Second Year Review

The highlight of the past two years was the spring camping trip in 2016. After taking a much longer hike than planned and having my shoes melted while trying to dry them, I was able to connect with others and form close friendships. That night, me and my roommate/tentmate stayed up laughing at some stupid joke and annoyed the entire rest of the camp. I will always keep the joke and that night in fond memory.

Due to ENR scholars, I learned how to find different forms of help when I needed them. This will be more useful to me than any of the environmental awareness programs we learned about, but it wasn’t something you can teach in a class room. I gained the awareness to realize when something was wrong, and I got the confidence to ask for help. If I were to go back, I would undoubtedly join ENR scholars again.

My spring 17 project was working on my research project that I started in spring 16 with the Peterman Lab. I was able to join this lab because of the connections I made with ENR. So far, it has helped me nail down a work schedule and given me a drive to get my work done. At the same time, it has helped me realize that I most likely do not want to go into academia.

In parting, the advice I would give to future ENR scholars is this: work to find how you truly connect with the scholars program. This might be with the ideas that are presented in class or joining a club that does something you are passionate about. For me, it is my spontaneous meetings with Amanda where we talk about anything and everything that have helped me truly connect with scholars. If you cannot glean anything from being in scholars, you are not digging deep enough, or have not found how to connect yet. That does not mean that you will not, but it means that it may take work. Working for how you connect is not easy, but it will be one of the more rewarding experiences of your life when it happens. In closing, I hope that ENR scholars can provide for other first and second years what it did for me: community, self empowerment, and a change in world view.

Second Year Project Proposal

For my second year project I will be participating in the Saplings Mentoring Program through ENR scholars. I think, or at least hope that this will help as meany first year ENR Scholars navigate their first year of college. I would like to be able to show them the ropes as well as be an important part of their support system here at Ohio State. I would also like to help them break out of their norms a bit and encourage them to try new things. I plan to take my Saplings rock climbing, biking, and for some really good food places around Columbus. This experience will benefit me as well because I hope to learn from the first years as much as they learn from me. I will also be building a stronger sense of community between the first and second years of ENR Scholars. Besides all of those things, I will be exploring Columbus again myself by taking my saplings to places that I have yet to visit. I think that the new system of weekly classes should help facilitate a more structured way to interact with the freshmen. It will also provide a great way to make sure that Sapling groups all get together and get to know each other.

I would like to do this because I like to see the positive change that I can make in people’s lives. Since I don’t have the time to get involved with Wellness Coaching this semester, I hope to bring what I learned from the training to my mentoring practices. This way, if any of my saplings, or even any of the first years, run into difficult times, I will be able to help them not only cope, but thrive. I hope to gain more mentoring experience from this program as well as build relationships that last through our years here at Ohio State.

Year in Review

Throughout this past year I have made many changes regarding how I live my life. First of all, I have started exercising differently. I had participated in team swimming for 10 years of my life before coming to college, but once I got here I got into the pool only twice. Instead, I have taken up rock climbing and a bit or running instead because I find climbing more enjoyable. I do miss swimming and will inevitably return to it as a way to keep healthy, but until then  my hours in the pool will most likely remain fairly minimal. I have also chosen to be social in a larger group of friends. In high school I really only hung out with one other person. Living in a dorm really does not make that option viable, so I adapted and expanded the number of people I regularly hang out with. Although the number really hasn’t risen too much, the amount of time I hang out with each person most definitely is higher than it would have been a year ago. I enjoy other people’s company but sometimes, especially when stressed, I really just need a break from everyone.

I have also become more attentive to my studies throughout college. I mostly attribute this to the overall atmosphere of college, especially the idea of living near where you go to class. If I had lived at home I would not have had a good work ethic at all. Since I’m here, I just will do work in my free time rather than sit around like a lazy person. When I was at home, I had a very regimented schedule because of my involvement in sports nearly year round. Now, I have a lot of free time and have to figure out what to do with all of it. In all honesty, high school was more stressful than college in my opinion. Something I would like to do would eat more healthily. I tend to snack a lot and I do not choose healthy options most of the time. Over the summer I will be cooking for myself which I hope will help make me more conscientious of food I’m getting. Another change I would like to make would be getting into a more regular sleeping pattern during the school year. Of course, next year I have an even more intermittent schedule for the mornings so I can easily see myself not becoming a regular morning person, but I will still make the effort.

From my college experience I have found that I have a lot that I can learn from all the others around me. Everyone come from different backgrounds and experiences and therefore can bring new insight on issues. This also means that I can bring different opinions ideas to group decisions. I like to think that I can give level-headed advice to my friends and help them through difficult decisions. I also like to think that I can give help when it comes to classes as well. Although I will never know all the answers, I will try and figure them out or look up how to do problems in order to help out my friends.

Scholars Earth Month was a way that I could focus and actualized what I could do to help the environment. I chose to focus on waste because I noticed how much is thrown out in the dining halls. This bothered me so I decided try and limit the amount of waste I was producing. I did this by using less plastic utensils, buying food with less packaging, and using less dishes. These choices were not difficult, but felt meaningful because I could see what a difference I was making. I will most likely continue at least trying to reduce the amount of waste I have because it was easy and I feel that it’s the right thing to do. Also, when you reduce waste, it means that you have to take out the trash less, and I’m all about doing less labor. I will also try to reduce my water usage because the freshwater reserves are declining globally. With these two methods I hope that I can do my small part to make a difference for the environment.

Columbus To Do List Part 2

The Food list:

20160415_104429Nida’s Thai on High:

Nida’s is a wonderful little Thai restaurant on High Street as the name would suggest. Although the names of all the dishes may be difficult and confusing, there are descriptions for each which makes ordering not as difficult as one might think. The only issue comes when you are asked how spicy you would like your dish to be. The scale (mild, medium, hot, and then two above hot) is fairly ambiguous. If you are going there for the first time, I would suggest getting the medium. If you know you like spicy foods, go for the hot or even higher!

20160415_104551Northstar Cafe:

Northstar is a breakfast and brunch place in the Short North that serves anything from breakfast burritos to ricotta pancakes. I ordered the breakfast burrito even though I was somewhat skeptical of having sweet potatoes in it. As I should have realized by virtue of it being on this list, the meal was delicious. Everything tasted very fresh and by the end I was full, but did not feel like I had eaten too much. There are many brunch places around Columbus but I would highly suggest visiting Northstar at least once.

Lavash:

Lavash is offers Mediterranean cuisine with a modern feel located in Clintonville. I have been here multiple times but try and order something different every time I go. This most recent time I ordered a chicken schawarma wrap on whole wheat lavash bread and a tabbouleh salad. Each dish was delicious on their own, but together they were a delight. The meat was very tasty and was tied together with fresh vegetables that provided an overall well balanced dish. I would suggest visiting Lavash for a lunch or dinner with people of any tastes because everything there seems delicious.

20160415_110637Tasi:

Tasi a a cute little brunch place in the Short North off the is set back from High Street and is located on Pearl Street. It is close enough to walk to from campus, but there is parking in case you are coming from farther away. The atmosphere inside of the restaurant was homey and a bit industrial, which sounds like an odd mix, but it worked well with a combination of hardwood floors and exposed piping. I could easily see dining here becoming a common occurrence for me because of the quality of the food. I ordered a steak skillet and pleasantly surprised at the blend of flavors and the kick that was added through jalapenos. I also put in an order for cinnamon challah and was slightly disappointed as it seemed to be merely toast with cinnamon on top. I would like to try some of the other baked goods, but I personally was not a fan of the challah.

My favorite restaurant had to be Tasi because of the great food and the wonderful atmosphere. It felt like a quiet getaway from the bustle of Columbus life accompanied by high quality dishes. I learned that Columbus has many ethnic influences when it comes to food and that it is possible to experience it all without breaking the bank. I would recommend all of these restaurants to my friends because I thought all of them were great.

Earth Month Challenge Part 4

Overall, my earth month experience was very positive. I’ve learned that it’s not as difficult to make decisions that help the environment as I thought. But, even though it’s not difficult, many people don’t make the effort because they don’t realize how important it is to reduce waste. Also, I learned that many companies don’t care about how much packaging they use and how it adds extra waste into a landfill. What I’ve learned about myself is that I can do my part to help reduce waste. I’ve also learned that I am more environmentally friendly than many people but that I can always do more and encourage others to do the same. Educating other people may not make too much of a difference but if I can make people care about the environment, then they will make the changes on their own. I will definitely continue making adjustments in my life to reduce waste in order to become more environmentally friendly. I can eat out less because restaurants put in a lot of excess napkins or packaging that just goes to waste. Another way that I could continue to reduce waste would be reducing the amount of water that I use. I could take shorter showers for starters as I know that I waste plenty of water. Next, I could reduce my consumption of meat. Meat requires a ridiculous amount of water to produce so if I eat less of it, then less water will be wasted. Another way to reduce water usage eventually would be collecting rainwater to water my plants. That way I wouldn’t have to use cleaned water but just rainwater.  I would like to try the vegetarian challenge at some point. I would like to try it because I realize the negative environmental impacts of eating meat every day. Meat requires quite a bit of water and plant matter that could be used to feed others. That way, the freshwater resources could be used to grow food for more people. Another challenge that I would like to try at some point would be the energy and transportation challenge. Although I already walk or bike everywhere that I can, I still take the elevator. The elevator uses plenty of energy and I could just take the stairs. Also, I can take colder showers because the energy required to heat the water is tremendous. Overall the earth month challenge was a great experience and I will continue to be environmentally aware through my life.

Earth Month Challenge Part 3

The third week of my earth month challenge went well enough. For the past week, I increased the amount of materials I recycled. Although this might seem cliche I think it’s an important thing to do. Rather than just throwing everything in the recycling indiscriminately, paying attention to what can and cannot be recycled is important. If too many things are wrongly placed into the recycling, it can become contaminated and then nothing can be recycled. Many companies are starting to make their packaging out of recycled materials, so when more is recycled, everything becomes more green. I really didn’t have that much to recycle this week because OSU doesn’t recycle very many numbers and I don’t buy a whole lot of food for myself. I didn’t have to recycle any water bottles because I only have a reusable one. I did however convince my roommates to recycle their water bottles. Something that I could do differently would be starting to use reusable bag rather than plastic ones. Plastic bags are not able to be recycled so they can only be thrown away and end up in landfills. If I have a reusable bag, then I will stop many bags from going into the dump. Although my personal contribution may not do much in the short run, it may help in the long run. Next week should go just as well, and I think the earth month challenge is going great as a whole. Oroeco is working for me now which is great, but something still annoying is how nonspecific the actions are.

Earth month reflection 2

The second week of my earth month challenge went very well. For the second week, I reduced the amount of. I chose to do this because I have learned that reducing water isn’t difficult at all, especially when it can be as simple as taking shorter showers. Although reducing water consumption is easy, it is still important. The freshwater reserves of the world are depleting so it is important to use less fresh water for things such as showers. I usually take short showers, but taking colder, and even shorter ones can reduce water wasted. Something that I could do differently would reducing the amount of dishes i use at the dining halls. This would then cause the frequency at which dishes were washed to decrease and water used to decrease. Although mynpersonal contribution may not do much in the short run, it may help in the long run. I feel that next week will go just as smoothly as yhis one did. I am still having difficulty with oroeco because the actions are not very specific. I have taken some of them but they seem vague. This therefore means that I haven’t reduced my carbon footprint or increased my savings very accuratrly. I really liked the idea of oroeco, but since it is still in a beta form it seems fairly difficult to use.

Earth Month Reflection 1

The first week of my earth month challenge went well. for the first week, I decided to avoid using any sort of plastic utensil to eat. I chose to do this because I readily have metal utensils and therefore it would be pointless and wasteful to use plastic utensils. I have learned that my challenge are is not very difficult as long as you are just trying to reduce waste rather than eliminate it completely. In this day and age it is nearly impossible to completely get rid of all waste produced. I have also learned that I personally don’t use plastic utensils or plates very often at all. Something that I could do differently would be going to the traditions dining more than getting food from the C-store. This would help because everything from the C-store has some sort of waste that accompanies it while traditions food is served on plates that can be washed. I feel that next week will go just as smoothly.A difficulty I have run into deals with the oroeco website. It doesn’t have a corresponding or specific action that is getting rid of plastic utensils. This therefore means that I haven’t reduced my carbon footprint or increased my savings at all. Also, there is difficulty in joining the OSU group for the program, so I am not yet contributing to the overall community reduction.

Earth Month Challenge Part 1

For the Earth Month Challenge, I will be focusing on reducing waste and toxicity. I was drawn to this topic because notice how wasteful the the dining halls are at OSU. Here is a list of things to for others trying to do the same as I.

  1. When at the dining halls, do not take more than needed.
  2. If you end up wanting seconds or something else, reuse the plate as to not provide extra dishes and waste water.
  3. Try and only use one napkin when at the dining halls or when eating in general
  4. Use metal utensils rather than plastic whenever getting takeout or something from on e of the markets.
  5. Plan accordingly when going to the grocery store so that excess is not wasted in the future.
  6. On the flip side, buy in bulk when necessary so that excess packaging is not used when a good is needed on a daily basis.
  7. When going to the store, do so with a plan of what needs to be bought. That way frivolous food that won’t all get eaten won’t be purchased.
  8. The best option is to try and buy things that do not have packaging, such as loose fruits and vegetables.
  9. When cooking, do so in a way that provides leftovers that can be eaten later rather than be thrown out.
  10. Attempt to reuse packaging if possible.
  11. When eating out, take home a portion of the food to use as another meal or two.
  12. Buy a reusable water bottle rather than buying bottled water from the store.
  13. Instead of buying a cup of coffee and producing waste in the form of cups, make it at home in the morning.
  14. When drinking tea make it with loose leaf as to not produce tea bags as trash.
  15. Choose to reuse glass and plastic that accompany items from the store, and if they cannot be reused, recycle them.

There are programs around campus and Columbus for those who want to reduce their waste output. First, the Zero Waste program at Ohio State can be used as a way to educate others and make a difference. During the tailgates, all one must do is volunteer with the program in order to help recycle. Another program in Columbus that we are fortunate enough to have is a recycling system. This way not all trash need to go directly into the landfill. Finally, there are farmers’ markets that sell fresh, local foods that come without packaging.

There are some resources that are available are the websites regarding facility operations (https://fod.osu.edu/), environmental health and safety (http://ehs.osu.edu/EnvAffairs/default.aspx) on campus.The websites give information about how OSU gets rid of waste and what can be recycled. The Environmental Affairs website relates more to toxicity and how Ohio State complies with federal laws. It also provides guidelines on how to recycle more difficult products such as computers. Rethinkrecycling.com is a website that helps determine what can and cannot be recycled in a household. It also details how they should be recycled. The EPA website is also a great resource for determining what can be done to reduce waste. It explains what to do as a student or what to do at work in order to reduce waste.

Columbus to-do List Part 1

For the spring semester I have chosen to do option 1, specifically the food list. I most looking forward to spending time with my friends and trying to find some of the unique flavors of Columbus. I really like to discover small, unique places to eat and by visiting some of the more well known places around Columbus, I will get a good idea of where to stKatsingers at the North Marketart when looking for places to eat over the summer. I am most looking forward to eating at La Vavash because I love Mediterranean food. Personally I love the amount and types of spices that go into Mediterranean food and I’m very excited to try some from this restaurant. So far I have gone to Katsingers, specifically the small one in the North Market. I really enjoyed the sandwich I got, but I felt like my arteries were being clogged by the minute. Aside from that, I would highly suggest it to any sandwich enthusiast, but not more than every once and awhile.