by Jeff on September 11, 2009
This weekend the link is titled round-up because my beloved wyoming cowbows are going to try to corral and rope the texas longhorns. The Moutain west has had good luck against the big 12 so far this season, maybe wyoming can keep it up!!! Enjoy the links
Financial Sustainability:
- While the article doesnt specifically mention financial sustainability, the 3 things the Debt Ninja mentions are unsustainable habits for your pocketbook. He calls them “Debt Douchisms“.
- Great post on how to simplify your financial life @ man vs debt. Remember, typically the most simple thing is also the most sustainable. Props to him for mentioning online bill pay, direct deposit, eliminating junk mail & useless free subscriptions and Do-it-yourself projects.
Conservation/ Preservation :
- Article on the Wilderness Conservation Act @ the daily green. I am a fan of this article and this act, and enjoy conservation to it’s fullest. Think of what would have happened if the people who lived in your area before you destroyed something that you hold dear that is protected by government in some form. Yellowstone, Yosemite Parks would not exist in their current form if not for conservation.
- European Union starts the ban on incandescent bulbs at the beginning of September. Do you think it will have the intended effect?
Sustainability:
- A great debate @ build2sustain on the difference between Green and sustainability I had been considering doing this, and I think i’ll work on a post like this for the future. There is some great stuff in the comments.
- St Croix Falls, WI on trails and sustainability. The city has realized that their surroundings from the essence of the community. This is the first i’ve heard of the ice-age trail. I’d love to give it a go.
by Jeff on August 24, 2009
Over the weekend, I took a hunters safety course. Despite my fears of being locked in a room with ~40 twelve year olds for the better part of two days, it wasnt full of twelve year olds, and the course overall wasnt bad at all. (For those of you wondering, I passed, and am cleared to go for this hunting season)
I did notice a few things that I thought were interesting, and I decided to develop them into a post.
The first thing I noticed was that the hunters are very concerned with thier public image. There were words that we were instructed to stay away from that made hunting sound slightly barbaric. We were told not to use the word “weapon” (because that’s what police departments and the miliatry use) and not to use the word “kill”, instead you were to ‘harvest’ your game. I thought this was interesting, but it became clear that they are trying to educate the younger generation to ensure that hunting will stay in favor (or at least ambivilent light by the public) for the future.
Along with the public image, they are very concerned about conservation of resources, and made sure to get that across in the course. They say that there are limits on what you can hunt for reasons, and they were clearly explained in the class, that they were not some arbitrariy number, but the amount of liscenses or “tags” were based on scientific fact, and was vital for the health of the population in years to come, as well as the health of the ecosystem that the animal lived in. It was made very clear that if you followed the guidelines that were set by the scientists, then there would be plenty of game to go around.
I think this is great! I know that it kinda seems self-serving for the hunters, but whatever your reason, if you are conserving natural resources, you are doing a good job. Not only will this go for animals, but the people in the class will realize that conservation isnt only applicable for the animals, but for other natural resources as well. Maybe there will be a generation of children that can take the principle of diminishing resources that need to be kept at a certain level to be renewed, and apply it to many other resources over the course of thier lifetime.
Also, for the meat you get, hunting is a cheap way to get food, and a good way to make sure it’s healthy (no one’s putting a growth hormone in an elk like they are with some cows, but more on that tomorrow)
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