The agricultural practices behind two famous beverages During our stay in Oaxaca we got to understand that local communities have found various ways to consult among each other for proper management of their common watershed. However, different from past decades, communities now are no longer concerned with only subsistence agriculture. …
In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to create a standard of quality for public water systems and protect citizens from waterborne disease. Faced with the costs of drinking water filtration infrastructure and upkeep, New York City officials chose to instead adopt a watershed management program to …
Since returning from the BCEP trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, I have had time to reflect and appreciate the width and depth of my experiences. The food, the people and the environment of Oaxaca provided a rich cultural experience, that continually challenged my perceptions and expectations. Even though it was easy …
A new way to view conservation The recent J-term in Oaxaca provided me with a new way of viewing the motivations of conservation. A major part of the conservation in Oaxaca is done in Voluntary Conservation Areas, land that is designated and managed for conservation by communities. In Oaxaca, of …
During the 2019 January term in Oaxaca, Mexico, Bard CEP and MBA students visited various locations devoted to conservation and sustainable development. Each day was equal parts educational and inspiring, but our visit to La Mesita in San Pablo Etla stood out to me in a particular way. La Mesita, …
I duck under the tin roof of the cooking enclosure and my lungs immediately fill with smoke. Gabby is explaining how they use the ash from the cooking fires in their newly installed dry bathrooms at the #131 Secondary School of San Miguel Suchixtepec. We are 8,000 feet above sea …
Unexpected changes in direction are not uncommon when starting new projects. At the get go, you inevitably have an idea of what you think the inputs and outputs of the project should look like. It’s easy to latch onto these expectations and garner a lot of momentum in one direction. …
My internship with Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County’s (CCEOC) Gleaning Program came to a close at the end of December. In the five months I spent working for the Glean Team, I learned A LOT about the wide variety of fruits and vegetables that grow here in the Hudson Valley. …
A rush of wind and the roar of an engine that goes suddenly silent–this is the first leg of my commute. From the Park Presidio stop aboard MUNI #28, I get off at Daly City BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to catch the Yellow Line to Millbrae Caltrain Station, where …
After a year of intensive graduate school coursework at Bard’s Center for Environmental Policy (CEP), I interned with ManTech International Corporation, a technology and innovation company that does contract consulting work primarily for the U.S. military. I worked in the environmental department and assisted project managers write and research for …
