CORPS & CATS

If you thought we were talking about zombies… sorry to disappoint. Today we touch on the power of a ‘corps’ (no ‘e’) and a place named after highly-accomplished cats (maybe not… but by my calculations, ‘cat’ is definitely in its name).

Hot Topic

CLIMATE CORPS

Slightly less spooky than a reanimated Garfield, but still pretty cool–a 'corps' is a group of persons associated together or acting under a common direction. And really, what part of modern society hasn't been shaped by a corps with a broad definition like that?  But many people who hear the word ‘corps’ go straight to thinking of corporations, even though they’re not all profit-seeking, monocle-wearing big businesses. Government corps have shaped and filled our society in ways that proactively aid the vulnerable and further value-based work that needs scale to invoke change. Corps make communities better–period.

Look no further than the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which provided work opportunities during the Great Depression. The CCC promoted reforestation and recreation opportunities, improving parks and natural reserves. It was also quite segregated and sexist, so… not a perfect system.

The new and improved American Climate Corps takes the idea of promoting skill-building in a time of change, and activates a new group of young people to employ their interests and abilities to tackle climate change. And this time around–unlike the bastion of social justice that was pre-civil rights America–this program aligns with the Justice40 initiative. In a first for environmental justice, 40% of government investments in climate adaptation will be committed to communities that have been historically marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. It’s about time.

But ultimately,  the question with programs like this always is: will it stand the test of time? Will the government continue to fund the program, or will it get cut as soon as the administration changes? There are improvements to be made to the program itself, such as a wider age acceptance and better-guaranteed wages. Personally, the thought of seeing a thriving American Climate Corps–one that is actually given the time and policy support needed to build up our marginalized communities and improve our country’s climate resilience in the long run–excites me more than I care to admit.

Cool Sips

• Health: Crisp autumn days call for pumpkin patches, crudely drawn hand turkeys, and–most importantly–tales of the Three Sisters. This exquisite, indigenous combination of vegetables that not only provides us with a balanced meal but also provides each other with symbiotic ecological services while growing. Maybe I’m (~200 years) late on this one, but c’mon people, where's the hype??

• Household: If you were anything like me, your childhood was also haunted by a grumpy, financially-conscious parental figure waiting to pounce as soon as a light was left on in an empty room for more than 0.02 seconds. Everyone knows that turning off the lights saves energy and money, right? Get ready for this bombshell–it actually depends on the bulb! While incandescent lights are inefficient and should be turned off whenever they aren’t in use, CFLs are affected by how many times you turn them on. Take that one to the bank, dad.

• Mentality: Grab some cocoa, put on your fuzziest socks, and curl up by a fire to read some thoughts on humanity from the perspective of a gorilla. Ishmael by Daniel Quinn inspires reflection on how we ended up here and where we are going as a human society. I’m giving this one 4.9/5 bananas.

• Community: Libraries are one of the last vestiges in American society that you can go to–outside of your home and workplace–without having to purchase anything. Who knew that the library space itself changes our mood, (has a whole journal that dives into library trends, design, and programs ?!) and can inspire a community.

Mouthwatering

IT’S GETTING CHILI OUT

Coming from Cincinnati, we love our chili. Now this recipe is no Cincinnati chili, but wow is it delicious, meal prep-able, and COZY (cue Beyonce). Also, one pot means fewer dishes, less cleaning, less energy, and an all-around happier life.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 onion diced

• 1 red bell pepper seeds removed and diced

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste

• 2 cups vegetable broth

• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce

• 2 15 oz cans small red beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 2 cups  uncooked macaroni pasta

• 1  cup shredded cheddar cheese

• 1/4 cup sliced green onions for garnish, if desired

We Out Here

Are the Cats really skilled? At making bagels?

We’ve been up in the northeast in peak fall. Cue the ultimate color-popping, leaf-falling, oh-so-satisfyingly-crunchy celebration. While bopping around from the Catskills to the Boston metro area and then up to the Adirondacks, I get the distinct feeling that this place is really wet. It might have something to do with the fact that every weekend for the past two months (according to the locals), there has only been rain. Maybe the sun comes out on a weekday, but come the time when people actually have a moment to get out and enjoy themselves… all they get is rain.

Alas–such rain does come in handy. And New York City knows it.

I feel the creep of claustrophobia when I am in the City. It might be because there are ~8.5 million people living there, and every one of them poops. However, there is beauty in so many people living–mostly harmoniously–in such a small area. If you zoom in closer, yeah, you might smell some piss coming from the dark alleyways and see a limp sliver of pizza being carried away by a cat-sized rat, but you can get some of the best food (bagels) in the world. And apparently, the water tastes great. Some New Yorkers even say these two things are related. But how does such a big city provide such high-quality H₂O for so many people?

There is a peculiar green patch just north. The Catskills, a mountainous forest reserve, can do what a 10 billion dollar + 100 million dollar/year to upkeep water treatment infrastructure would (at best) do–filter water. To be clear, there were two paths to choose from. One is where New York decides to clear-cut and develop (aka pave paradise and put in a parking lot) much of the Catskills AND pay billions of dollars to mechanically clean water to drink by burning fossil fuels. The other less Lorax-ian path is where they keep the forests and mountains biologically connected and diverse, AND also magically get clean drinking water without doing anything! 

“Well if you put it like that… it’s not a hard choice…” says someone in the back. To that I say … YOU’D THINK. But development, particularly buying up cheap undeveloped plots in the vast acreage we have in the U.S. and putting things on it, is our specialty.

Our challenge comes in considering the value of the land the way that it naturally was. What is the value of wetlands when we can build up oceanfront property? What is the value of wide river corridors when we can consolidate them into concrete channels and make suburbs instead? There is a balance that we should aim to strike. Wetlands absorb nutrients that otherwise lead to devastating algal blooms, and can damper the power of hurricanes. Natural river corridors promote groundwater recharge, healthy fisheries, and flood buffers. But all too often, we make the excuse that WE could also just build buildings stronger, farm our own fish, and mechanically pump water into the ground to recharge the aquifers. New York figured out how to run the numbers. They found that nature did it better.

The Catskill Mountains are beautiful. Even though the world’s best bagels owe their excellence more to skill than to the Catskill water used for baking them, I’m glad the mountains were spared from development. We do know one thing–bad water makes BAD BAGELS.

Sure, it rained the whole time we were in the Catskills. But that just means we actively saw water moving through those precious mountains, filtering and feeding a city.

Game Time

ULTIMATE FRISBEE

The game that will hopefully keep me young forever.

This game has evolved from kids tossing a flat object around to people LITERALLY flying through the air like a superperson. At its highest level, Ultimate Frisbee can be played with mixed-gender teams and supports an environment built on inclusion and good spirit.

Oh, AND Pickup Ultimate games can be found around the world.

Learn how to play the game here.