Introduction
Early on a Monday morning, a student sits quietly, working on a pair of headphones she has fashioned from a couple old speakers, some baby food jars, and some recycled wire. Her eyes light up as she hears music played through them for the first time. Another student, rather than buying a new Halloween costume, sews LED light bulbs into a skirt. This is a typical day in Grand Center Arts Academy’s Makerspace, the library-turned-inventor’s-paradise where I spent my service hours for Dr. Tobias Winright’s Green Discipleship class. Even though my service experience may have been the most unconventional of the class, I believe the time I spent at the Makerspace was well-served and upheld key concepts covered in the course; recycling, reusing, and making what you need from what you have is the core of the Makerspace philosophy.
Summary
I originally was introduced to the Makerspace during a job search in early September, when a friend suggested that I might enjoy working at Grand Center Arts Academy (GCAA), a charter middle and high school not far from the Saint Louis University campus. I found the idea of a space dedicated to making intriguing, so I accepted a job offer and was employed as a Makerspace Mentor through the Federal Work Study program. However, I am only paid for 15 hours of my time each week, and regularly donate several extra hours, because it is difficult not to stay for as long as my schedule allows. I decided that I wanted to write about this experience because I have grown so fond of the vision and purpose behind the Makerspace. I could have just as easily given my extra time to one of the suggested sites, such as Gateway Greening, Forest ReLeaf, or Campus Kitchen, but I felt the call to do something...
... middle of paper ...
...ace Facilitator, has introduced at Grand Center Arts Academy. Anytime you get a group of young students with a passion for learning together, the intellectual possibilities are not limited to
My dream is to start a non-profit out of college called the Global Risk Reduction Brigade (GRRB), and conduct research on economically- and environmentally-sustainable ways to reduce the of impact of natural and man-made disasters on disaster-prone communities all over the world. Then I would recruit college students from the U.S. to donate their summers to the distribution of this information all over the world, out of our St. Louis-based office. I believe that a lot of what I have learned in the Makerspace can be applied to this future goal. For instance, I could use my Maker skills and the knowledge I have acquired about 3D printing to fashion tools that could be used.
Lead Mentor at STEMbility in the field of Augmented Reality where we conduct workshops for students and provide them a hands on experience.
I have seen first hand what poverty is, and I want life for those people to change. Because I am good with my hands, building should be of no trouble for me. In Haiti, I loved to play with the carpenter's tools; making small cabinets or door and more. I have volunteered before with a home rebuilding organization. We demolished an old home in order to prepare it for renovation. Thinking back to it now, these things brought me joy. Not the simple act of service, but specifically using my hands to bring change. I think that is why I am motivated to help out with Habitat for Humanity. Also, my friend has a yearly summer commitment to help build homes for the homeless that I find most intriguing. He posts pictures on Facebook, and I admire them thinking to myself how awesome it would be if I could do that.
I have realized that just by using the knowledge I have and some of my time, I too can make a difference. Now more than ever I have a passion to make a significant change for the better to this world of ours.
The American Academy of Art possesses an interesting background. Frank Young Sr. dreamt of creating a school that would “provide the best instructors, attract the best students, and neglect nothing that will help them to build successful careers.” In 1923, Young decided to turn his dreams into reality, thus creating The American Academy of Art (AAA). The school was originally designed as a school to offer Associate's Degrees in commercial arts, but with the help of the current owner and president of AAA, Richard H. Otto, the ‘Bachelor of Fine Arts Program’ was established in 1992 (“About the Academy”).
Tunks, J. (1997). Integrating community arts programming into the curriculum: A case study in Texas. Arts Education Policy Review, Vol. 98 Issue 3, p21, 6p.
Ever found something in the trash and taken it home? While many partake in dumpster diving leisurely, there are a special few who get everything they need from garbage: clothes, electronics, and even food. "Cultivate poverty... like a garden herb. Don't trouble yourself to get new things whether clothes or friends," (Thoreau, Generation 25). This brilliant quote relates very closely to the freeganism movement which fights wastefulness in our consumerist society.
..., as well as the management experience, to one day open an engineering firm, an aspiration sparked by my parents who ran their own small businesses. I hope to learn how to tackle problems associated with building structures of unorthodox yet sustainable design so that, as a structural engineer, I could bring to reality art that can endure tumultuous storms and dynamic humans. I want to build structures that in turn build the future.
For most of America, recycling has become a way of life. For some, it is a valiant effort to take charge of our waste and do what is right for the environment and for future generations. For others, it is a forced mentality by government agencies or private businesses who attempt to prove their value by self-promoting their commitment to environmental responsibility. Recycling, in theory, is a positive effort; however, massive recycling programs are not the answer. Recycling programs in general lack an intelligent way to a means, since the costs and environmental burden may outweigh the desired result. Recyclers should only focus on materials that they can process in a cost effective way, and consumers should focus
Waste Not, Want Not: if you use a resource carefully and without extravagance, you will never be in need. In a 2009 essay, “Waste Not, Want Not”, writer Bill McKibben argues on the excess of unnecessary waste. To halt climate change, he proposes to convince the reader to shift priorities in waste management and go back to the frugality of simpler times. Bill approaches his argument with a vast amount of informative charged words to convince the reader into taking his side of the argument. The writer’s intended purpose in writing this piece is to make a statement and develop his argument against the unnecessary waste. To make this argument effective, the writer utilizes logic to persuade the audience with overwhelming data and reason. His primary instrument of choice in this essay is using logically charged words followed by factual evidence to back up his claims. Although his use of emotion and pathos are less obvious, but where used, is effective.
For the past twenty years, society has surpassed the “Waste equals sustenance” analysis (Frederick, 2007). Individuals have begun to overload our municipal landfills with waste products that could be reused or recycled. By abusing landfills with these waste products, society has begun causing harm to the environment. There are many anti-recycling activists like John Tierney who oppose recycling because he believes it to be a waste of taxpayer’s dollars, and the public’s time and energy (Hershkowitz, 1998). In today’s society recycling ha...
One of my personal goals for the project was to learn as much as I could about the sustainability issue facing us. I did this by participating in all of the projects that were done throughout the semester. The main project that occurred during the semester was the personal sustainability goals that we each set for ourselves. While doing the actions that we pledged to do, we learned different things about sustainability that we never knew before. One of the things that I learned was that, at Clemson, it is hard for students who want to recycle to be able to recycle. There are not the necessary facilities nearby our student housing to place our recyclables. I also learned that some actions that should be done to be sustainable are hard to do in the society that we live in. One of these activities that we do is the needless driving that Americans do in general. Since we live in a moving society, it is sometimes hard to do. An easy thing that everyone can do is to recycle some of his or her wastes. This can be done for most people at little or no extra effort than just throwing your trash away.
The Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts is designed to help fine art educators develop new and better ways of teaching. It describes useful technology, curriculums and ideas.
One thing Mr. Kohtz and I can agree on is that Americans thrive on finding ways to solve problems. We continue to ensure a high quality of life for ourselves and generations to come with new inventions, technology and discoveries. This debate starts the process of finding a solution to the tough challenges of recycling.
The concept of “going green” is a necessity for the future because “our children deserve cities as beautiful as they are”. Works Cited Russell, Lauren. A. Web. " An Evaluation of Municipal Recycling Programs."
Therefore, recycling can protect natural resources, preserve energy and lessen pollution. If people want to save planet Earth for generations to come, then recycling is necessary. On Debate.org, the question “Should there be mandatory recycling?” was asked and 84 percent said yes, while only 16 percent said no (“Should There Be Mandatory Recycling”). Recycling is very important to the planet and can make a huge difference in so many ways. Recycling is a way of life and once a person has made the choice to follow through with the steps, recycling can become second nature. Every small contribution adds up to how the society shapes the Earth’s future. How will someone make a difference?