On what was coincidentally the coldest morning in February
2012, Mr. Howard led my English 11 class to the Morton Deck for a lesson about
Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. We walked to the Deck together as a class,
tugging our hats down around our ears and fiddling with jammed jacket zippers
as we stumbled along the wooded trail.
As our hearts pumped and exposed cheeks reddened, we got energized for
class and for the rest of the school day. When we reached the Deck, Mr. Hoffman and a
blazing fire greeted us. Our class sat
in a lopsided circle and opened up our green English 11 Course Packets to “Where
I Lived, and What I Lived For,” from Chapter two of Walden. As Mr. Howard began
to read aloud, we dug pencils out from the depths of our jackets. We listened, and in our minds compared the
vivid descriptions of Thoreau’s wilderness to the hilly, frozen, and silent
woods around us. When we got to them, I
put a star next to the words, “I went to the woods because I wished to live
deliberately.” Something about trekking
up that hill to use the outdoor classroom screamed “living deliberately” to me.
Our discussion lasted the entire class
period and left us contemplative, numb from cold, and smelling of fragrant wood
smoke. I will never forget that class,
when we went to the woods to learn
deliberately. Although I enjoyed our
entire Romantic poetry study, the lines of text that I can remember most clearly
are those that we read that February morning out on Potomac’s secluded,
beautiful campus. We have 90 acres of
classrooms, yet I have only taken class outside a handful of other times since
I joined the Upper School. These
experiences in my sustainability, biology, and environmental history classes
have been some of the most memorable of my entire education. If I could make one wish for Potomac’s
future, it would be that students and teachers would more often utilize the
campus we are lucky to have (we didn’t move to McLean from Dupont Circle for
nothing!) and, in doing so, learn deliberately by exploring connections between
course material and the natural environment.
Sustainable Living for Potomac Families
Welcome to the Potomac School sustainability blog run by our very own student organization, SEA (Students for Environmental Action). This blog will be packed with tips for eco-conscious living, both inside the classroom and out. Writers include SEA members as well as guests from the Potomac community. Thanks for reading!
Monday, September 9, 2013
Saturday, August 10, 2013
How was Lily's internship with DC Greens?
Read about Lily B's (a former SEA leader) experience working as an intern for DC Greens!
Lily, a Potomac alum who is now studying environmental policy in college, spent her summer working for a great organization in DC. DC Greens is a nonprofit that helps low-income families and individuals afford and gain access to healthy, local produce.
Lily, a Potomac alum who is now studying environmental policy in college, spent her summer working for a great organization in DC. DC Greens is a nonprofit that helps low-income families and individuals afford and gain access to healthy, local produce.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Learn about the slow food movement!
Learn about the chemistry of smog!
Below is the link to a Potomac AP Chemistry student's Powerpoint presentation about smog. See the notes below each slide for details.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Farmers' Market Shopping
The DC metro area is home to over 160 farmers' markets. Many Potomac students say that their families try to eat more sustainably by shopping at their local market as often as possible. With so many options, there is a market reasonably close to almost every neighborhood!
List of DC farmers' markets: http://dc.about.com/od/restaurants/a/FarmersMktsDC.htm
I happen to be a huge fan of my local farmers' market. Located in the center of downtown Bethesda, the Bethesda farmers' market is bustling every Sunday morning. Below are the names of my favorite vendors.
Vendors list at the Bethesda farm market: http://bccdcrealestate.com/files/2012/04/SAM_7854-239x425.jpg |
Cookinut by Sweet Nuttings:
- Dedicated to making simple food from high quality ingredients that customers can order online and buy at farmers' markets
Website: http://www.sweetnuttings.com/
Stonyman Gourmet Farmer:
- Family farm in the Blue Ridge mountains - Little Washington, VA
- Sells local meat and cheese
Website: http://www.stonymangourmetfarmer.com/
Liberty Delight Farms:
- Family owned All Natural Meat producer in Reisterstown, MD
- Sells at farmers' markets, does home delivery
- Main products are meat, poultry, and eggs
Wesbsite: http://www.libertydelightfarms.com/
Map of farmers' markets in the DC area: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/lifestyle/dc-farmers-markets-interactive-map/ |
Planting a garden
Why it's good for the environment:
- Extra local produce - no CO2 emissions from shipping
- Small-scale farming takes less of a toll on soil and surroundings than massive fields
Why it's good for you:
- Fresh
- Inexpensive compared to supermarket produce
- Not packaged in plastic, covered in wax, or sprayed with pesticide
Veggies to plant that will provide throughout the growing season: tomatoes, peppers, squash, lettuce
Herbs that you can use in cooking: cilantro, basil, oregano, thyme, dill, rosemary, tarragon
- Extra local produce - no CO2 emissions from shipping
- Small-scale farming takes less of a toll on soil and surroundings than massive fields
Why it's good for you:
- Fresh
- Inexpensive compared to supermarket produce
- Not packaged in plastic, covered in wax, or sprayed with pesticide
Veggies to plant that will provide throughout the growing season: tomatoes, peppers, squash, lettuce
Herbs that you can use in cooking: cilantro, basil, oregano, thyme, dill, rosemary, tarragon
For more information: http://www.bhg.com/gardening/vegetable/vegetables/planning-your-first-vegetable-garden/
Gardening as a way to get food on the table: http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/blogs/q-a-starting-a-garden-part-1
Find out what will grow in your garden: http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/questions/how-do-i-learn-what-will-grow-best-in-my-backyard
http://www.fugoolive.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/vegetable_garden_tomato.jpg
Some fruits and veggies to avoid and others to stock up on!
The Environmental Working Group has put forth a list of the fruits and vegetables that are consistently the most pesticide-laden and another list of items that are generally more safe. There are 13 on the "avoid" list and 15 on the "eat" list:
For more information and the complete lists:
http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php
Highlights from the "avoid" list: apples, grapes
Highlights from the "eat" list: asparagus, mangoFor more information and the complete lists:
http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php
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