Posts Tagged ‘max bartick’
Summer fun for a cause
Alas!—the summer is (well, almost) here! The trees are in bloom, your sandals have been dusted off, and it is time to go outside and “catch up on your reading.” Yet, as much time as I spend daydreaming of sun in the wintertime, when summer actually strikes I am often disappointed by how much time I spend inside. With internships, jobs, and the like, it is sometimes hard to get a breath of fresh air even when there is so much fresh air to be had.
But don’t fret—Community is here to help you! With summer also come myriad outdoor activities offered to the public that also allow you to help others around you. Below are just a few of many such activities that give you a praiseworthy and worthwhile reason to get some rays. So, the next time your pasty boss asks you how you got so tan, you can say it was for a good cause. More »
New Orleans: Six years later
Remember Hurricane Katrina? Like some of you, New Orleans and the disaster thereof has been off my radar for a while too. There may have been a few news articles here and there recounting the national tragedy in the past few years, but for the most part Katrina has seemed to disappear from usual conversation. You would assume that the lack of attention given to the southern city would indicate that it has survived and is once again hospitable. This, however, is hardly the case.
Last week I decided to attend an “alternative spring break” program to the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans with the CU Democrats to participate in the Katrina relief effort. When I reached the Lower Ninth I was absolutely astounded by the amount of devastation still present five years after Katrina reached the shores. According to the organization we were working for, 60 percent of the homes in the neighborhood are still currently vacant. Some of the scariest images in New Orleans that one stumbles upon are giant X’s on each house’s door accompanied by three numbers: 1) the date that the house was inspected, 2) the number of pets found dead in the house, and 3) the number of human deaths inside. Again, five years after the fact, very few of these X’s have been painted over and stand as daily reminders of the hurricane-shattered, abandoned community.
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Ten second eco-tips (that you know you want to do)
For those who do not have this much time, here are 18 tips for living a greener life brought to you by Community and EcoRep Aida Conroy! Most of them take less than ten seconds and can do a lot of good. Choose one or two and start being greener!
1. Turn your refrigerator down! Set your refrigerator temperature as close to 37 degrees and your freezer as close to 3 degrees as possible. This way, your fridge won’t freeze things you don’t want it to. Make sure that its energy saver switch is turned on as well and that the door is always sealed tightly. More »
Help your community, help yourself
Do you ever find yourself wondering what to do on the weekends or during your free time? We know you have the usual options of Butler all day and Campo all night, but doing the same thing all the time gets old. So what’s the key to curing your Columbia coma? The Heights instead of Campo? Procrastination via reality television reruns? Yes, you could opt for either of the above options, but what will they get you besides a nasty hangover and a bunch of last-minute reading? Instead, consider giving an hour or two of your time to a local community service organization. Doing good will make you feel productive and positive, while also allowing you to escape your books, papers, and problem sets. Below are several options for filling your time and your hearts during your (few) free moments. More »
Socially smart summer internships (let’s not waste our time)
Whew! Now that your schedule is complete from our last post, it is time to gear up for summer. Get ready, it’s internship application season. But, let’s be honest, does your Ivy League education really need to be used to make photocopies (oh! And don’t forget the occasional coffee!)? Instead of finding excuses to wallow by the water cooler, how about getting a hands-on internship that allows you to actually do something. And don’t fret, we’re not talking about some watered-down, where-will-this-ever-fit-on-my-resume type of job. There are plenty of career-applicable opportunities that can actually offer you a little substance. So put down the stapler, drop the Coffee-mate, and get ready for a productive and worthwhile summer. More »
Taking the recycling out? Not so fast!
Max and Hannah offer some recycling truths and tips.
Have you ever seen a landfill in New York City? Neither have we. In fact, there are no landfills or incinerators within the city limits, while New Yorkers produce over 12,000 tons of waste every day. So where does it go?
There are a few avenues of disposal for our refuse. Most non-recyclable waste from the city goes straight to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia atop diesel-inhaling trash trucks. If the waste does not hit the highway, it is shipped across the Hudson where it is properly incinerated in Newark, NJ. New Yorkers only recycle 17% of all of their waste, half of what they could do under the state’s recycling policy. This means that 9,960 tons of non- recyclable trash must be exported daily, costing the state $290 million each year. More »