In Which I Discover My People

For all those people in Blog-land!

Alexis: You are so close with the cow comment. Way to go!!!!!!! Even though you deleted the answer you were going to type, I think you were right, so here is your shout out.

ALEXIS IS BRILLIANT!

Brenna: You also rock because you knew the first environmental question. So you get a shout out as well. Because you have a history blog, I am going to try to make your shout out historic.

BRENNA, much more intelligent than your average Roman Emperor. Thank God Plutarc is dead and cannot write a biography about you.

In other news, I have returned. I am sorry for my long absence. I wish I could say I was off doing something fun and environmental (although, part of my time was spent this week examining rocks for my Exploring the Solid Earth class and determining their classification). However, I was not. Which, of course, I am sad about.

Since I have nothing new and environmental to tell you about, I will fill you in on an amusing anecdote from my summer volunteer stint with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
Here you go...

Well, as the EPA is a government organization, I arrived to begin my work with them in a somewhat heightened state of agitation. I have never worked for the government before. In fact, I have spent a portion of my life at protests attempted to reform the government. So this was new for me.

Of course, what I found was not as intimidating as I feared it might be. I envisioned, on the anxious SEPTA ride down to Suburban Station Philadelphia, a crowd of black-suited individuals sitting around discussing (in serious voices) the need for such-and-such in so-and-so's contract. Etc. I had hoped the word "green" would come up perhaps twice a day, and optimistically I anticipated perhaps no more than one reference to "environmental reform."

Boy, did I underestimate the EPA.

What I found was a gaggle of very dedicated environmentalists who passionately advocated environmental change and were sorely discontented with the amount of pressure being put on them by the current administration (my political views are obvious to all who know me, but I hope to keep them out of this blog. However, the pressure on the EPA is so resoundingly apparent that this is entirely a bi-partisan observation). In short, I found that I fit right in.

It did however, confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt, a past employers observation that the environmental field is peopled by "hippies and malcontents."

I was deeply impressed by the amount of dedication that I found. These people worked tirelessly to make environmental change. What's more, they did what I am not sure I could ever do, which is go through the political red-tape necessary to make those changes in a way that conforms with America's governmental procedures. Impressive.

They arrive every day to an over-air-conditioned office in a crowed heat-island of a city (I love Philly, by the way) and used high tech computers to navigate a number of chilly political frontiers. And they very rarely complained.

But they did express a nostalgia for what is known in to environmentalists far and wide as "The Field."

The Field is a magical place, where the sky is blue (or, alternatively, engaged in torrential downpour) and the grass is green (or, possibly quicksand. The Field is not for the weak of heart) In short, though, The Field represents a kind of Mecca.

This conversation actually happened.

Character list: (all EPA employees have been give fake names)
Me
Mike
Fred
John
Sara

(Each time a person says "The Field" they should be imagine to have a dreamy quality to their voice)

SARA: (with sigh) John is in...The Field today.
FRED: (longingly) really? Its been so long since I was in..The Field.
MIKE: (happily) John is going to bring me a turtle.
ME: (hesitantly) I was in The Field...once.

(all turn in unison towards me in my little cubical)

SARA: really? What was it like?
ME: Um...I tested the health of a lake...
MIKE: (excitedly) Was there algae? What was the Dissolved Oxygen content?

(A conversation about lake eutriphication ensued)

FRED: (shyly) I have new hiking boots.
MIKE: Really! Did you buy socks too?
ME: um...cool?
FRED: (nodding) I'm wearing them RIGHT NOW!
EVERYONE BUT FRED: NO WAY!!!

(Fred rolls his pant leg up to show brand new timberland hiking boots. All exclaim enviously)

SARA: So will you go out into..The Field soon?
FRED: Yes! Next week.
ALL: TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

In other news, I did go out into the field once that summer. I saw a turtle, and a baby turtle. John was with me, he spent a good deal of time trying to catch a snake. To the disappointment of all, he was unsuccessful. The turtles, however, were wonderful. There was heated debate as to the species, but it was generally agreed upon that they were snapping turtles.

It was a good day.