Our Future Environment http://ourfutureenvironment.org thoughts on the natural environment, recreation, social justice and the future Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:31:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 en Ravers and time travellers re-record history http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/11/11/ravers-and-time-travellers-re-record-history/ http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/11/11/ravers-and-time-travellers-re-record-history/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:35:26 +0000 Elizabeth Housley http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/11/11/ravers-and-time-travellers-re-record-history/ “In an increasingly disposable world, efforts to preserve and catalogue our analogue and digital lives could change the nature of history as we know it….’Digitisation really has the profound effect of democratising access,” says Prof Stephen Brier of the City University of New York Graduate Center, a historian and co-director of the school’s New Media Lab. It gives access to people to materials and documents that would previously only be accessible to very few.’ ”

BBC News - Ravers and time travellers re-record history

]]> http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/11/11/ravers-and-time-travellers-re-record-history/feed/ pumpkins and `shrooms http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/11/01/pumpkins-and-shrooms/ http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/11/01/pumpkins-and-shrooms/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:06:41 +0000 Elizabeth Housley http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/11/01/pumpkins-and-shrooms/ A few weeks ago I went to the Wild Mushroom Show and was inspired to learn more about mushroom identification and everything mushroom really.

Amanita Muscaria

Mushrooms are such complex creatures. I want to start foraging but I can’t imagine relying on my own judgement to identify something as edible. But, as a start I bought this shitake kit for inside my apartment.

Shitake Mushroom Kit

The shitake kit is compressed wood chips with mycelium inside. The bumpy texture and firm “squooshiness” of the shitake block is unlike anything you will ever touch. I imagine it is the texture of a slightly dried-out brain.

Shitake Musrhoom Kit

Those bumps were soon to be mushrooms but only a few actually ended up growing. The block just reached its first cycle before I let it dry out, re-soak, and then grow some more.

Also, in the past couple of weeks I acquired two pumpkins. A white “ghost” pumpkin (according to CBS this was cool in 2009) and a traditional orange one.

Pumpkins!!!!!!!

The pumpkins came from a roadside stand here in Seattle via Hunter Farms. The seller/farmer was so sincere in his love of pumpkins; I really appreciated him.

I carved the ghost pumpkin into a sun/moon face. The faces of our great lights seemed appropriate for Samhain because this is the point where the harvest ends and the “lighter half” of the year gives way to the “darker half”.

Samhain Pumpkin

I also thought it would be awesome to spray paint the pumpkins gold.

The spray paint options for pumpkins are endless- neon colors, metallics, chalkboard, glow-in-the-dark, glitter. I have the next decade covered when it comes to pumpkin decor.

Gold Spraypaint

]]> http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/11/01/pumpkins-and-shrooms/feed/ Nature in the Emerald City http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/10/17/nature-in-the-emerald-city/ http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/10/17/nature-in-the-emerald-city/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:23:41 +0000 Elizabeth Housley http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/10/17/nature-in-the-emerald-city/  I am beginning an adventure! I am a tour guide for a “nature in the city” Seattle tour developed by yours truly.

 

No time to drive to the mountains?

Downtown Seattle

You don’t have to hike up a mountain or watch the whales to experience the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. I offer several options for you to explore the intersections of urban Seattle and the natural landscape. We can hunt for mushrooms in an urban park, explore Olmstead parks and learn about Seattle’s ecotopia vision, hike to a Queen Anne hill for spectacular mountain views, or read the clouds from atop the Space Needle. The tours can range from easy to moderate pace and are appropriate for all ages.

  • Duration: 2 hours
  • Guests: 1 — 15
  • Availability: I am available by appointment during weekdays and weekends from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Price Includes

  • An experience led by a NAI Certified Interpretive Guide.
  • Photography advice
  • Local History
  • Nature Facts

Rules

Wear comfortable shoes, layered clothing, and a hooded jacket. Most importantly- don’t forget your camera and sense of adventure!

Click here to Register: Nature in the Emerald City - Seattle

]]> http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/10/17/nature-in-the-emerald-city/feed/ …thats when you get your computer and you do all the fun stuff. http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/30/132/ http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/30/132/#comments Sat, 01 Oct 2011 03:25:34 +0000 Elizabeth Housley http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/30/132/ These documents recently turned up at my parents house. For the last few days I keep thinking about how my ten year old self seems pretty much the same as my present. I’ve studied about behavioral change and personality enough to not be surprised by such findings, but it feels a little earth shattering to catch a glimpse of how my mind has changed or not over time. At the present I could define myself by #1 (caves!), #3, #4 (lets hope I get that zoo interview!), #7, #9, #10, and everything on the second page. Luckily I conquered my travel concerns in #5 and have now been in 30+ states, 7 countries, and counting!

More about Liz at age 10

I recently realized I am not as crazy about tent camping as I have been…

More about Liz in 4th grade

“The best age to be is 10 because that’s when you get your computer and do all the fun stuff.”

]]> http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/30/132/feed/ Woodland Park Zoo http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/29/woodland-park-zoo/ http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/29/woodland-park-zoo/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:00:42 +0000 Elizabeth Housley http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/29/woodland-park-zoo/ LionThe hippo was a hitAfrican wild dogAfrican Elephanttapir!bennett and the tapir
Indian PythonsOrangutanKomodo dragon wants to eat me...mEeRkaT!He kept following me aroundInteracting with birds
KangarooWallabySnowy OwlElkA grey Artic Fox
Looking for grubEndearing PenguinsPoison Dart FrogToucan, i thinkColubus monkeys

Woodland Park Zoo, a set on Flickr.

]]> http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/29/woodland-park-zoo/feed/ In Seattle! http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/21/in-seattle/ http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/21/in-seattle/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:36:04 +0000 Elizabeth Housley http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/21/in-seattle/ Green Lake

I’m now living in Seattle close to Green Lake Park. We visited the park a couple of days ago and enjoyed the landscape as well as the people around us. The park offers many adult and youth community programs. I’m excited to try out some water activities.

]]> http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/09/21/in-seattle/feed/ Megaphasma denticrus http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/07/16/walking-stick-seen-here-at-our-state-park-possibly-a-megaphasma-dentricus/ http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/07/16/walking-stick-seen-here-at-our-state-park-possibly-a-megaphasma-dentricus/#comments Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:38:18 +0000 Elizabeth Housley http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/07/16/walking-stick-seen-here-at-our-state-park-possibly-a-megaphasma-dentricus/ This week during our Discovery Day Camp we came across this Walking Stick, probably a female. The bright coloring may be a defense mechanism meant to deter us from eating it or to scare us away. Or, is she losing color because she’s dying?

walkingstick

]]> http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/07/16/walking-stick-seen-here-at-our-state-park-possibly-a-megaphasma-dentricus/feed/ An album and comic book about Rosalind Franklin http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/06/29/an-album-and-comic-book-about-rosalind-franklin/ http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/06/29/an-album-and-comic-book-about-rosalind-franklin/#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:09:57 +0000 Elizabeth Housley http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/06/29/an-album-and-comic-book-about-rosalind-franklin/ Interesting for those who want to immerse their self in the story of DNA, academia, sexism, and discovery:

]]> http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/06/29/an-album-and-comic-book-about-rosalind-franklin/feed/ Microcosmos http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/06/28/microcosmos/ http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/06/28/microcosmos/#comments Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:04:43 +0000 Elizabeth Housley http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/06/28/microcosmos/ Time moves differently here.

]]> http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/06/28/microcosmos/feed/ Featured in the Texarkana Gazette! http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/06/19/featured-in-the-texarkana-gazette/ http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/06/19/featured-in-the-texarkana-gazette/#comments Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:36:05 +0000 Elizabeth Housley http://ourfutureenvironment.org/2011/06/19/featured-in-the-texarkana-gazette/ My state park and yours truly was featured in the recent Texarkana Gazette. Click here for photos and the introduction to the article.

The writer captured the park’s environmental education mission well. Check out the photo of the tarantula and me!

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