Tag Archives: Urban Gardening

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Changing the dialog around sustainability

  November 5, 2014

Yesterday, I spoke on a student panel for a conference that centered around issues of sustainability.  There were speakers from various universities (including President Becker from GSU), company heads, interested scholars and a diverse group of other individuals all with a vested interest in integrating and sustaining green systems into our schools, our work and our daily life. Many of the sessions were informative and enlightening, but what I enjoyed the most is when all 4 panelists (emory, ga tech, spellmen, and myself) came together with other interested participants to discuss specifically ways we can share our resources and knowledge to further the goal of sustainability on campus and around Georgia. We were able to exchange ideas, ask questions on how others have implemented certain programs with success, and discuss in general some innovative ways to approach the issues facing sustainability without falling into the trap of sounding like a “liberal, tree hugging hippie”. Now,  I say liberal, tree hugging hippie with love because that’s what many of my southern family members think of me.  I work in urban gardens, I buy organic food, I try to stray from overly processed and chemical based products, I recycle and I strive to include green development in my thesis work and future plans for a career.   The problem is that in this country, and especially in the south, sustainability is too broad of a term that many times is disregarded or resented because of its association with things that might be … Continue reading

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Food and the Power of Maps

  September 14, 2014

Urban Gardening, Food Deserts, and Mapping was the title of the presentation Nicole Ryerson and I gave during this week’s Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for CURVE. Nicole and I are both M.S. students in the department of Geosciences and, between the two of us, we have a diverse collection of original maps. These maps have been produced from the simplest of web mapping services to the heftiest spacial analyst desktop software. As we sat at Workstation II, there was a pleasantly consistent flow of curious administrators, librarians, faculty members, and students stopping by to ask us about our work. As we presented, we offered what I now reflect on to be a gracefully orchestrated dialogue:I would give a short overview of the different mapping tools that were used to make the maps surrounding food topics that we had on display and Nicole (who has constructed an awesome thesis surrounding urban agriculture in Atlanta) shared her wealth of knowledge surrounding food from “the plant to the policy.” Conversations around urban food are extremely “sexy” in research right now and, because these conversations lend themselves to spatial considerations, easily translate into related discussion around cartographic representations. Cartography is becoming increasingly accessible to non-experts with the advancement of technology. You can hardly search through a newsfeed on Facebook without seeing some colorful map of the US declaring each state’s allegiance to a certain product or habit. The one that I’ve seen most frequently is this one showing Facebook fans of the NFL. Both at my … Continue reading