Archive for 2009Page 5
Gusties Study Agricultural Diversification in Wales
In America, we expect National Parks to be uninhabited and wild and used for hiking or backpacking. But, in Great Britain, things are a bit different. Their national parks are more about conserving landscapes and allowing traditional farming to continue. We visited the Llangeli Valley Farm in the Brecon Beacons National Park near Abergavenny, Wales. […]
Food to fuel
On a chilly day in January, a group of Gustavus students visited an innovative ethanol plant in Winnebago, MN, to learn more about the process of creating ethanol from corn. We had read a critical account of the American corn industry in Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and now were interested in hearing about […]
Geographers Do Field Sketching in Britain
Dr. Bjelland’s January Term class worked on learning to see the design elements of British cities and landscapes through sketching and mapping exercises.
Sewage, sludge and. . .sustainability?
Where does the water go when you flush a toilet or take a shower or wash clothes? Gustavus students visit Saint Peter’s state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility as part of the course The Future of Sustainability. Everything that goes down a campus drain shows up here where it is screened, settled, filtered, digested by bacteria, disinfected […]
Treading lightly, running on green
Gustavus students and avid runners, Lauren Nelson and Kimberly Rostvold, present ideas on how runners can tread more lightly on the Earth while still running far and fast. Their suggestions include using eco-friendly shoes, racing locally, and recycling worn-out shoes. Other students in The Future of Sustainability presented ideas for greater sustainability in areas such […]
Wind power
Gustavus students in the January-term course The Future of Sustainability visited Lake Benton, Minnesota, to gain a better understanding of wind power. Lake Benton is located on “Buffalo Ridge” in southwest Minnesota–a windy area with over 800 wind turbines which calls itself the “wind power capital of the Midwest.” According to the Department of Energy, […]
Geocache!
Students in the Fall Geographic Information Science (GIS) class gave geocaching a try on a cold day in November. Like a high-tech treasure hunt, the goal is to use GPS and clues to navigate to a “cache” created by someone else. The cache contains a log of other geocachers who discovered it and maybe a […]