Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Urban Farming Demonstration


Go:

We're starting the initiative to bring an Urban Farm Demonstration to csulb.

Spearheaded by the Environmental Science Club, a small collective group of students are working to get this off the ground. Basically -- i think this has the potential to be freaking awesome!!

Since this summer, April Sabucco started the dialogue about forming a community garden on campus -- and from that, it's evolved to -- what we hope will become an urban farm demo on upper campus by next semester.

Currently in phase 0: A small handful of students have been meeting every week to nudge this process along. We have 4 very dedicated individuals committed to seeing this project through; April - the farm demo committee chair & geography major, Myself - ES&P club secretary & ES&P major, Carla - An amazing chica & ES&P major, and Gabe - an awesome guy & mechanical engineering major.

Hopefully by the end of the month, we will accrue more to the team. But as of now -- we've gone over the draft proposal for our project, toured the campus for potential sites, mapped out locations, and we have our first plot plan dimensional drawing! all thanks to gabe & his kick ass auto cad skills.

Next step -- put together list of supplies, list of potential sponsors, an other organizations that want to get on board.

Goal for the semester -- put together a substantial portfolio to present at the end of the semester (aiming for begging of DEC) for a presentation to President King Alexander. We'll be needing his approval along with the guys over a facilities management to give us the green light.

Pending approval, we'll then be able to move into phase 1 of our endeavor and start the project!!!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Quote of the week:


"I'm not a vegetarian because I love animals, I'm a vegetarian because I hate plants!"

lol.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

GreenLB Food Buying Co-op

"Mission Statement:

We are a group of friends and neighbors working to perpetuate a movement that will establish relationships, educate, and achieve solidarity and self-reliance within the community by way of member cooperation. Functioning as an autonomous buying club, we actively seek out the healthiest and most sustainably sourced local goods at an affordable price."

Think it sums it all up! I'm excited to be a part of the creative force behind something like this.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Me, in a nutshell

*edit 9/27/09: after long discussions about personality types and typing -- it was revealed that one can often test for their complementary type, and that I am actually in fact an ENFJ. Which makes more sense... i didn't think i was an introvert. =)

INFJ Relationships

INFJs are warm and affirming people who are usually also deep and complex. They're likely to seek out and promote relationships that are intense and meaningful. They tend to be perfectionists, and are always striving for the Ultimate Relationship. For the most part, this is a positive feature, but sometimes works against the INFJ if they fall into the habit of moving from relationship to relationship, always in search of a more perfect partner. In general, the INFJ is a deeply warm and caring person who is highly invested in the health of their close relationships, and puts forth a lot of effort to make them positive. They are valued by those close to them for these special qualities. They seek long-term, lifelong relationships, although they don't always find them.

INFJ Strengths

* Warm and affirming by nature
* Dedicated to achieving the ultimate relationship
* Sensitive and concerned for others' feelings
* Usually have good communication skills, especially written
* Take their commitments very seriously, and seek lifelong relationships
* Have very high expectations for themselves and others (both a strength and weakness)
* Good listeners
* Are able to move on after a relationship has ended (once they're sure it's over)

INFJ Weaknesses

* Tendency to hold back part of themselves
* Not good with money or practical day-to-day life necessities
* Extreme dislike of conflict and criticism
* Have very high expectations for themselves and others (both a strength and weakness)
* Have difficulty leaving a bad relationship

INFJs as Lovers

"To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before." -- Rollo May

INFJs are warm, considerate partners who feel great depth of love for their partners. They enjoy showing this love, and want to receive affirmation back from their mates.

They are perfectionists, constantly striving to achieve the Perfect Relationship. This can sometimes be frustrating to their mates, who may feel put upon by the INFJs demanding perfectionism. However, it may also be greatly appreciated, because it indicates a sincere commitment to the relationship, and a depth of caring which is not usually present in other types.

Sexually, INFJs view intimacy as a nearly spiritual experience. They embrace the opportunity to bond heart and soul with their mates. As service-oriented individuals, it's very important to them that their mates are happy. Intimacy is an opportunity for the INFJ to selflessly give their love, and experience it in a tangible way.

Although two well-developed individuals of any type can enjoy a healthy relationship, INFJ's natural partner is the ENTP, or the ENFP. INFJ's dominant function of Introverted Intuition is best matched with a personality type that is dominated by Extraverted Intuition. How did we arrive at this?

INFJs as Parents

"You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth...
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable." -- Kahlil Gibran

INFJs usually make warm and caring parents. Their goal is to help their children become adults who know the difference between right and wrong, and who are independent, growth-oriented individuals.

Along the path to that goal they are generally very warm and caring, and are likely to treat their children as individuals who have a voice in family decisions. They want their children to be able to think for themselves, and make the right decisions. They also can be quite demanding on their children, and may have very high expectations for their behavior. Although they are generally soft-spoken and gentle, they may become stubborn and sharp-tongued at times when their expectations aren't met, or when under a lot of stress.

INFJs take their parenting role with ultimate seriousness. They will make sacrifices for the sake of their children without a second thought, and without remorse. Passing on their values to their children is a serious priority in their lives. Children of INFJs remember their parents fondly as warm, patient, and inspirational.

INFJs as Friends

Although the INFJ is likely to put friends behind their God and their families in terms of importance, they do value their friendships. As idealists who have strong value systems, INFJs seek authenticity and depth in their close relationships, and especially value people who can see and appreciate the INFJ for who they are and what they stand for.

The INFJ is likely to spend a lot of time socialing with family members. If they are religious, they probably are social with members of their religious community. After that, the INFJ may have friends represented from any of the personality types. They are usually extremely intuitive individuals, who will have no patience for anyone they feel is dishonest or corrupt. They'll have no interest in being around these kinds of people.

All kinds of people are drawn towards the INFJ. They are usually quite popular, although they may be unaware of it themselves, because they don't place a lot of importance on it.

The INFJ is valued by their close friends for their warmth and consideration, their new and interesting ways of looking at things, and for their ability to inspire and motivate others to be the best that they can be. genuine article that they are.

so accurate, it's utterly frightening.

The Protector

As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system.

INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types.

INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives. On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk.

INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in a car accident. This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff at, and the INFJ themself does not really understand their intuition at a level which can be verbalized. Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive.

But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex. INFJs hold a special place in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their special gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.

Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right. On the other hand, INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full potential. INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them. They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments. They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right. In deference to the Feeling aspect of their personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. They don't believe in compromising their ideals.

INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best that they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn. But generally, children of an INFJ get devoted and sincere parental guidance, combined with deep caring.

In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they can be creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affinity for art, and many excel in the sciences, where they make use of their intuition. INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions. They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks. The INFJ will either avoid such things, or else go to the other extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no longer see the big picture. An INFJ who has gone the route of becoming meticulous about details may be highly critical of other individuals who are not.

The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not. Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement.

Jungian functional preference ordering:

Dominant: Introverted Intuition
Auxilliary: Extraverted Feeling
Tertiary: Introverted Thinking
Inferior: Extraverted Sensing

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Food Co-op Fundraising Projects

The Co-op meeting was great last night. We have a few pilot projects circulating around to generate money for the co-op.

One that we're going to implement in two weeks starting the 23rd/24th. This is an idea that they came up with the previous meeting, which is a mobile food service. We plan on purchasing fresh veggies/breads/fruits at the farmers market the day before, prepare salads - sandwiches - and deserts, then go out on bikes to deliver lunches to local business/office buildings. They already have 100% post consumer recycled boxes that they plan on using. So, that Sunday Ty along with myself and other group memebers will be heading to the farmers market to get a bunch of food, and then prepare some of the food for the next day.

The goal is to sell 10 lunches for the first day. And the projected goal is to sell 50 lunches a day. Last night we broke this fundraising project into several phases, first phase is what we're in now -- have members (like us) volunteer, very much a gorilla operation, and also test out the market for expansion. Phase II will start as soon as we have raised enough money for a business/health safety license to prepare food -- and also provide a salary/compensation for individuals putting time towards this effort. Phase III -- will be purchasing a delivery van, and search for a commercial kitchen to store/prepare food.

The second fundraising idea, which Geoff came up with (and i think is absolutely brilliant), is a bike delivery service. For those who want to go to the farmers market, but because of scheduling conflicts (school/work/ect), can't make it. We can take their order -- and pick up produce from the farmers market and deliver it to their homes! This is definitely something that i think our community really could benefit from.

To start off this effort, I proposed going to farmers markets and asking shoppers there if they'd be interested in this delivery service. We would also talk about our long term goals as to why we're doing this (promote biking awareness and raise money for the food co-op). This would be a great way to get contacts, and we could just call or send out an e-mail the day before saying "we'll be doing runs at the farmers market on this day, would you like us to deliver anything to you."

Because starting up the Co-op is projected in the future of 2 years. These are some short term projects that will help us get there, and also spread the word to gain momentum in the future.

I'm really excited to be a part of this!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

pilot action plan proposal

In this age of excess, our natural resources are rapidly diminishing and may not be capable of supporting future generations. While we cannot reverse the depletion of our precious resources, we can sustain what remains so that future generations can thrive.


The City of Long Beach has taken notice of the significance of sustainability with the addition of the Office of Sustainability. This new addition, along with its Sustainable City Action Plan and the Sustainable City Commissioners, has the potential to create a sustainable Long Beach and set the precedence for sustainability in surrounding communities. Unfortunately, most Long Beach citizens don’t know it exists. This is where the Green Long Beach Government Action Team can help.


The Green Long Beach Government Action Team is part of a collaborative community that is comprised of individuals, community groups, non-profit organizations, businesses and city agencies that work together to see a green Long Beach. Our mission is to create innovative solutions to bridge the information gap between grassroots environmental actions and concerns about community and what’s happening at a city policy level.


We would like to assist the Office of Sustainability and the Sustainable City Commissioners in the outreach and engagement of hard to reach communities. Our offer for assistance will include:


· Partnering with existing community support groups such as We Love Long Beach and Litter Free Long Beach to generate awareness about the Office of Sustainability, its Sustainable City Action Plan and its commissioners.

· Co-hosting sustainability awareness events with partners and the Sustainable City Commissioners to present the Sustainable City Action Plan.

· Empowering individual action by creating relationships with community leaders and open dialogue between the community and the commissioners.


Together, the Long Beach Office of Sustainability, the Sustainable City Commissioners and the Green Long Beach Government Action Team can educate and empower hard to reach communities to create a green, sustainable Long Beach.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Can we make it happen??

Green Long Beach - Government Action Team - outreach subcommittee pilot project:

Overview outline:

I. Intro - buzz word: sustainability. What is it? How is it important to the community?
A. What LB has planned: Office of Sustainability - 10 yr plan.

II. Green Long Beach: Who we are.
A. Mission Statement: The government action team aims to create innovative solutions to bridge the information gap between grassroots environmental concerns and actions about community and what's happening at a city policy level.
B. Our Vision Statement: Engage & Outreach to hard to reach communities.

III. Achieving our vision into an actionable pilot plan
A. Hope to work closely with the office of sustainability and engage with sustainability commissioners of hard to reach communities.
B. Partner and outreach to existing community support groups such as 'we love long beach' and 'litter free long beach' to generate publicity and awareness within the community.
C. Develop relationships within the district to empower individual action & seek out venues within the community to host a sustainability awareness event such as local school, church, community center.
D. Co-host sustainability awareness event with partners in the community and the district sustainability commissioner to present LB city's 10 yr plan.
E. Repeat in other districts for widespread dissemination of information within long beach.

proposal draft soon to come --

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

a tool for self reflection


As I take a deep plunge into what may heighten to the most difficult times in my life, I issue this as my statement.

A tool for self reflection, awareness, and a peaceful heart. I will now begin to document my journey towards enlightenment as I barrel through space at 66,660 miles per hour along with 6.8 billion people with the quest for knowledge and a dream for a better future in mankind.