As our demand for resources escalate, more community members are realizing the trade offs that come with living in the modern industrialized world. A small suburb town Mayflower, Arkansas is witnessing the consequences of “progress.” The Pegasus pipeline, which is associated with the proposed XL Pipeline in Canada has covered residential land, forest area, and…
Category: Nature & People
Giving Value to our Sustenance
We nourish our bodies everyday by providing it with adequate food and water. But is our use really adequate, or is it over-adequate? A first world issue may not be a lack of food or water, but a lack of “good” food or lack of something other than water. Statements like “I have nothing to…
Grazing Across Lands and Among Species!
I am in great anticipation for the Ithaca Spring and Summer. The Fall was so beautiful and my first Winter in the east coast was not as bad as I expected. I was very excited to see a pair of Canadian geese grazing this afternoon. I was so excited, it reminded me of a visit…
“Natural” and “Artificial” Boundaries
Lately boundaries have been more noticeable. Everyday I walk down a hill towards the Ithaca commons and see signage “Downtown Ithaca.” This makes the division between the residential area I live in and the downtown area obvious. While walking down the hill everyday, I also always see the Six Mile Creek below. This Creek leads…
Education Reform and John Legend
Yesterday, John Legend came to Cornell and discussed how education inequality is the civil rights issue of the 21st century. The inequality stems from early education programs, including pre-school and elementary. At a young age students are divided into class structures based on preconceived intelligence that is oftentimes determined by the community the child is…
Loving Alpacas while Gaining Ecological Knowledge
I was very excited to visit the Alpaca Cass Farm in Davis CA. It will be interesting to compare the information I learned here with information I will learn from a visit to an Alpaca farm in NY in a few weeks. When I first entered their area, the Guard Llama, shown in the photo…
Parallels in Ecosystems
In a recent visit to California, I was very excited to see the Spring. In a previous post about Beebe lake in Ithaca, I noted that there is a harmony in nature, specifically through the photograph of the 2 geese in the center of the photograph. Observing the geese travel in pairs was heart warming…
Transience and Beauty of Beebe Lake
I walked around Beebe lake on a very windy day. Earlier in the day it was 28 degrees and I got snowed on, by the time I got to Beebe lake, it was nice and sunny, but still cold. I typically see the waterfall when I cross the footbridge. This is a great natural landmark…
Age & Durability
It is amazing to imagine that Cornell University was founded in 1865 and is over 100 years old. As an educational institution that provides opportunities to develop intellect and contribute to a greater development of society, it makes sense for the University to exist for such a long time and have such a strong reputation….
Developing Narratives with Clothing and Connections to Place
I first met Audrey Acosta, one of the kindest designers ever, in Spring 2009 at the Whole Earth Festival in Davis California. I was charmed by all of her colorful one-of-a-kind dresses. In an internship with her, she explained that she traveled to India once a year and hand-picked recycled silks to use for her…
Towers!
I recently found an article about the “world’s largest and most expensive family home.” The home is worth $1 billion and is 568 feet tall with 27 floors, several high speed elevators, and a garage that can house over 100 cars. The home is called “Antilia” and belongs to the Ambani family, the richest family…
Sheep Farm!
I visited the Cornell sheep farm in Dryden NY on the Shearing School weekend March 2-3. Several local farmers came out to learn techniques about shearing sheep. The class was taught by one of the top shearers in the US, world renown Doug Rathke who obtained training from New Zealand Wool. Surrounding the farm, there…
Bridging Branches with Crochet
When I look up, I see branches that fill the sky and see changes in the background of the branches. It is amazing to imagine that everyday we are exposed to these changes. Even as I stand watching the branches, blue sky, and clouds, I see nuanced changes as the wind causes the clouds to…
Plastic bags, bags, bags…
I was happily surprised to learn that I saved 5 cents at Target for using my re-useable bag instead of plastic. I think incentives can help reduce the amount of plastic bags that people use, but it will take some time for people to fully convert to re-useable bags in place of double bags for…
Snow inspires creativity
This is another fashion illustration that represents how I feel in the snow: playful, in anticipation, and feeling like someone should be with me in case I need help getting up after falling. This again ties into “tabula rasa” and seeing the snow as a blank slate for imagination and creativity.Drawing these illustrations has led…
HELEN TREJO 