#tentatively planning the sale for the 9th or 10th

[cicada-heart]

most of the red printed patches i’ve made lately ❤️🍄

i’m planning an instagram story sale in a couple weeks and i’ll be offering these and lots more at a discount so feel free to give me a follow if you want in on it! until then, these are available in my shop

[prolifeproliberty]

A Summary of the CHAZ: Myths Debunked

So I’ve been watching the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone situation since it began, and I’m seeing a lot of disinformation. Here’s what’s happened so far.

tl;dr - The whole thing is much less exciting than either side makes it out to be - it’s not a socialist utopia and it’s not a terrorist takeover. Ultimately, the CHAZ will not last long. It is by no means autonomous (there have actually been discussions about changing the name, but none of the suggestions seem to stick), and it is not set up for any kind of long-term sustainability. Many protesters already seem burned out, and funds will begin to run dry soon. If left alone, the CHAZ will likely dissolve within a couple of days. 

- Leading up to June 9th there had been a lot of conflict between protesters and police, including rioting and destruction of party on the side of protesters and tear gas and rubber bullets on the side of police. 

- On June 9th the police evacuated their East Precinct and the protesters moved in, using barricades to block the streets coming into the area. They labeled the area an autonomous zone, now known as “CHAZ”

- Shortly after this point, armed security showed up. It appears to have been originally members of the John Brown Gun Club, a socialist militia group. 

- The evening of June 9th the protesters gathered for a rally and marched to city hall, where a city council member and self-identified socialist unlocked the doors and let them in. They held a “town hall” in the city hall building and different people took turns speaking, including the city council member. 

- The protesters then returned to the CHAZ where someone set up a projector and they watched the documentary “13th”, a film about incarceration of black people and prison labor.

- Raz, the much-hyped “warlord”, initially tried to become the “police” or security force of the area. There was some initial conflict when Raz and his group tried to stop someone from putting graffiti in certain areas (I think the person was covering up his graffiti?) and there is video of that person being beat up.

- Raz appears to be a rapper who would like to be the leader of a gang, and he saw this as his chance. There’s evidence online of some pretty troubling things he has done and said, including a very disturbing music video. 

- The next day (June 10th) the group held a town hall/people’s assembly where people spoke about a wide variety of things. If you watch the videos from that meeting, there was a mix of people speaking - some were very practical, talking about the future of the CHAZ, others very idealistic, talking about socialist theory, and others rambled in a way that was very hard to follow. At least one person appeared to have mental health issues and it was unclear if what he was saying was real or not. 

- During that assembly multiple people called out Raz and his group and said what happened was unacceptable. From what I’ve seen and read, people are saying they haven’t seen him around much since then and there haven’t been any more incidents with his group.

- All throughout there has been discussion of ceding the area to descendants of the Duwamish tribe that lived in the Seattle area prior to the arrival of American settlers. Two Native American women, at least one of whom was Duwamish, took the mic during the June 10th meeting. One of the women spoke about violence and discrimination against indigenous people, and then the two led the group in a traditional song for missing women.

- During that day at some point people started work on a garden. It is very limited, mostly a few tomatoes and some herbs. It’s being called a community garden where people plant what they want - the lack of planning and coordination meaning there is no real potential for it to become a primary food source any time soon. 

- Reports of food being stolen appear to come from a photoshopped tweet. The person who supposedly sent the tweet has their Twitter locked, so it was difficult to confirm whether the tweet was real. 

- Reports of businesses being extorted for protection money also seem to be false. Most business owners in the area have reported higher foot traffic and more sales than they’ve seen in a while. It’s possible some individuals may have asked for donations, and that could have been interpreted as extortion. 

- Reports of IDs being checked at the barricades seem to be false as well. It’s possible that some individuals were trying to identify people who wanted to come in and cause trouble/make fun of them (there was a lot of social media talk from people saying they would raid the zone). But there was no actual effort to keep people out, and many have reported that they entered and left without ever being questioned, or were offered water and snacks upon entry. 

- There are a few individuals who seem to have taken leadership roles, organizing assemblies and marches, but they have no official designations and their roles seem to be very temporary and fluid.

- There is no real long-term strategy or plan. The protesters seem to be surprised they got this far. 

- Most meetings and discussions have involved a lot of people suggesting ideas, but few or no attempts to reach any kind of consensus or implement any of these ideas. 

- Funding and supplies are coming through donations from supporters. Many protesters are sharing venmo and paypal information in hopes of receiving support. Tables are set up with snacks and water, and there are medical tents with volunteer medics (not sure whether they’re doctors and nurses or just volunteers with first aid training). 

- Protesters seem to be frequenting local businesses, including a hotdog cart and some local restaurants. One salon has opened its bathrooms to protesters. 

- Many protesters come and go throughout, while others have stayed and slept in tents. As far as I’ve seen the protesters have not entered the precinct. 

- Today, June 11, several Seattle police officers walked into the precinct with little incident besides some chants from protesters. They said they were inspecting the building to determine what, if any, cleanup needed to be done to make it operational and said they were preparing to move back in. 

- Protesters debated what to do about this. They considered barricading police in the building and debated whether this idea would cause more harm. They did vote to sanitize their bullhorn. 

- Eventually some protesters did barricade the doors of the precinct after they believed all officers have left (though they did not confirm). Shortly after, other protesters moved barricades away from one of the doors (presumably so any cops still inside could leave). 

- At this time (evening of 6/11), there are reports of police staging outside the zone with vans and patrol cars, seeming to be preparing for mass arrests. A rally/meeting was held for a couple of hours, and now people are simply milling about the main intersection. 

[foolsiwillshowthemall]

Farm Report:  The Calico Desert

Monday the 8th.  Today, I need to go fishing.  There are three fish that I need to finish the community center bundles - sturgeon, tilapia, and tiger trout.  I need to catch the tilapia and the tiger trout before the end of fall if I want to get this done this year.

Linus has heard of my plight, and helpfully sent me a fish he caught.  Sadly, though I appreciate the gift of a largemouth bass, it isn't one of the ones I need.

I've decided to get serious with equipment and buffs.  I'm using the Iridium Rod, and will have bait attached to it.  I've also crafted a few Trap Bobbers, which make it harder for the fish to escape.

Finally, the Dish O' The Sea grants a temporary +3 level bonus to fishing.  Until this wears off, I'll effectively be a level 11 fisherman.

Just you watch, Willy.  I am going to catch that tilapia.

...that is not a tilapia.

Neither is that, though it is interesting. Gold Star quality, even.  But what do I do with it?

After a little while, Willy got bored and wandered away, and I started looking around for a better place to fish.  Down at the end of the neighboring dock I spotted bubbling water.  If there's anything playing Pokemon has taught me, it's that you always aim for the bubbling patches to catch the best stuff.

And there it is!  All my work paid off.  It wasn't even all that hard of a catch, at least with all the buffs applied.

I still have bait, the fishing level buff is still active, and there are still hours left in the day, so I decide to try for the Tiger Trout.  I don't see any bubbling spots on the river, so I just aim for what looks like the deepest water.

First cast gets me the fish I'm looking for.  That was almost anticlimactically easy.

With plenty of time left in the day, I do a bit of foraging.  Blackberries are in season.  Like salmonberries, they're really common for about a week out of the year.  Unlike salmonberries, they're actually worth selling, giving as gifts, or making into wine or preserves.

Finally, I should really get to my farm chores for the day.  The cranberries all came into season on the same day, since they all got the same fertilizer type this time.  I harvest over 300 of them.  These, like the blueberries during the summer, will be sold straight away as an immediate cash crop, being not really worth the time to make into wine.

I also decide to make a cheese press, as this is the best thing to do with all the goat milk I'm getting.

That's over 31K of income just from the cranberries.  A very good day's profit.

On the 9th, Mayor Lewis has sent me a letter reminding me of the upcoming fall Fair.  Oh, believe me, Mayor, I am keenly aware of the schedule and the special events upcoming this week.

Artichokes are ready for harvest, and as I already have the seeds I can just run down the row and seed as I harvest.

It had never occurred to me to put hazelnuts in a burrito, but if my pal Linus wants to try it out, I'm glad to help.

As I deliver the hazelnuts to Linus, he tells me of his problems.  Linus, if you ever find out who did this, let me know and I will wreak terrible vengeance on them.  In fact, I think I'll ask around and see if I can find who did it.

You didn't do this, did you, Sebastian?  You do live near here and are the only person I know who's up really late at night...

Nah, Sebby's far too much of a sweetheart to vandalize Linus's tent.

Finishing off the two fishing bundles.  I only have the Sturgeon left to catch, and I won't be able to do that till the winter.

While I"m here, I can also finish the vault room bundles.  Unlike the other bundles, which require specific items, these are simply bought off with cash.  There are four different bundles here with ever-increasing prices, but I'm just buying all four at once.  I can afford it now.

The reward for the highest-level vault bundle is a Crystalarium.  Nice.  I was wanting one, and can't build them yet.

As is customary, the little gumdrops make their appearance.  I don't even know why I'm startled, this is the third time I've seen this.

Glad to hear it, little spirits.  Though I'm not sure why you needed so much of my money to repair this room for.  Where does a little guy like you even go to spend cash?  Do you have little gumdrop spirit stores?  Because that would be adorable.

And the room is completed.  At this point I only have four bundles left to finish - one requiring a fish, and three requiring animal-produced products.  If my pigs, goats, and rabbits cooperate, and the fishing in the winter goes well, I should have no problem.

The Crystalarium has been installed and primed with an amethyst.  This will ensure that Abigail's dietary needs are met once she's living here with me.

Speaking of dietary needs, that's another 30K worth of specialty fruit wine I'll be putting up for sale, as well as a batch of goat cheese.

That night, the spirits dance the mystical dance of auto repair around the bus.

Wednesday the 10th.  Watering pumpkins, harvesting bok choy.

I head up towards the bus stop, drawn by wild plums and blackberries, and there is Pam, standing by the bus.  It appears that since it's repaired now, she has resumed her old job as a bus driver.

She is of course grumbling at how this will interrupt her usual schedule of sitting around being drunk and surly.  I'm just grateful that Penny will get some time to herself now, and what the extra income will mean for them.

Speaking of extra income, the bus tickets aren't cheap, but I figure it's worth a look.  Off I go, in a bus repaired by magic forest spirits, driven by a quite probably alcoholic woman.

It's the Calico Desert!  An entire new map region to explore!

There's new fruit to forage - cactus fruit and coconuts - which are good gifts for several townspeople and make expensive wine too.

This looks like it will be important later.

And then there's this inviting-looking bright pink building.

And this fascinating woman inside, who is surprised to see anyone out here.  How long has it been since you've had a customer?

This must be Sandy, the friend that Emily mentions from time to time.  I'm touched that she wrote to Sandy about me with enough detail for someone to recognize me on sight.

She's mostly just another storefront, selling seeds that can't be purchased from Pierre.  Including starfruit, so my dreams of a vast starfruit crop are possible again.  She also can be befriended, and given gifts, and has her own storyline, but sadly you cannot marry Sandy.

Who's this dude?  Whoever he is, he won't let me in the back of the store.  Must be where the secret Team Rocket base is.

There's also a suspicious cave outside, but when I go in there's only a small chamber and a locked door.  I'll probably never know what's back there.

Well, that was a fun trip.  Time to put my life in Pam's hands again for the trip back to Stardew Valley.

Pam drives better when she's drunk.  Just ask her.

Thursday the 11th.  Rainy day, and I am harvesting grapes, yams and eggplants.  Yams actually make for one of the more valuable vegetables to process in the preserves jars, so I won't be selling these right away.

The walls  around the animal yard have started to decay at an alarming rate. Walls have a fixed life, and when it is up they will randomly fall apart.  I'll need to remove the rubble patches and replace them with freshly-made walls.

Today is Jodi's birthday.  As a gift to her and Kent, I'm making their favorite foods - roast hazelnuts and crispy bass for dinner for their family, using the very same largemouth bass that Linus gave me a few days back.  It's the circle of gift-giving.

Uh, Jodi?  When was the last time you had Vincent's eyes checked?

Friday the 12th.  Watering the pumpkins.  I didn't use speed-gro on these this year, so they won't be ready in time for Abigail's birthday, but that's okay.  I have an even better gift planned for her.

Tearing down and replacing yet more walls.  These will crumble in patches until the entire thing is replaced.  In retrospect, I should have torn down the entire wall and rebuilt it all at the first sign of failure.

My rabbits have started producing wool.  Rabbit wool is quite convenient, it just appears in patches on the floor, unlike sheep wool where you have to chase the sheep down and shear them.

Checking out the Secret Woods to see what forage items appear here during the autumn.  I find mushrooms.  Mushrooms and slimes.  I'd be more impressed if I didn't have a mushroom cave already.

With not much to do today - mostly killing time till tomorrow - I clear up some of the sticks and rocks that have appeared around the river.  These gradually build up over time, and can be freely harvested for stone and wood.

Yet more fence damage.  I'm glad to see that none of the animals have escaped.

Hanging out with my friends in the saloon. It's Friday, the usual night for people to gather and socialize.

Oh, sweetie, I have very specific plans for the immediate future.  You'll see tomorrow.

[sentrava]

What’s On in Stockholm: April 2018

Spring is finally here and we are happily basking in any sunlight we can find! In Stockholm, spring also ushers in a great music season as people begin to emerge from their hibernation. Whether you’re keen to check out a concert, enjoy the outdoors, or stroll through a gallery, the Swedish capital has something for you!

Here’s the best of what’s happening in Stockholm this April:

Sunday 1st April

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami at Bio Rio

A movie breakfast? What a cozy idea for a Sunday! First enjoy breakfast supplied by the cinema, then the film “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami,” and finish off with a conversation about the film. Tickets are 195 SEK including breakfast, and 145 without breakfast.

  Sunday 1st April – Sunday 8th April

Easter at Skansen

For one week, open-air museum Skansen is hosting Easter-related events. There are activities for children like face painting and pony rides, as well as activities for adults such as glass blowing. Some of the events end earlier than 8th April, like the Easter Market, so check the schedule for those you want to attend!

    Thursday 5th – Saturday 7th April

ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships

The public is welcome to the free opening ceremony in Kungsträdgården, where there will be entertainment and the starting order will be decided. Friday and Saturday events will be held in Ericsson Globe, including the competition and award ceremony. You can purchase a ticket for a single event or for all of the events to see this fascinating sport.

    Friday 6th April

Justin Nozuka at Södra Teatern

Nozuka comes from a musical family: three of his siblings are also musicians and he has been writing songs since he was 12 years old. His folk-style music often focuses on heavy topics. Tickets for this show are 195 SEK.

    Friday 6th – Saturday 7th April

Davis Cup: Sweden vs. Portugal at Kungliga Tennishallen

Are you a tennis fan? Come support the Swedish players! Tickets cost between 150 – 250 SEK if you’re over 18.

    Saturday 7th April

La Paulée Nordic at Operakällaren

Treat yourself to a day of wining and dining. The program for La Paulée Nordic includes a seminar and tasting (both in English), followed by a gala dinner with a tasting menu and an all Burgundian wine pairing. Prices vary depending on how many of the events you choose to attend.

    Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th April

Hornstulls Market Premier

Enjoy the first Hornstulls Market of the season! This market runs every weekend throughout the summer (except for midsummer), with new collaborators every month. The market features a range of food, antiques, art, design, and vintage clothes. If you’re an interested vendor, check out the website for more details. An outdoor market is the perfect way to welcome spring in Stockholm.

      Thursday 12th – Sunday 15th April

Urban Burn at Nobelberget

Nobelberget brings a Burning Man-style event to Stockholm for the third year. Tickets give you access to the empty 2000 square meter indoors space. From there, the community has the opportunity to co-create. Tickets to this event are 600 SEK, and ticket sales end on 9th April.

    Friday 13th – Sunday 15th April

Market Art Fair at Liljevalchs

Prominent galleries, artists, and collectors all in one place for the weekend. Whether you’re looking to purchase, or just look, this fair will have the latest in the Nordic art scene. There will also be talks scheduled. For a full list of galleries and artists that will be represented, check out their website.

    Stockholm Writers Festival

The first-ever Stockholm Writers Festival promises to be a treat for established as well as up-and-coming writers. The events are in English, and include speakers, workshops and more. This is a great way to make industry contacts and surround yourself with a community of writers!

    Saturday 14th – Sunday 15th April

Licorice Festival at Annexet

The Licorice Festival returns for a 10th year and we Scandi fans are excited; Swedes definitely know how to do licorice. You can purchase tickets in advance or at the door for this event (140 SEK/day). There will be entertainment and, of course, as much licorice as you can eat!

    Thursday 19th April

Sam Smith at Ericsson Globe

Sam Smith’s exquisite voice will fill Ericsson Globe and we can’t wait. Tickets range from about 500 to 800 SEK, some of which goes toward War Child, as Sam Smith has partnered with PLUS1.

    Saturday 21st April

The Girl 21K

Start your spring training for this event! You can choose to do the full 21 kilometers on your own, or split the distance with a friend. Stayed tuned: time and location are still tentative!

Female Athlete Running Outdoors

    Saturday 21st April

Cherry Blossom Day in Kungsträdgårdsgatan

The aim of this day is to celebrate Japanese culture, including multiple Japanese performances. There will be workshops, food, and activities. And (hopefully) cherry blossoms!

      Saturday 21st April

Culture Night

This night affords the amazing opportunity to explore cultural institutions, museums, studios, theaters and more for free! For information on participating venues, check out this website. We love the comfort of our home city, yet it’s so easy to forget to continue exploring. This is the perfect opportunity to broaden our view of Stockholm.

    Tuesday 24th – Wednesday 25th April

Sunny at Dansens Hus

Emanuel Gat originally planned to become a music conductor, until a workshop changed his mind and he became the well-renowned French choreographer that he is now. With its playful choreography, Sunny is perfect for springtime.

    Tuesday 24th April

>Mystique: The Inspector is Coming at Scalateatern

This magic show ensemble performs a completely new show every month, each with a different guest performer. This month the guest is Gabi Pareras from Spain. Tickets are 220 SEK when pre-purchased and 300 SEK at the door.

    Friday 27th April

Lauv at Södra Teatern

Lauv is stopping in Stockholm on his first world tour. Maybe he’ll leave with a song dedicated to our city! Stockholm in the Rain? Tickets are 175 SEK.

    Sunday 29th April

Bryan Adams at Ericsson Globe

We’re going back to the “Summer of ’69” with this one! He’ll be performing songs from his new album, “Ultimate,” which includes new material and some of his classics.

    Monday 30th April

River Rafting in Uppsala

At the end of April, students of Uppsala University celebrate Valborg. One of the events is rafting down the Fyris River. The rafts are homemade, and there are often entertaining ones to see! If you are a student, there are more events that you can attend during Valborg so check out the website for information about specific events.

    Ongoing in April

Free Photographers’ Department 2018 at Kulturhuset

This exhibition includes photographs from over one hundred participants, from beginners to seasoned photographers. Rules for participation in this exhibit were minimal. We are so excited to see what the creative eyes of Sweden have presented us! Open until 22nd April and shown in Gallery 5.

  My Olsson at Gallery Anigo

Throughout April, you can view My Olsson’s colorful work. Check the website for hours; the gallery is only open Thursday through Sunday.

  Weaving Silk at Millesgården

Traditional looms and weavings from Nanking are on display throughout April. The exhibit will also highlight the beginnings of silk production. Entrance fee is 150 SEK, and 120 SEK for students. Consider downloading their free audio app to enhance your tour of the museum!

  Sigrid Hjertén at Waldemarsudde

It’s no secret that we love the influence of a strong woman, and this exhibit highlights just that. Sigrid Hjertén was at the forefront of the Swedish Modernist avant-garde movement; she’s been both praised and criticized for her use of strong colors. She was a pupil of Matisse in Paris. Entrance fee is 150 SEK, and 130 SEK for students and seniors.

  Self-Guided Hiking Tour

Stockholm Adventures provides self-guided hiking tours all-year round. We think that April is a great time to get yourself back outdoors. For 290 SEK, they provide you with all of the provisions you need (map, daypack, lunch, etc.). You can choose between three trails, ranging in distance from 6 km to 13 km.

  Bergmans Filmstaden

Ingmar Bergman, as many Scandiphiles will surely know, was a Swedish director, writer and producer of film, born in 1918. On 12th April, Filmstaden opens an outdoor exhibition of photographs to tell Bergman’s life story. These will hang all year. There will be events throughout the year, such as film screenings and tours, to honor his work.

    If you’re a business or organisation that would like us to add your event to next month’s calendar, please contact us at hello [@] scandinaviastandard [dot] com. Thank you!

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  What’s On in Stockholm: April 2018 published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

[anunexpectedturnofevents]

Environment Club (Reflection)

1st day:

I was quiet reluctant to join the environment club at first because I thought that there would be barely anyone there but I was wrong. There was a large turnout but unfortunately most of them didn’t want to be in club after the first day, so quiet a few people left but the others managed to stay. The first day consisted with enrolling and getting attendance done for everyone that was there, then the leaders of the club conducted a small presentation to show us some of the fun, yet helpful things we’ve be doing all year long. There was a point where some people that left later were being very disrespectful towards the whole concept of the club which was very a harsh site to see, since the environment is where we live and it’s our civic duty to protect and serve it.

2nd Day:

I told a few of my friends about the club and they were really excited by all the things we were going to do so they joined the next week. During the introduction period of last week’s meet up, the leaders told us that they intended to do a beach clean-up, a bottle collection- for starting a garden or making plastic sculptures and raising funds to help rescue a dolphin. So today we categorized our long term goals and short term goals. Our long term goals were raising funds, collecting bottles for sculptures and conduct a beach clean-up. Our short term goals were to promote and encourage other students not to litter and also create a more eco-friendly environment. The turnout was really good compared to how we were treated at first which was really nice to see, although there were a few people still unsure whether to stay or leave.

3rd Day:

Today we had discussed about having a bake sale, to start with fund raising for adopting a dolphin. We were separated into 3 groups: drinks, desert and food. Each group would have to decide what they planned to make or buy and report back to the leader. Our target fund raising goal was 150 dollars, for us to adopt a dolphin. The bake sale was going to be conducted during both breaks in school.

4th Day- Bake-Sale:

We had set up tables in front of T-block so that everyone knew about the sale, the day before we also announced it in homeroom. One of our members made a poster for the bake-sale using used paper. For the bake sale, I contributed by baking vegan cupcakes with blue frosting and a small sign on each cupcake which read “For Winter”. You see, Winter was one of the dolphins that the Clearwater Marine Aquarium had first rescued so I thought, it would be a good idea to bring awareness of the organization and the work they were doing.

We had a variety of food items of people to purchase to help towards the cause. At the end of the day we made double the amount of money, we aimed to make, which was amazing all the money we required to adopt a dolphin and a bit more. I never contributed to a big bake sale before which was a first so the experience was fun, since on one hand you’d be doing the math of giving the customer their change back and on the other hand you’d be trying to call in more people to buy. While the sale took place, I went around the tables to make sure everyone was doing alright and I was told that people were just coming up to the tables and taking the drink without paying, which was really hard to hear so I stuck around that area to make sure it didn’t happen again.

We saved up all the soda bottles so we could recycle them for later and use them for our other plans.

5th Day-Sports Day:

On sports day, we had just a drinks sale, since there was no one selling refreshments we decided to take that opportunity to raise more fund for starting a garden in our school. We set up a recycle bin so that everyone could throw their water bottles in it and so we could collect all the soda bottles we purchased, then we could use them for our bottle based projects. During sports day all the students were on the field sitting in their house tents so a few of us decided to go to each tent to take orders since the students weren’t able to leave their station and come to us. We had a little hiccup, we had a soda shortage and the super market didn’t open till ten, so we had to keep some people waiting for their mojito and the drinks started getting warm and we didn’t have any way to refrigerate them but people still bought and we sold out.

After we cleaned up, I and two other students had borrowed a large plastic bag and had gone through the recycle bin which we set up, people threw trash that was no plastic based but we still persevered and wore plastic gloves and dug through the trash to collect the bottles. A few of the members were on the field collecting bottles to recycle too.

6th Day:

We conducted a trash session, were we would split up into two groups and have one member from each group go around the school and count the number of trash cans. Then we would have to make a map of the school and place the positions of each trash can and decide ourselves where we’d reposition the trash cans more effectively. During the process we all realised that our school needed more trash cans since 9 were too little for such a large campus. We also discussed ways we could get people to stop littering, I suggested we paint a yellow path like a yellow brick road to all the trash cans so that people’s attention would be caught and then would follow the yellow path to a trash can to throw their trash. The idea didn’t pull through since it was made apparent that once people knew that the yellow path they would stop following it and it may not even encourage the use of trash cans. Some else suggested attaching small trash cans on the side of the tables so that people could through their trash in a bin but our Club Teacher pointed out that, we shouldn’t made it easy for them, instead make them willingly get up and through their trash in a bin. We did have a suggestion of making our own recycled trash bins just for water bottles, which we’d make with recycled bottles and we all agreed to it.

7th Day:

Made plans for the upcoming year since January would be environment month so we decided to have a variety of things to do in school. We decided that we could sell DIY things, created by us, hold a movie screening of Wall-E and create posters for environment month. I also proposed that we could visit the local animal shelter, Every Little Thing, as a field trip and the club was pro going since it would be a chance to try and help the shelter and everybody was really excited to see a bunch of animals and play with them. One of the leaders, also talked about how when we’d go how we’d have to conduct ourselves because most of animals had been badly abused.

8th Day:

We decided before hand to bring paints and brushes so we could start making the recycle bins for further bottle collection. Our bins were made out of 20 liter water bottles which we collected from the school canteen. We spilt into groups, cut up the bottles and then painted each bin differently. We were unable to finish so we felt our bins to dry in the back of the lab and we cleaned up. During that time, I was going to get the field trip forms printed so I could distribute the forms before everyone had to leave.

9th Day - Animal Shelter Field Trip:

We rode to Oyster Bay in the school bus on Saturday with the every little things ib1 group. We reached there and we got off the bus in groups of 4, to not startle the dogs. In our groups, we were taken to different parts of the shelter to see all the animals, we first went to feed the turtles, then to the puppy kennel, then the cat sanctuary and finally we went to see the goats. It was a such a heartwarming experience to see the animals so happy but it really took a poll on me to see how badly hurt some of the dogs were, one of them had half a leg and another had his skull visible, which was all hard to take in.

10th Day:

It was the first meeting of the new term and as my new leadership position and it was a great first day, since the old members that stayed were over joyed and the new members were ready to work and contribute to the club. The first thing we did was a small introduction of ourselves and then we discuss the activities that everyone would like to do during this terms environment club. Both the old and new members had put in their ideas and then I made a planner for when we will conduct these activities. Since we had time, I decided that the bottles we had collected last term were dirty from the dumpster so we all washed and sorted the bottles into two piles, small and big bottles. Everyone was completely on board with helping out which was amazing to see how passionate they were and enthusiastic. I was really happy to see the large turn out and how they were all ready to make a difference.

11th Day:

Today, we made recycled bins out of big 20 litre bottles, to collect more bottles for recycling. We had 4 new big bottles, so everyone was split into their own groups and were given a bottle each, some completed their unfinished bins of last year. It was a very productive session, there were a lot of creative ideas and group of other girls worked on a Wall-E poster which was made by recycled wood, for a promotion of another environment club activity to raise money to start a garden. We also got two members that joined today.

12TH Day:

This Friday during clubs, we finished off our recycled dustbins. It was the first day of the new leader of environment club, so I caught her up on what we had been doing yesterday, since she’s an art student, she assisted the kids which using spray paints to cover some of our bins and help a lot of kids to execute their ideas properly. It was an extremely productive environment club meeting this week. All the kids were having a really good time, we also collect a lot of bottles during the week so we sorted and counted all of them and separated large and small bottles and also the bottle caps. We made a custom special bin for just recycling bottle tops. Last 15 minutes of clubs, I called out for a 15 minute clean up time and announced the activity we would do next week which would be poster making for environment month awareness.

13TH Day:

We were celebrating Valentine’s Day in school today so everyone was excited and pumped! Everyone had to group up to make awareness posters for Environmental Awareness Week which is the week to come. During clubs, I also had discussed with some of the senior members on making a presentation to show throughout the week. We also planned previous to hold a movie screening of the Lorax and to sell tickets, to fund raise to start a school wall garden.

14th day:

All throughout the week we were selling tickets for our movie screening to fund raise money for a school wall garden. The day of the movie we had arranged for soda and popcorn. The screening went smoothly, we had a large turnout although we ran out of popcorn and had to substitute with crisps. We made a large sum of money which we couldn’t wait to use to start up the garden.

15th day:

As a reward for all the hard work and effort we had all put into last week we planned to watch the movie for ourselves but unfortunately we were moved to another Lab which didn’t have a functioning projector. Instead we discussed on how we would execute the wall garden, the things we’d need, who’d be able to get them and where we could get them. We also had a student and member to the club, so we spent the little time remaining getting to know her and explain what our club was all about.

16th day:

We wanted to help out around the school this week so we decided to group up and go around the school keeping up trash and throwing it away. We spent not a lot of time doing this since the school has decreased greatly in pollution which was great news for us! It meant our message was getting through! We then spent the remaining time measuring the potential wall we’d like to use and deciding on the flowers we would get for the garden.

17th day:

This Friday, Gurmeher had led the activity send planned to make things out of old clothes, paper, anything that could be recycled to something else. We had shown a few video of people who found uses for other things and living a zero waste life. It was really fun some kids made posters out of old paper, some made pencil holders decorated with old cloth and someone made a cute coin purse! The activity was to show everyone how we can reuse old materials and give them another use.

18th day & 19th day:

We wanted to give our own members a chance to watch Wall-E, we spend two days watching the movie and then we’d use inspiration from the movie to create a long, collaborative mural, in which everyone would work on together.

20th day:

Today, we had split up into three groups to work on the mural. Once, we were in our groups we came up with our concepts for what we’d like to do for our part of the mural. After having discussions with each group, I and Gurmeher had got old used chart paper and started to assemble and join them to make a long sheet of paper, with the help of everyone.

21st day & 22nd day:

We had begun with drawing out our ideas and then started execution. Some colored, others painted and some used old paper to make designs for their section. We had faced difficulties with the chart paper cutting apart because of how old it was and not able to absorb as much paint, so we tried to patch it up by using glue and paper. When the same thing happened again we used duct tape to hold the cuts together. This was the last meeting since exams were starting next week, so I had informed them that we did get approval for the wall garden but since the academic year is coming to an end, we’d be continuing the next academic year with this initiative.

I noticed the great increase in people who were becoming self-aware of how important it is the reduce waste and take care of our surroundings. I feel like this club was one of the best experiences I’ve had since I made sure everyone was involved and participating and for everyone’s opinion to be taken into consideration, I built a really strong bond with all the students in the club. I think this activity is extremely useful and important, and a learning mile stone, since you learn how to work with others, you learn how lead a group of dedicated people and you make new friends from all grades, which shows that age should not restrict us from making friends within a certain age group. I feel like this activity was not only fun and a bit stressful for me but it, also, promoted a good message which we were working towards and having fun.

This activity was my number one priority, because I deeply believe in the better mention of the world we live in, so to work with others with the same goals as I have meant greatly to me, because a lot of people are ignorant to issues with the environment and it was amazing leading a group of enthusiastic, environmentalists. This activity has a lot of value in the sense it opens up more people to become more involved with protecting the environment. I learnt that if a group of people set their minds to something and work hard towards their goal they will achieve it and this is definitely something I can apply to my life since I had experience a lot if difficulties with trying to get approval to adopt a dolphin and the with the transaction but I worked and worked until I made it happen with the support of the club members