Pacific Northwest Settling Establishments Essay Example for Free

Pacific Northwest Settling Establishments Essay Contact at trading posts had originally introduced the Native Americans to Christianity. The British Protestants and French-Canadian trappers who were mostly of Catholic faith did this. The trappers were impressed by Native religion and didnt see any problem between Christianity and Native religion. Fur companies usually encouraged their men to get Native American wives and marry into the tribes to make trade relationships stronger. The Whitman established their mission with the Cayuse at Waiilatpu near Walla Walla. Spalding was assigned to convert the Nez Perce people and founded a mission at Lapwai, Idaho. This was one of the most successful missions. In 1838, two Catholic priests, Fathers Blanchet and Modesta Demers arrived at Fort Walla Walla to imagine the possibilities of beginning a Catholic mission in the area. According to historians the Roman Catholic missionaries were much more successful with the Native Americans. The Native Americans were convinced of the Missionaries tactics and customs from a few different ways. One of the ways that was used was that they didnt promote immigration into the area. Their customs in church were interesting to the Native Americans and helped to encourage practicing their beliefs as well as the fact that mission sites were extensive. To help convert they didnt emphasize changing the Native Americans culture, but instead promoted theirs to make the Natives want to change. Instead of requiring Native Americans to live on or close to the Missions, they traveled alongside with them. In some ways the Missionaries used reverse physiology to convince the Native Americans that their practices were better. The significance of having the missionaries approach and try to chance the Native Americans was very significant. If it werent significant, the Native Americans that were opposing Christianity wouldnt have acted so forcefully, and so many conflicts would not have arose. To all Native Americans, the significance was of great impact whether thought to be positive or negative. It was also of great significance to the coarse of history. If the Missionary Era never occurred, things might be a lot different as far as religion goes for the 21st century.

Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) policy

Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) policy Social Work as a profession is heavily influenced by political rhetoric and ideology albeit there has been a shift in governmental philosophy from the beginnings of the profession. Due to Neo-Liberal ideas commonly adopted by the main political parties in the United Kingdom, social work services are beginning to be based on free market principles. Social work and social care services have seen an increase in privatised quasi markets. The role of the social worker in all of this is one that can be contested and is certainly not static; it is a profession that I believe should attempt to be diverse and fluid. The aim of this essay is, to discuss too what extent there is a social work role beyond ‘the rationing of scarce services and managing of poor people’ (Ferguson and Lavalette 2013:108) This will be achieved by looking the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) policy and what it means for social workers in a statutory children’s and families team before draw ing a conclusion. I intend to highlight the importance of early intervention as laid out in GIRFEC and what this means for social workers. GIRFEC also emphasises the importance of joint up working and I intend to highlight some of the failings of this and the tensions this creates for social workers on the front line. Finally, I will look at how GIRFEC is being put into practice by drawing on research from the Institute of Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS); Changing how we work: a case study in East Lothian. Firstly, however it is important to briefly explore the beginnings of policy implementation and how todays austerity measures effect policy being put into practice. Social work services go back over one hundred and fifty years but it was during the late 1960s that it became apparent that a framework of legislation was needed. This resulted in the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. The Kilbrandon report 1964 was a major driver in this act along with the white paper Social Work and the Community 1966. The Kilbrandon report called for the introduction of children’s hearings and ‘introduced a new way of dealing with what were described as children who were in need of compulsory care’. (Fabb and Guthrie 2007:150) Smith and White (2008:21) add that ‘the thinking of the Kilbrandon Committee was strongly educational, reflecting longstanding views that social wellbeing and social cohesion through education should be the ambition of the system.’ The Kilbrandon report is still one of the most significant policies in relation to social work practice. Ferguson and Lavalette (2013) highlight how austerity measures and welfare reform mixed with the marketization of social work services is impacting on the social work task. Neoliberalism is an ideology now adopted by the main political parties in the United Kingdom and is a take on classic liberal beliefs such as ‘free trade and the free market’ (Hoffman and Graham 2009:) Neo-liberal theorists believe that the role of welfare should not lie with the state and they ‘question the need for the majority of publically funded, state delivered, or state regulated institutions that, taken together, comprise a welfare state.’ (Ellison 2012:) This can be seen in society today in many ways, for example, with the introduction of universal credit and benefit capping both making an attempt to reduce welfare costs. This could also explain the ever growing involvement and use of the voluntary or third sector in social work services. GIRFEC: The aims of the policy GIRFEC was introduced by the Scottish Government in 2008 in an attempt to improve the way in which work is undertaken by professionals working with children and their families. The policy was developed after a string of recommendations and reports surrounding child protection, one of which being It’s everyone’s job to make sure I’m alright Report of the Child Protection Audit and Review(2002: 1) which highlighted the importance of ‘a Scotland in which every child matters’. Another significant report was my turn to talk? (Scottish Executive 2006:), which highlighted that ‘child-related professionals and decision makers across Scotland have both moral and legal obligations to encourage and support children’s participation.’ I believe that this push for child participation will in turn promote active citizenship for children. From these reports and others it was clear that new policy guidance was necessary and so GIRFEC was adopted. GIRFEC aims to co-ordinate the services’ children receive as well as managing the consistency in the delivery of these services. The Scottish Governments guide to getting it right for every child (2012:6) states that ‘it is the bedrock for all children’s services’. Putting the child at the centre of the services they receive is high on the agenda throughout and the policy puts a high emphasis on multi-agency working and the importance of early intervention. The policy was created in respect to ten core components and has a strong set of values that were developed from the Children’s Charter 2004 which ‘reflects the voice of children and young people and what they feel they need, and should be able to expect, when they have problems or are in difficulty and need to be protected.’ (Scottish Government 2004) The wellbeing wheel, my world triangle and resilience matrix, together known as the National practice model, are assessment tools used within GIRFEC to effectively manage and analyse the information required for a child’s plan. The wellbeing wheel consists of eight indicators of wellbeing that ‘are the basic requirements for all children and young people to grow and develop’ (Scottish Government 2012:10). These are: Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included. (SHANARRI). Deep rooted in this, is the four competences from the Curriculum of Excellence: a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible citizen and an effective contributor. I consider the combination of well-being and the curriculum for excellence to be a strong indicator for the push for multi-agency work that is evident throughout the policy. GIRFEC: A drive for early intervention and multi-agency working and the tensions these bring. Early intervention is one of the key themes running throughout the policy. The Changing Lives Report of the 21st Century Social Worker Review illustrates a four tiered approach to early intervention, incorporating the social workers role. (Scottish Government 2006:31). It stresses how social workers are involved in the early stages of intervention and how as crisis situations develop, other universal services step back. I wonder how involved we really are at tiers 1 and 2 and believe this will vary between local authorities. The Scottish Government(2006:31) state that, ‘social workers have a significant contribution to make at tiers 1 and 2, supporting and informing the delivery of services both within social work and across partner agencies.’ However, McGhee and Waterhouse (2011:1097) contradict this by arguing that: ‘for social work, early intervention has taken on a different meaning from that at tiers 1 and 2 †¦ early intervention begins at tier 3 and concerns individuals who already present significant vulnerability and risk and who are beyond the remit and capacity of universal services.’ This points out that early intervention may frequently be the responsibility of health professionals and education. However, early intervention at tiers 1 and 2 is perhaps what social work should be about it with its professional values pushing towards social justice. The Highland ‘s children services practice guidance (2013:11) ‘emphasises the critical part played by health and education services in supporting the development of all children. Difficulties or concerns are identified at an early stage and steps taken to ensure that additional help is available when needed. Help is given as quickly as possible and in consultation with children and their families.’ This backs up what McGhee and Waterhouse argue early intervention is like for social workers; their idea that social workers are not involved at tier 1 and 2. Another Key theme to shape GIRFEC is that of the importance of multi-agency working. Although GIRFEC calls for a push towards a better system of multi-agency working it is not something that is new to the literature. (Wilson et al 2011) Multi-agency became high on the political agenda after the death of Victoria Climbie who ‘was slowly tortured to death despite the involvement of four social service departments, three police child protection teams, health agencies and voluntary agencies.’ (Marinetto 2011:1164) An inquiry into Victoria’s death highlighted the breakdown between professional organisations and called for better co-ordination between services and organisations. With the importance of professionals working together and sharing information stressed here it is no wonder that it is such a key feature in policy documents. The principle behind multi-agency working sounds simple; ‘professionals with different backgrounds, from different intellectual dis ciplines and with different roles work together to provide care and support to service users and people around them.’ (Payne 2007:146) However, for social workers there are tensions to be considered. Atkinson et al (2005) looks at research carried out into multi-agency working and highlights eight challenges; fiscal resources, roles and responsibilities, competing priorities, non-fiscal resources, communication, professional and agency cultures, management and training opportunities. Some of the problems identified within these areas were that there was no financial support and many workers did not know what was being asked of their individual role between them and the rest of the multi-agency team. There were often different primacies amongst the different professions leading to conflict. As a social worker it is imperative that I aim to overcome these tensions and difficulties. In regards to GIRFEC, I expect that the introduction of the named person will help coordinate the multi-agency approach although lack of funding and resources is something that is always going to be a threat to the smooth running of a statu tory children and families team attempting to work alongside other professionals under the GIRFEC framework. The Audit Commission (2009:3) states that ‘Effective joint workingneeds active leadership and purposeful relationship management.’ The report highlights how working together in multi-agency teams is not without risk and that difficulties can arise if the agencies have not developed effective relationships. Strong leadership seems to be a key theme throughout the literature. The Scottish Government (2010) states that ‘Partnership working requires leadership at all levels and across services. In order to make partnership working effective, leadership needs to be the responsibility of everyone.’ If this is adopted and everyone is clear on what their roles and responsibilities are it should enable an effective way of working. How can we implement GIRFEC into practice? In October 2012, IRISS worked alongside East Lothian Council to enable them to implement GIRFEC. The sub group working together involved social workers, police, child protection, the third sector, education and health. Collins (2013:) states that she had ‘initially conceptualised this project as a means to help an organisation reflect on and improve their use of evidence, however, as the project progressed it became evident that the lessons really centred around how a multi-disciplinary team can learn to work together well and change the way they work.’ So here we have a positive example promoting the practice of multi-agency working, however, arriving at this conclusion was not easy. The study points out that in the beginnings people were reluctant to the prospect of the group – ‘We don’t even have the same beliefs.’ (Collins 2013:5) The next problem to address was that when it came down to it, people didn’t fully understand the best way to comprehend GIRFEC- ‘The problem is interpretation of GIRFEC. Some people are putting ‘safe’ at the top of the pyramid. But safe is not the only thing. It doesn’t have to be the most important.’ (Collins 2013:7) These difficulties are only to name a few, but as the group moved onward planning strategies were implemented, based comprehensively on reflection which the group named ‘the action research cycle’ (Collins 2013:16), with successful results. Conclusion Going back to Ferguson and Lavalettes quote, it would be ethically undermining to say that social work is about rationing limited resources and welfare management and that the GIRFEC policy aims to tackle every aspect of a child’s well-being with a multi-agency approach. Although as previously highlighted, the importance of multi-agency working is not new to the literature, within GIRFEC there is a drive for a more effective method in which universal services can work together in partnership with a thrust towards early intervention, although it may be argued that social workers are being locked of this. To an extent, I agree with this and believe that austerity measures are influencing this and together with welfare reforms and an ever growing number of families living in poverty then at present social workers roles may be changing but I am uncertain at present as to say to what extent. What I am certain of is that the service users within a statutory children’s and fam ilies team will be effected whether it be through the ever increasing cost of living and proportion of them relying on low income wages or through local authorities having to cut funding to specialised services and protects.

The Overwhelming Atmosphere in Macbeth :: Macbeth essays

The Overwhelming Atmosphere in Macbeth      Ã‚   The atmosphere looms heavy in William Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth. However, there are some brief, contrasting moments. In this paper we shall dwell on this dimension of the playwright's work.    A.C. Bradley in Shakespearean Tragedy comments on the contribution of the imagery to the atmosphere of the play:    The vividness, magnitude, and violence of the imagery in some of these passages are characteristic of Macbeth almost throughout; and their influence contributes to form its atmosphere. Images like those of the babe torn smiling from the breast and dashed to death; of pouring the sweet milk of concord into hell; of the earth shaking with fever; of the frame of things disjointed; of sorrows striking heaven on the face, so that it resounds and yells out like syllables of dolour; of the mind lying in restless ecstasy on a rack; of the mind full of scorpions; of the tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury; -- all keep the imagination moving on a 'wild and violent sea', while it is scarcely for a moment permitted to dwell on thoughts of peace and beauty. (309)    Charles Lamb in On the Tragedies of Shakespeare comments on the atmosphere surrounding the play:    The state of sublime emotion into which we are elevated by those images of night and horror which Macbeth is made to utter, that solemn prelude with which he entertains the time till the bell shall strike which is to call him to murder Duncan, - when we no longer read it in a book, when we have given up that vantage-ground of abstraction which reading possesses over seing, and come to see a man in his bodily shape before our eyes actually preparing to commit a muder, if the acting be true and impressive as I have witnessed it in Mr. K's performance of that part, the painful anxiety about the act, the natural longing to prevent it while it yet seems unperpetrated, the too close pressing semblance of reality,give a pain and an uneasiness [. . .]. (134)    In Fools of Time: Studies in Shakespearean Tragedy, Northrop Frye shows how the atmosphere is altered for the better at the end of the play:    This theme is at its clearest where we are most in sympathy with the nemesis. Thus at the

D.W.Griffith Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio

Perhaps no other director has generated such a broad range of critical reaction as D.W. Griffith. For students of the motion picture, Griffith's is the most familiar name in film history. Generally acknowledged as America's most influential director (and certainly one of the most prolific), he is also perceived as being among the most limited. Praise for his mastery of film technique is matched by repeated indictments of his moral, artistic, and intellectual inadequacies. At one extreme, Kevin Brownlow has characterized him as "the only director in America creative enough to be called a genius." At the other, Paul Rotha calls his contribution to the advance of film "negligible" and Susan Sontag complains of his "supreme vulgarity and even inanity"; his work "reeks of a fervid moralizing about sexuality and violence" and his energy comes "from suppressed voluptuousness." Griffith started his directing career in 1908, and in the following five years made some 485 films, almost all of which have been preserved. These films, one or two reels in length, have customarily been regarded as apprentice works, films in which, to quote Stephen Zito, "Griffith borrowed, invented, and perfected the forms and techniques that he later used to such memorable effect in The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Broken Blossoms, and Way Down East." These early "Biographs" (named after the studio at which Griffith worked) have usually been studied for their stylistic features, notably parallel editing, camera placement, and treatment of light and shadow. Their most famous structuring devices are the last-minute rescue and the cross-cut. In recent years, however, the Biographs have assumed higher status in film history. Many historians and critics rank the... ...oes Griffith create the impression of narrative immobility? By and large, Griffith's films of the mid- and late 1920s have not fared well critically, although they have their defenders. The customary view—that Griffith's work became dull and undistinguished when he lost his personal studio at Mamaroneck in 1924—continues to prevail, despite calls from John Dorr, Arthur Lennig, and Richard Roud for re-evaluation. The eight films he made as a contract director for Paramount and United Artists are usually studied (if at all) as examples of late 1920s studio style. What critics find startling about them—particularly the United Artists features—is not the lack of quality, but the absence of any identifiable Griffith traits. Only Abraham Lincoln and The Struggle (Griffith's two sound films) are recognizable as his work, and they are usually treated as early 1930s oddities.

Essay --

Rerum Novarum refers to new beginnings. New beginnings refers to an open letter given to all Catholic bishops that addressed the circumstances of the working class. Written on May 15th 1891 by Tommaso Maria Zigliara, the Rerum Novarum examined the interrelation and duties between labor and capital. This document also covers the relationship between the government and citizens. The document begins with an introduction, as all documents do. The introduction opens with remarks on social issues of that time. The speaker continues to speak out against the Socialist motives, and those who allowed them to come about and prosper. The first issues to be discussed are rights and duties. Pope Leo introduces an idea that entails the rights every worker is to be afforded and the duties he then owes his employer. Pope Leo also states that this rule should go both ways and extend to the employer as well. The Pope states that workers are, â€Å"fully and faithfully to perform the work which has been freely and equitably agreed upon; never to injure the property, nor to outrage the person, of an employer; never to resort to violence in defending their own cause, nor to engage in riot or disorder; and to have nothing to do with men of evil principles, who work upon the people with artful promises of great results, and excite foolish hopes which usually end in useless regrets and grievous loss. (p20)† The duties a worker owes his employer are quite clearcut. As such, so are the duties of an employer to his workman. A decent employer is not to use their workers as bondsmen, they are to regard every man with self-respect. They are to treat each worker as a person aggrandized by a good Christian character. Employers are reminded that there is no shame... ... value them for their bodily functions, and not as people. However, if all employers were privy to the contents of Rerum Novarum that talk about how employers are supposed to treat their workers how they deserved to be treated, America’s poverty level would go down. Others who are not well read on the struggles of others should especially look into Rerum Novarum so that they may understand what it is like for others who are on the opposite side of the spectrum. It was paragraph twenty that spoke to me the most. As mentioned previously I really appreciate the fact that it is written somewhere that there should be a set of rights and duties between workers and their employers. All of the rights and duties are fair, and I believe that they should be followed by everyone. I also appreciate these rights because they should be followed whether or not someone is Christian.

Career competence Essay

1. Create one professional goal using the SMART goal setting techniques you learned in Week Two. How did the results of the Career Interest Profiler and Career Plan Building Activity on Competencies contribute to your professional goal development? One career goal would be to finish getting my degree here at the University of Phoenix. By doing this not only will I have a degree but I will know what it takes and what’s necessary when it comes to starting my own business. Once I’ve increased my knowledge of the business tip, I will have the ability to maximize in my career. 2. Describe how you will balance academic expectations and your personal and professional responsibilities. I will balance academic expectations and my personal and professional responsibilities by following my weekly schedule. My schedule helps me manage my time so I won’t procrastinate too much or spend too much time doing extra-curricular activities. I also scheduled free time because personal problems can develop at any given time, that way I can see to my personal problems as well. 3. How can understanding the importance of SMART criteria and your career interests and competencies help you move toward your career and academic goals? By applying these rules of SMART, I know exactly what is required of me to complete my goals. SMART criteria removes any unnecessary directions that is not needed in accomplishing your goal which makes it more realistic. I think that goals are much easier to achieve when you’re using SMART criteria

Csf Proposal

Overview and purpose of the project: The purpose of this project is to continue to change the way the UST community thinks about waste. Composting confronts the idea that, when you throw something away it just disappears, and provides alternative to sending our waste to landfills. In the fall of 2012, the CSF funded a project to expand Dr. Chester Wilson’s vermiculture composting system, which composts all of the coffee grounds produced by Beakers on the second floor of OWS.The goal of this previous CSF project was to expand the efforts of Dr. Wilson by collecting and composting much of the coffee grounds produced on north campus, as well as to raise campus awareness on the benefits and ease of composting. This project is well underway, and one can see the worms working their digestive wonders in the parking ramp under ASC.Quinn Wrenholt, the primary applicant of the fall vermicomposting CSF proposal, and other members of the Composting Club have been collecting the coffee gro unds from the library Coffee Bene, as well as from T’s, the Loft, and Summit Marketplace in the student center since this spring semester began (with average daily collection of between 12 and 18 gallons of coffee grounds – more than 50 gallons each week).The collection crew, which consists of seven motivated individuals, comprises the core group of the Composting Club and has already logged more than 30 cumulative hours of volunteer time providing a direct service to our campus through collecting the coffee grounds we produce. Further Composting Club activities have included another 60 hours of volunteer time contributed to the development of a long-term research project connecting the worm composting bins in the ASC parking ramp to the research occurring in the UST Stewardship Garden located in the Green Space behind the BEC.These activities, in particular the daily collection of the mass amounts of coffee grounds has drawn the attention of Tommie Media on numerous o ccasions already this semester. Quinn Wrenholt will also soon be submitting a blog to the UST Sustainability Blog detailing the progress of the project up to this point and describing in more detail the research being done and some of the additional goals of the Composting Club (http://ustsustainblog. com) This proposal is to expand our on-campus composting even further by placing vermicompost bins in different departments and office areas around campus.This will allow coffee grounds and other food waste produced in these areas to be composted on site. The composting club will maintain these new bins in addition to the bins in the ASC. Additionally, each bin will be sponsored by an individual who works in the area covered by the bin. These Compost Club Liaisons are the keystone to this project with the Composting Club providing all the necessary support. This project’s proposed budget reflects exactly the number of vermicomposting bins that we have received demand and support for so far (see Appendix A).This expansion will be a great addition to the composting work started by Chester Wilson on South Campus and expanded to North Campus this past fall, as it will allow many UST faculty and staff to directly participate in the composting process. Additionally, the continued and increasing amount of alternative waste disposal will continue decrease our University’s carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and increase the awareness of our campus community on issues pertaining to sustainability and waste. How the project will be implemented:This project already has all the necessary infrastructure and support in place, except the purchasing of the new, additional worm bins. The vermicomposting station in the ASC parking ramp will serve as the central headquarters for this outreach project. The Composting Club will work with the liaisons to find good locations for the bins within each department. The volunteer liaisons will serve as the day-to-day man agers, adding their offices’ coffee grounds to the bin each day, and encouraging others to dispose of their waste in the appropriate receptacle.The liaisons will also serve as the point contact person should an issue arise with any of the bins. They will have access to a Compost Club Hotline which can be used to address questions and also guarantees bin removal within 30 minutes of being contacted, if needed. This is the ultimate backup if by some error or flaw a bin develops a smell or leak. These bins will be removed to the ASC parking ramp and dealt with accordingly where no one will be bothered and cleanup is easy.This is also the contingency plan for any case-by-case bin placement issues that occur; though at this point, all of the departments participating in the project have ensured feasibility and acquired permission for their bin(s). The Composting Club will be in charge of the overall maintenance of all on-campus worm bins. When the time comes for the finished compo st to be collected from the bottom tray of the stack, the Composting Club will remove the finished tray and replace it with an empty one.The finished castings will be separated and collected in the ASC parking ramp where we have the facilities and space for doing so (see video for more detailed information and images of the Worm Factory system: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=0sxWOCWEpsg). Only the active composting will take place on site and will be contained by the bins – all of the more intensive and potentially messy procedures will happen off-site in the ASC parking ramp.If this project is approved, when the time comes for purchasing and distributing the new bins to the different locations across campus, the Composting Club will continue to work with the Physical plant to facilitate our fund expenditure. As we distribute the bins, we will also offer short ‘how to’ demonstrations for maintaining a healthy worm bin to the various departments, their liaisons , and other interested parties. Already, we have presented during the first five minutes of a few department meetings with great response from the faculty in attendance.Additionally, the Composting Club has assembled a list of FAQs relating to vermicomposting in the Worm Factory bins and containing information pertinent to this project. These FAQs can be viewed in Appendix B. Budget: For the CSF Vermicompost project last fall, all of the materials (excepting the worms themselves) were purchased from The Eggplant Urban Farm Supply, located on Selby Ave just a few blocks away from our campus. For this project, we plan to continue to utilize this neighboring business as a resource and supplier. Three-tray worm bin: $89 each – Total cost: $$$$Each location will initially receive one, three-tray stack (excepting McNeely Hall which has requested two bins to cover the entire building). As of the time of this proposal’s submission, we have received requests for __ bins (See Ap pendix A). Additional trays: $10 each – Total cost: $$$$ We are requesting funding for an additional __ trays in order to respond to various rates of waste input in different departments, buildings, and offices. It is difficult to anticipate the scope of the waste produced in different offices prior to the actual collection of that waste.By altering both the number of trays in each stack and the number of worms in each tray, we can address the needs of different departments on a case-by-case basis. 10 lbs of worms: $189 (+$26 S&H) – Total cost: $$$$ This is enough for five to six of the trays mentioned above. So we will likely require a minimum of __ lbs of worms. Flexible spending – Total cost: $300 In the Vermicompost CSF proposal submitted this past fall, we requested $500 to cover additional expenses related to developing the project.These funds have been instrumental in the project’s success and have been used to purchase rugs for the bin systems, br ooms for keeping the ASC vermicomposting area clean, buckets and tubs for the collection of the coffee grounds, and more worms and trays than were originally estimated in order to keep up with the steady supply of grounds so far this semester. Also, some of the money has been allotted to fund a collaboration project with a couple of students from the UST club Engineers for a Sustainable World to design a compost sifter to facilitate the processing of finished compost and the collection of the worms.This will be very important in facilitating the collection of worm castings from the bins, and in enabling the research projects currently being developed. For this CSF project proposal, fewer unforeseen expenses are expected as much of the infrastructure for the project is now in place. However, the purchasing of rugs for the bins and other case-by-case needs are anticipated. For this reason, we are requesting an additional $300 to cover these expenses and which also may be used to purch ase another worm bin if needed by a particular department or building. Proposed budget total: $$$$$Include defined metrics for a clearly measurable outcome and a schedule of appropriate progress reports to the CSF through the duration of the project: To monitor the outcomes of this project, the Composting Club, in coordination with students actively conducting research on the vermicomposting systems, will calculate the amount of carbon we are eliminating from the atmosphere by aerobically composting UST’s coffee grounds and some of our campus food waste. Currently, this waste is going to landfills, where it degrades much more slowly in and anaerobic environment conducive to the production of methane and other harmful greenhouse gases.We will also make regular estimates of the amount of worm castings being produced. The castings are a valuable soil amendment, and there is potential for another student research project to pursue the branding of these castings. This way, any cas tings that are produced in addition to those used in the UST greenhouses and Stewardship Garden can be officially donated, which would make this not only a campus sustainability project and research opportunity, but also a non-profit business.These numbers can be easily recorded because it will be students from the composting club along with Chester Wilson that are handling and hauling the material and maintaining the worm bins across campus. We will submit semesterly basic reports to the CSF in a format such as this: |Fall 2013 (Implementation) | Spring 2014 |Fall 2014 |Spring 2015 | |Waste composted |0 |x |x |x | |Carbon Eliminated |0 |x |x |x | |Castings Produced |0 |x |x |x | | Additional reports may come from the research projects that are now being planned and implemented relating to this project and integrating it to other ongoing campus sustainability projects.If your project will offset greenhouse gases and reduce the campus carbon footprint, describe thoroughly how this wi ll happen: Assuming 2 tons of waste per month composted (we will have a much more accurate estimate of the waste composted by the worms bins at the end of this semester), which would equate to the prevention of 1. 76 metric tons/month of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere. This is equivalent to eliminating 4. 56 cars from the road per month.That is just the reduction based on that waste not being in the landfill, there would be additional carbon reduced from not having to transport that waste to the site. Further benefit would come from the utilization of the worms castings as a soil amendment in food production areas. Healthier soils are better at sequestering atmospheric CO2 and can hold more of it than denuded soils lacking nutrients and organic matter. (See Appendix C for calculation source). Although campus greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced, this project serves even more to catalyze a sustainable initiative that can be expanded in years to come.In its first semes ter of existence, the Composting Club and the vermicomposting operations now located in the ASC parking ramp have already generated an awesome amount of student and faculty interest. Further, the project from the fall of 2012 has provided a conduit for alternative waste disposal on campus. The action of composting much of our campus waste is already providing a platform for further reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, reductions in waste, and overall reductions in UST’s carbon footprint.Describe if and how students will be involved and/or the educational value to our community: The fall vermicomposting project was designed to encourage students to consider their relationship with their food and food waste, and to provide an alternative method of waste ‘disposal’ for our campus. This project is designed to do the same for our faculty and staff, further strengthening the link between food waste and climate change and increasing our carbon reduction efforts. Stud ents have already gotten involved with this project and the Composting Club is ready to expand our efforts!We are in the process of planning educational tours of the vermicomposting operation in the ASC parking ramp, which will be offered during Earth Week in addition to other sustainability-related project tours. Composting Club activities and the maintenance of the worm bins provide great opportunities for donation of service hours directly benefiting our campus. Further student engagement has come in the form of new research projects and connections with other campus projects. These integration projects include providing fertile worm castings to the UST greenhouses and the Stewardship Garden.As previously mentioned, students are currently in the process of developing research proposals to further develop the UST vermicomposting project and continue outreach and integration efforts – currently students are looking into branding the vermicastings, and also into connecting wi th other local community gardens to do soil testing and begin long-term, case-specific amendment studies. These projects would have beneficial impacts on the surrounding UST community, in addition to the benefits added by the use and donation of the finished castings.The increasing presence of composting efforts on campus allows the university community to fulfill our mission statement by â€Å"thinking critically and acting wisely to advance the common good. † This project is in line with the University Mission Statement because it provides students and now faculty the opportunity to be directly involved with the food chain and to participate in their waste. In recent years people have been increasingly encouraged to buy locally and to know where their food is coming from.While there is still a long way to go to reach these goals, movements are starting and people are daily becoming more aware of the problems human society faces. Unfortunately, there are still many people wh o never think about where their waste goes beyond ‘into the garbage,’ and never consider where there food comes from beyond ‘the grocery store. ’ Through the implementation and continued growth of this project, we will give the St. Thomas community the chance to experience the whole lifecycle of their food from soil and seed, to food on the table, to waste and back to soil, all within the onfines of our own campus and all on a sustainable level. Highlight innovations and the potential for the project to be scalable across our campuses: Integral to the mission of this project is scalability and its ability to grow. The Fall 2012 CSF Vermicomposting project has been hugely successful and has drawn substantial interest from individuals across campus. This proposal is an expansion of that project, catalyzed by the interest and eagerness of others to partake and participate in alternative waste disposal.While working with the worm bins in the ASC parking ramp or while collecting the coffee grounds from UST producers, Compost Club members were occasionally approached by interested faculty or students about what they were doing or concerning the good coffee smell permeating the air near the bins. After introducing the interested individual to the project and showing them the worms, almost without fail, the students and faculty alike were interested in contributing their own coffee and their own food waste from home or from their office or department.Unfortunately, because the current vermicomposting system is already operating near capacity, we are unable to collect grounds or waste from these sources; however, it was this community interest that stimulated this expansion idea. This project has great potential to be scaled across our campuses and to continually grow and develop as a UST legacy. As other faculty and staff see the bins that we are planning to place in several departments across campus, we are expecting the bins to generate int erest by other departments, offices, and campus buildings.The new demand will provide perfect support for future project proposals, further expanding UST’s composting and decreasing our waste and carbon output. If applicable, include lifecycle costs, possible investment payback schedules and potential long-term savings: The lifecycle costs of this project are minimal due to the low costs of maintenance and relatively low initial costs. These compost bins are long-term sustainable investments and are designed for in-home or in-office use. Chester Wilson has been using the same worm bins for more than ten years.These systems have proved reliable and durable and we are confident in using the Worm Factory worm bins for this proposed project. Although the money saved by sending the waste to the on-campus composting location, instead of having it picked up will be relatively minimal, dealing with much of our own waste in a sustainable and efficient manner right here on campus is a key feature of this project. Self-contained and efficient systems are worth highlighting as they embody a shift from a linear system of use and dispose to a more closed-loop cycle of use, compost, reuse.There is also great value in the production of the castings as a fertile soil amendment. To date, they have been used in the greenhouses extensively in place of relatively costly potting soils and synthetic fertilizers, which are also much more energy intensive to produce. Appendix A: Appendix B: FAQs: What can be put in the worm bins? The worms are not particularly picky eaters. Too much citrus can be uncomfortable for them, and meat and dairy products are always a risk to compost.While they are unlikely to hurt the worms, these items tend to be the main culprits for bad smelling compost. When the bins are distributed, the Composting Club will offer a brief training session for each department and their liaison. What if the bin begins to smell bad? As discussed in the video, the Wor m Factory bins are designed to allow plenty of oxygen to flow through the system. Keeping the bins aerobic keeps the smell down, and remember that these systems are designed for in-home or in-office use.In the chance that the bin does begin to smell, the Compost Club Liaisons will have the responsibility of calling the club hotline – we guarantee full removal of smelly bins within 20 minutes of that phone call. Will the bin attract pests/rodents? Rodents signify a much larger problem than the mere presence of a Worm Factory composter. Pests, in particular fruit flies, can pose problems for indoor composting systems. There is actually a simple treatment that can be applied to the medium in the bins (the stuff the worms live in) that repels gnats and flies.Again, the Composting Club hotline will be the ultimate back-up for any issues with your bin; guaranteed quick removal. Are the bins messy? No. The bins are designed to hold the food waste and to collect the moisture produced . Composting Club will regularly collect the liquid (or Compost Tea) generated by the bins and will also be on-call to respond to any cleanup needs. All processing of finished compost will be conducted off-site in the ASC parking ramp. There, we have to facilities to deal with this slightly more messy process.Where will the bins be located? This should be determined on a departmental basis. The worms are really tolerant, but cannot be too hot, too cold, or too dry. Basically, by keeping the bins out of the sun, but in a heated/temperature-controlled area, they will be more than fine. The Composting Club will monitor the moisture levels in the bins and make any changes as needed. We recommend that the bins be placed in an easily accessible location – near the most common waste sources whenever possible – but that they remain mostly out-of-sight.Behind furniture, under counters, or unused storage closets or rooms make ideal locations. What are the responsibilities of the Compost Club Liaison? The liaison will be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the bins and for calling the Composting Club hot line with any issues. At its most basic, the day-to-day maintenance will consist of collecting your office or department’s daily coffee grounds and adding them to the bin. Nothing about the job should be taxing or burdensome to the individual. Who will be in charge of emptying the bins once they have finished composting?Once again, the Composting Club will take care of emptying the bins when the compost in the bottom tray of the stack is finished. We will also be regularly monitoring the bins and will therefore know when the trays are ready to be emptied. All processing of finished compost will take place off-site in the ASC parking ramp where we have the facilities for doing so. How long does it take for the food waste to become finished compost? The answer to this question varies depending on the number of worms and the amount and type of food waste present.I like to think of one tray representing one-two weeks of composting. So a stack of three trays would represent a three-six week composting process. Appendix C: StopWaste. org is the website of a waste management organization located in Alameda county, CA. The organization is in charge of the waste management plan for the county, and the provide a variety of sustainable development plans and waste reduction initiatives for the businesses, schools, government buildings, and local industry in the fourteen cities comprising the county. http://www. stopwaste. us/partnership/calculator/