this part of the city almost felt like a quaint little home.

4/12/16

Third week complete.

To begin I simply cut the bottom out of a trashcan, in order to put our compost into it while still allowing the microbes in the soil to transfer through the material as it pleases. It’s important to remember that not everything can be composted (i.e. meat, bones, processed foods, dairy, and pet poop) but most other kitchen waste can be. My household drinks an otherworldly amount of coffee and uses at least 3 cartons of eggs a week. Being able to put the shells and coffee grounds into the compost instead of the trashcan has really reduced the amount of trash in the trashcan and the weight of the trash bags we contribute to the landfill.

It will take a few months for the compost to decompose and become the dark matter we know and love as fertilizer. This will be too late in the season for my garden, but the great thing abut compost is that if you don’t use it, it just continues to accumulate! Benefits to this are starting out next spring, and the next Earth Month, with a full stock of potent, ready-to-go compost.

Lastly, my final challenge is to plant my garden! Gardens are excellent for redirecting stormwater and I will be mindful of the chemicals/materials added to the garden over time to prevent potentially dangerous runoff. I don’t believe this challenge will be terribly difficult, as I’ve spent a good deal of time gardening in the past. I look forward to the experience and am hoping for good, clear weather this week to allow me to complete my goal.

4/5/16

Second week complete.

This challenge was extremely difficult for me, as I had predicted it would be. My diet has never been primarily focused around vegetables but as the seasons are changing I was self reflecting along with this on going challenge. I found myself avoiding meat entirely, for reasons that I am not sure of. It could possibly be that eating any meat at all was still contributing to my bigger, overall problem. It also could simply be willpower. Within this past month I have changed my lifestyle in multiple drastic ways and the easiest way to stop a habit, is to avoid exposure to it completely if at all possible. So, along with my meat challenge I had quit drinking coffee and other “luxury beverages” that are so often thrown at college students. When I realized avoiding coffee all together for a week made it much easier to quit altogether, I decided to apply the same thing to easting meat.

Now that my tangent is over, I’m proud to report that I have went an entire week without eating meat. The reduction in waste in my home has been noticeable, but the change in my body and the way I feel has been the most notable thing in this past week. I’m unsure of whether I will continue this choice currently, because it is rather difficult and sadly sometimes inconvenient (especially when I go home), but if I could round out the rough edges, I think  this lifestyle is one I would very much enjoy.

My next weekly challenge is to begin composting. I’m fairly excited for this project as its not something I’ve ever thought of doing before. If my scaled project goes well here in Columbus, I hope to start composting at home, where we have much more land and much more waste. I don’t believe it’ll be incredibly difficult, as it’s once again just redirecting where exactly my waste goes, but it is a project that will continue beyond just this week.

3/29/15

First week complete.

After a week of recycling, rather teaching myself what could and couldn’t be recycled, I would call the week a success! Thursday my home’s now two bags full of recyclables will be picked up and diverted from a landfill. I was unaware that Aunt used to recycle, so we have adopted the routine back into our home since I have found the resources to do so.

Staying mindful and motivated can and probably will be an issue for me in these upcoming weeks so I should certainly avoid that and do my best to keep my Earth Month Spirit alive! As the upcoming week focuses on me eating less meat, I’m certain it will be the hardest as my diet has not been primarily vegetable based for some time now. I am looking forward to the change, and if it goes well I may also adopt this Earth Week Challenge into my lifestyle.

Here are some of the fun facts I accumulated over the week about recycling:

1. Once an aluminum can is recycled, it can be part of a new can within six weeks.
2. To produce each week’s Sunday newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down.
3. A modern glass bottle would take 4000 years or more to decompose — and even longer if it’s in the landfill.
4. The highest man made point in Ohio is said to be “Mount Rumpke,” which is actually a mountain of trash at the Rumpke sanitary landfill!
5. A single quart of motor oil, if disposed of improperly, can contaminate up to 2,000,000 gallons of fresh water.

For Earth month, my four weekly Earth month challenges are as follows:

Week 1: Begin Recycling. As I live off campus, recycling is not as readily available but I have already found the resources that I needed to begin this project. While this may not seemingly relate to food and water, I have mentioned in a previous post how the packaging from food can impact the Earth.

Week 2: Eat less meat this week. Mass production facilities use a massive amounts of resources. Break the cycle! As I’m not a vegetarian, this will be a challenge, but I’m capable.

Week 3: Begin composting. In my house we eat a lot of fresh foods and vegetables, and more often than not theres some left over that goes in the trash. If we can compost this, we can reduce run off contamination while still growing healthy gardens.

Week 4: Planting a garden! This week I will plant a small garden along my house to help reduce storm water run off in the upcoming spring months.

I chose to explore German Village/ the Brewery District for this project because of it’s strong history. I was most looking forward to visiting The Book Loft. That excitement got to me as it was my first stop on my list of places to visit! Who wouldn’t love a 32 room bargain book store? I spent too much time (and too much money) at this stop but was able to share it with friends and score some good reads! Among my list of other stops to make are Schmidt’s Sausage Haus for the huge cream puffs and the Scioto Audubon for a relaxing park getaway.

A photo from The Book Loft.

I am most looking forward to visiting an area that is vastly different from that found near my home in Columbus and the OSU campus whether that be through appearances, atmosphere, activities, or community. I hope to gain memorable experiences and a better knowledge of the area through my exploration as it is a historical neighborhood with extravagant puzzle-like architecture and a paranormal history (I’ll probably stop to look at the Schwartz House, of course). After watching the neighborhood video about German Village, I was even more eager to visit and watch history transform and come together before my eyes by just walking down the brick covered streets. To imagine book burnings at an intersection of Broad and High Street or even the district during the Prohibition is outstanding and I am very eager to continue my journey through German Village.

My focus for the Earth Month Challenge is Food and Water. I chose this area as The Good Food Revolution by Will Allen truly inspired me as well as my background with food animals and production. Food is often seen as biodegradable and easily replenished so it is not as commonly thought of with environmental sustainability. Water, however, is seen as more of an environmental issue as far as cleanliness and availability goes.

Ways to decrease impact on water quality:

1. Use natural fertilizers, like compost, to reduce run-off contamination.
2. Don’t overwater lawns and gardens. While we may not be in a drought, it’s still important not to use more water than what is available to us.
3. Watch what you flush! If all products are not biodegradable they can damage sewer treatment systems.
4. Pick up after your pets to prevent contaminating storm water drains and other water supplies.
5. Correctly dispose of hazardous materials. Contact a local sanitation or EPA facility to find out what to do with certain materials.
6. Give water more places to go, whether that be an irrigation system for times of drought or planting a garden in order to collect more water. This is especially helpful in places with excess storm water.
7. Eat less meat. While it seems far fetched, massive production farms require an outrageous amount of water to keep the animals properly hydrated. Less demand, fewer farms

Ways to decrease impact on the environment through food:

1. Reduce food waste by compacting or not making more food than what will be eaten (easier said than done).
2. Buy local food that hasn’t been shipped over thousands of miles releasing noxious fumes into our air supply.
3.  Grow some of your own food with out the chemicals commonly used to treat massive amounts of crops.
4. Be sure to recycle food products and packaging properly to reduce landfill volume.
5. Buy food seasonally to reduce the need for foods produced in greenhouses.
6. Reduce consumption of alcohol so fermentation is not affecting the Carbon emissions.
7. Eat fresh foods or ones that have had significantly shorter processing period.
8. In general for all environmental issues, become an educated activist! Help spread the message about the dos and don’ts of taking care of our only home.

Some programs already set in place in our area are like the Columbus Compost project that makes composting easy and has already diverted 68,692 pounds of food. Some of the benefits of composting have already been mentioned but this company takes the hassle out of it by doing the actual composting for you and returning the compost back to you for use. Another good resource is right on campus and is the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center where they are committed to creating sustainable food sources and maintaining the stewardship of our resources. Lastly, for water conservation, visiting the Ohio River Foundation who’s made it their job to keep the quality of Ohio’s water as good as possible by managing storm water and rain gardens, river ecosystems, and working with local governments to establish proper legislation for these issues.

For more information visit:

This site about “Eating Green”

This site about food and the effects on our environment

This site about water contamination

OR

This site about non-point pollution in general

All four of these sites further explain the information I listed and have even more steps on how you can help out our Earth!

Music has always been my lifeline. Whether it’s playing music, listening to it, or learning about it. There is something about the creation and the emotion involved that has always been moving to me. Asking me my favorite genre is nearly impossible, so it only seemed fitting to do my Columbus To Do list project on music.

Throughout my music loving career, concerts have always been the most beautiful part. At a concert, you witness first-hand the emotion that someone feels during a particular point in a song. These opportunities are also excellent ways to get closer to the artist and know them as more than just an artist, but as a person.

Columbus does a fabulous job of being an opening and welcoming city and, as the capital of Ohio, it has many bands and artists come through at many different venues.

The first concert I managed to see was Twenty One Pilots at the Schottenstein Center. This being right on campus was convenient and simple, but it was also the largest (and most expensive). If you already had tickets, as I did, the organization was fine. Otherwise, you probably stood in a line for hours. The time spent during the concert was wonderful. The members, if you aren’t familiar with the band, are from Columbus. It was almost like a “coming home” show for them, which made it all the more emotional.

My second concert not too long after was to see a band from New Jersey, gates, whom I had known of before but had never seen them live. When these bands come through, the concerts are smaller and much more personable. The concert was held at the Woodlands Tavern and the crowd was very responsive. I had never been to this area of Columbus before, so it was a learning experience for me. The members of the band were receptive to our feedback, and even planned an unscheduled encore when we chanted for one. The humor amongst the crowd was excellent.

The third concert I attended was the Misfits at Alrosa Villa, on the opposite end of Columbus. This venue, though poorly taken care of, is quite possibly one of the most “historic” ones we have as the Guitarist of Pantera was shot several years ago, along with other fellow concert-goers and was killed tragically. Thankfully, during my time there, we were all safe and enjoying the music. I was able to bring a friend who is not from the Columbus area with me so she too could enjoy what it had to offer. This concert was much more energetic and active, as the music matched that.

The fourth concert I was able to experience was held by a close friend of mine at Ruby Tuesday’s Live on Summit Avenue. It was a 2-day heavy metal Halloween festival (a bit different than the other concerts I had seen). I was able to help him advertise and prepare for the show, which was a new experience for me. We explored the majority of High Street together hanging posters and then I was able to familiarize myself with more local music at the concert itself.

The fifth concert I was able to attend was one in which a favorite of mine would be performing. In The Basement, a “ska” band known as Foxing performed with a band called The World Is a Beautiful Place and I’m No Longer Afraid to Die. Though this venue is far from my favorite as it is incredibly small and is a bit pricey, the show was phenomenal. The emotion of the band members made me overwhelmingly emotionally. The crowd was amazing and they encouraged the members to perform at their best. Possibly one of the greatest things about musical shows is seeing how people react to situations and getting a sense of their character. After questionable events that night, both bands responded properly and noted that our safety was of utmost importance to them. They wanted to ensure that we were always comfortable and having a good time.

My final experience that I will write about, but certainly not the last I will attend, is the concert of a band called Title Fight. Their concerts are known for the energy and the adrenaline, and because of this I was very excited for the experience. If you aren’t familiar with the punk rock genre, it would be helpful to know that stage diving is an all too common process at these concerts. Now, I never saw myself as one to run off of the stage into a crowd of people, but when the music takes over, you become unpredictable I guess. After stage diving, and letting the “punk rock spirit” overwhelm you, you feel rejuvenated, believe it or not.

To recap, there is plenty to learn from a concert, plenty more to learn from multiple concerts, but there is also so much to learn from the venues. With each concert, I went to a new venue and tried a new restaurant. I was able to explore some obscure areas of Columbus with good friends, and was able to fully connect with artists whom I enjoyed prior to seeing them live. While driving to a venue, I learned how to navigate my first traffic circle and managed to avoid highways in most cases. The most enjoyable part, however, was not the music or the food. It was sharing my experiences with friends, whether it was learning more about the city from them or sharing the knowledge I had with some of my friends from home.

Columbus, as one of the most welcoming cities in the world, has quickly become my home and my favorite place to spend my time. The musical experiences I have had and will continue to have will only make me more comfortable with the city. Music has the ability to bring people out of their shells in order to stand out. Who knew it could have the same effect on cities as well? If you haven’t ever been to a concert in this area, I highly recommend any that take place at Strongwater and The Basement.

The Misfits at Alrosa Villa

Heavy Metal Halloween at Ruby Tuesday’s Live

Foxing at The Basement

gates at Woodlands Tavern

Twenty One Pilots in the Schott

Title Fight at Strongwater