Zachary Tinubu-Karch
Earth Futures Response
March 28, 2022
EVENT 1
The first event I attended was with TJ Shin in conversation with Remina Greenfield & Shuyi Cao. The Event was based on the biological habits and connections we form with the areas we’re in, especially considering our internal digestion and responses to geographically developed microbes. Specifically when referring to the displacement of native peoples. She first mentioned something I found quite interesting saying “Immigration westernizes the gut microbe.” Explaining that as peoples of a respective area adapt to their surroundings the types of bacterias they interact with become a part of their natural systems, their body, their lives. To remove that, and placed in more complex contexts can completely throw off biological rhythms. She also spoke about deriving energy from alternative sources such as bacteria from animals concentrated into strategic composting, and then used to plant agriculture. How circular forms of bacteria production is viable but rather displaced from the mainstream as stigmas of mold, fungi, and bacteria are heavily ingrained in society.
EVENT 2
The second event I attended was Newton Creek Alliance’s executive director Willis Elkins and horticulturalist Brenda Suchiit & Catherine Telford Keogh. This one was a bit different than the first event however it was just as informative regarding how to restructure natural systems for the benefit of the environment and our own well-being. The Newton Creek Alliance for background is a community based organization that restores, reveals, and revitalizes Newton Creek. However what impressed me about their organization was the methods and procedures for mending the area. What they emphasized was the effect that distorted water systems do in times of natural disaster. Disturbing water flow can be detrimental to entangled micro and macro-habitats. Therefore, Newton Creek Alliance works on securing mitigation and remediation of environmental disasters. Doing this is a technical feat to say the least. The scope of these actions is broad as well, and so the group has divided it into a few relative categories: Green infrastructure, bioremediation, and habitat restoration. This can be invested into any work we’ve done in the class that relates to water. What this event did was reassess our perspectives on how water isn’t a tool that we choose to use, but a vital body we must manage and take account of in all circumstances.
From their work/info on Curbside Rain Gardens