August 19, 2021

Rough Terrain, Eh

Western Expedition 2021




    Our story begins like everyone else's "We had grand plans for 2020.... then the pandemic hit".  This trip was firming up in early 2020.  We planned a National Park loop for Genna's 4th grade year (Every Kid in a Park) since she has always had a desire to see Yellowstone. Google was mapped, spreadsheets were tallied, campsites in popular parks were booked, and All Trails was consulted.  When Covid hit we wavered until the last minute and eventually canceled those August dates. Thankfully all sites had generous cancellation policies in 2020.  We were fairly Covid cautious, so cancelling was prudent.  Some parks, like Yellowstone and the Tetons counted more recreational visits in August 2020 than 2019.  We were resolved to stay out of the fray and expand the garden instead.  
    In early 2021, halfway into a fully virtual school year, we wondered if we should reschedule our trip for this summer.  Every Kid in a Park had extended its free pass to 5th graders this year due to the Pandemic and Genna had even studied the wolves of Yellowstone in her science curriculum this year.  I let the advance booking windows come and go as we left many what-if boxes unchecked all spring.  What would Jeff's work obligations be? What would we do with the garden?  Would the Boyan Grandparents be able to come to Michigan (to watch the garden!)? What was up with vaccines and the peaks and waves of Covid?  
    In mid-April the eldest 3 of us were vaccinated and Jeff had a summer gig with 2 farm garden outfits which he felt obligated to see through the season.  As soon as he floated the idea of making it a girls-only trip, I immediately engaged Mom (AKA, Babçia) to see if she was in.  I think I took his offer faster than he expected and just like that, Papa was out and Babçia was in.  
    
    There were some route changes from the original 2020 itinerary.  Rocky Mountain National Park was combating overcrowding with ticketed entries and had no more reservable summer campsites by April. Routing through northern Colorado would have enabled stops at Dinosaur National Monument and my old CCO haunts near Snow Mountain Ranch.  Last year we would have also stayed in a covered wagon at the Ingalls Homestead in South Dakota, as Genna had just finished bingeing the book and TV series.  
    With RMNP out of contention, I came across the Snowy Range area of Medicine Bow National Forest in southern Wyoming.  It was the perfect addition to the loop and was more off the beaten path of popular National Parks.  I specifically wanted to add some genuine backpacking to our car-camping itinerary.  With the change in my co-pilot, I tried to find trails that were both grandma, tween, and flatlander friendly.... and fretted about those choices endlessly.  Our dates were pinned in by the meager availability of campsites left in Yellowstone and the Tetons.  I quickly booked all the sites possible for the first 2 weeks in August.  With that, I present the following trip report, fondly remembered as, "Rough Terrain, Eh"



Babçia, co-pilot.  
First in the rotation of music selectors - oldest to youngest.  
We learned many new country songs.

March 16, 2021

CO2 emissions have the most significant effect on the environment.

OP-ED By: Maya Carroll

The most significant effect people have on the environment is CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.  In his 2007 Nobel Speech, Al Gore says that “70 million tons of carbon dioxide were emitted today into the atmosphere.” Cars, planes, boats, factories, and fossil fuel burners all contribute to the carbon dioxide in our air today, making the total amount of CO2 in the atmosphere 33.1 billion tons. 

  Who creates carbon dioxide toxic emissions? Every single human on this earth does. How many families do you know that have 1, 2, or even 3 cars? This is probably the case if the families consist of 2 parents and maybe one child that can drive.  These carbon dioxide creating monsters make 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, per car. This assumes the average gasoline vehicle on the road today has a fuel economy of about 22.0 miles per gallon and drives around 11,500 miles per year. Every gallon of gasoline burned creates about 8,887 grams of C02. 

The largest threat of these emissions is the greenhouse effect happening to our earth. That's when excessive CO2 creates a cover that traps the sun's heat in the atmospheric bubble, warming the planet and the oceans. This also causes changes in weather patterns. This is bad because if it got any hotter in cold climates several of the living things there would die off because they aren't used to those conditions. Also, it is already super hot around the equator and if it got any hotter the heat would be unbearable.

In 2014 the United States alone created 15.1 trillion of greenhouse gasses. To reduce your carbon footprint, there are many things you can do.  Find alternatives to driving. Walk or bike to places that are close. Drive a low carbon vehicle, fly in planes less frequently, turn your thermostat lower, install solar panels to your house, or eat locally. These are just a few ideas to slowly decrease your carbon dioxide emissions. Some counterclaims would be that there has always been carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Even though this is true, the levels of carbon dioxide in the air now are up 105 ppmv (Parts-per million by volume), from 1917 to 2017.

As you can tell, carbon emissions are detrimental to the environment. Find something you can do to help save our planet today!



March 1, 2021

Why Being a Vegetarian Is Beneficial

By: Genna Carroll

        I think being a vegetarian is not only better for your health but the world pollution rates would go down a lot. My family rarely eats meat. We know it is what's best for our health and the world. We don't want the world to get any more polluted than it already is before we die! The animal food industry contributes to global warming, it's not fair for animals, and lastly, it is not good for our health. 

Here are some of the basic details about this topic. First of all, The Vegetarian Resource Group conducted a poll in 2020 that showed 6% of Americans are vegetarians. Now you are probably wondering just how being a vegetarian benefits your health. Well, vegetarians have a lower risk of death from a heart attack, getting type 2 diabetes, and getting cancer. You also will have lower blood pressure and body mass. So overall you have a smaller chance of getting bad sicknesses or dying early.

        Now how does eating meat harm the environment? Well first of all, 14.5 percent of world pollution is from the animal food industry (UCAR). Second of all, there is methane, basically animal farts and waste. Methane is gas that is found in small quantities in the Earth's atmosphere. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. These gasses insulate the earth, but if you get too much of these gasses, the earth overheats.

Jonathan Safron Foer, the author of We Are The Weather, said that since farming has started, humans have destroyed 83% of all wild mammals and half of all plants (pg.78). He also said that ⅓ of freshwater goes to live-stock (pg.79). He spoke about how animal agriculture is responsible for 91% of deforestation in the Amazon (pg.93). Finally, he said that on average, we consume double the protein needed (pg.83).

Not only are animal foods bad for the planet and our health, they are also bad for animals. For example, two days after birth a dairy calf is taken away from its mother (Cowspiracy). Also, chickens are fed so much they can only take a few steps before falling down (Food, Inc.). They are also all squished together with little room to move. After these animals get to the point to be slaughtered, they might be dropped in boiling water, shot in their head, or have their head chopped off.

Based on all this information, I feel that the animal food industry is overall bad for the earth. It harms animals by abusing them. Finally, it is bad for our health. I was inspired by Michael Klaper, a vegan doctor who explained why milk is good for calves but not humans (Cowspiracy). I know I don't want to get breast lumps, a big uterus,  fibroids, and bleeding, which are some of the side effects of dairy that he describes.

I think that the cruelty towards these animals is pure torture. When I was researching this topic, I was disgusted at the videos I saw. I didn't know that many of them just die because they have bad living conditions. Would you imagine treating your dog like that?

Based on what I researched, I suspect that the animal food industry pays people like the water companies and politicians to not talk about the pollution and amount of water used for this process. They do this to stay in business. I believe a lot of very smart people that run these businesses know that waste from these animal meat companies are the top polluter, but they are getting paid enough to keep quiet. I think that the future of our planet is going downhill by the second. If the environmental organizations, meat farmers, and even the government would be honest about these problems then people would see how bad it is for our earth. Out of all the reasons to be a vegetarian I think this is the most important one.


If I was part of an environmental advocacy group, I would be fighting for the animal food industry to end. My family isn't 100% vegetarian but we have a very plant based diet. Most Americans have meat everyday or even every meal. If 328 million Americans skipped a day of eating meat per week, that would make a substantial impact.  For example, if you had half as many hamburgers in a year, everything in general would be better.

In conclusion, I think that converting to vegetarianism would help in many ways. There would be less greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, such as methane. Humans would also be much healthier. Lastly, it is a lot better for the animals because they are just getting killed for meat. So if you want to help the earth, humans, and meat producing animals then become a vegetarian.

Nice salad! Vegetarian meals are tasty and healthy!


Sources

1.Safran Foer, Jonathan (2019) We Are The Weather Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast


2.The Vegetarian Resource Group (https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm)


3.Eat Right (https://www.eatright.org)


4.UCAR Center For Science Education (https://scied.ucar.edu)


5.World Resources Institute (https://www.wri.org/)


6.Andersen, K., Kuhn, K., xTrue Naturex (Musical group),, A.U.M. Films & Media (Organization),, & First Spark Media,. (2014). Cowspiracy: The sustainability secret.


7.Participant Media & River Road Entertainment present ; a film by Robert Kenner ; producers, Robert Kenner, Elise Pearlstein ; writers, Robert Kenner, Elise Pearlstein, Kim Roberts ; directed by Robert Kenner. (2009). Food, Inc. [Los Angeles, CA] :Magnolia Home Entertainment