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Fall 2001 Sustainable Systems Seminar Series
Steven Doherty, parks, recreation and environmental education assistant professor, has helped organize
a multi-part sustainable systems seminar series to foster dialogue among the Slippery Rock campus and
community. The free series takes place from 11 :30 am - 12:20 pm Wednesdays in room 132 of the new
SRU Physical Therapy Building.
Speakers range from current students involved in thesis research and campus greening, and former
students involved in community service and sustainqble business, to faculty members collaborating in
cross-disciplinary approaches to sustainability, and community members and leaders in education involved
in local and regional projects. Join us to learn more about these topics that will play a major role in the
future of environment, community, health, and education.
Remaining lecture dates, topics and speakers include:
October 31 - Voices Under Starlit Skies: A Peace Corps Journey to the
Solomon Islands and Beyond, Spencer Welton MS3 student
*presentation will be held at Vincent Planetarium*
November 7 - Community Renewal, Gerry Heller, Ph.D. Ed., Slippery Rock Development, Inc.
November 14- Short-rotation Willow Forests for Biomass Energy in South Central New York,
Stacie Edick, Biomass Field Representative, .. USDA Resource Conservation and Development Project
November 28 -Fabricated Soils for Landscape Rehabilitation, Valentine Kefeli, Ph.D.,
Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition and Stream Restoration, Inc.
December 5 - Economics and Sustainability, Andy McDonald, MS3 student
Solfest 2001 has MS3 Influence
By Joseph Jenkins, ALTER Member
California's Solfest 2001 is billed as the largest
solar living festival in the world with attendance by
nearly 5,000 participants. This year's sixth annual
event had more than its fair share of influence by
Slippery Rock University's master of science in
sustainable systems program.
Spring 2000 MS3 graduate Claire Anderson has
worked as office and program coordinator since April at
the Institute for Solar Living, the Solfest sponsor. The
institute is affiliated with Real Goods, a retail outlet
specializing in solar and sustainable merchandise. Both
Former MS3 student Joseph Jenkins speaking at
Solfest 2001 .
are located about two hours north of San Francisco in Hopland, California. Anderson's Solfest tasks
included coordination of 120 volunteers and organizing more than 40 workshop presenters. She literally
worked 16-hour days to ensure its success.
Former MS3 student Joseph Jenkins presented a workshop at Solfest 2001 titled "Close Encounters of
the Turd Kind" that humorously mixed the topics of aliens, UFO's and human excrement, while answering
festivalgoers' questions about humanure composting. Jenkins' expertise in the subject of human waste is
well known through his publication "The Humanure Handbook." His presentation was well received by
the California crowd. Joining Jenkins as speakers were Marianne Williamson, Starhawk, Sherry Anderson
and Paul Ray (of Cultural Creatives fame), Dave Foreman, and Toby Hemenway.
(continued on page 2)
A Vision Realized
By Vivas Macoskey, ALTER Member
Howard C. Zahniser was a conservationist with a
vision. He served as executive director of the Wilderness
Society from 1945 to 1964, and was the author of the
Wilderness Act, signed by President Lyndon Johnson in
1964. This act created the National Wilderness
Preservation System, and defined wilderness as "an area
of undeveloped federal land retaining its primeval
character and influence without permanent improvements
or human habitation, which is managed so as to
preserve its natural condition."
Today, there are more than 105 million acres of
wilderness protected in the National Wilderness
Preservation system. The Allegheny National Forest,
the only national forest in Pennsylvania, encompasses
513,000 acres of public land in the northwestern comer
of the state. Unfortunately, less than 2 percent of
Allegheny National Forest is designated as wilderness.
This is far less proportionally than national forest land
in almost every other eastern state. More of the
Allegheny National Forest needs formal congressional
protection from threatening oil and gas drilling, and
timber cutting.
On August 13th, Zahniser's legacy was honored
with the dedication and unveiling of a Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission marker, located
1 1/2 miles north of Tionesta, Pa, on Route 62. Local
residents, members of the Zahniser family, Congressman
John Peterson and others, including ALTER
members, witnessed this ceremony sponsored by the
Friends of Allegheny, the Forest County Historical
Society, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission, The Wilderness Society, and Pew Wilderness
Center. Howard Zahniser's 20-year effort in
realizing his vision of having federal protection for parts
of our natural heritage is an inspiration for those of us
who want less of beautiful Allegheny National Forest
disturbed, or "managed" in any way. 0
Solfest 2001 (continuedfrompage 1)
Rounding out the MS3 contingent was former
student Peter Starr. He and his wife, Sara, were among
the throng of sun-soaked volunteers at Solfest. They
currently live about three hours north of Hopland in
California and work as editors.
The Institute for Solar Living's purpose is to
"promote sustainable living through inspirational
environmental education." With the help of former MS3
students, the institute is sure to proceed with this
endeavor full steam ahead. 0
2
2001 Parks and Recreation/MS3 Fall Gathering Potluck.
"'
A REAL Inspiring Read
A Review by Kimberly Donovan, ALTER Member
A Real Life is a quarterly magazine like no other and
a reminder of just how good life can be. Main author,
publisher and single mother Barbara McNally, along
with her son and many excellent contributing writers are
making every effort to live a simple and sustainable
lifestyle in the big city; in this case New York City. A
Real Life is advertising free, printed on recycled paper,
and always inspiring with its focus on simple and
healthful living. Each issue contains topics ranging
from whole foods cooking and health issues, to
parenting and spirituality.
Reviews are also included for books and environmentally
friendly products. Examples include dental
floss (think of all the plastic dental floss containers
discarded in landfills), and cars (Sport Utility Vehicles
do not make the short list). $30 gets you six quarterly
issues that are well worth the price. For more information
contact A Real Life, PMB 400, 245 Eighth Avenue,
New York, NY, 10014-1142, or call Maryanne McGrath
at 802-893-7040.
THE ALTERNATOR
Editor: Frank Raymond Cetera
The Alternator is published quarterly by the ALTER Project
and the MS3 program at Slippery Rock University. The views
expressed herein do not necessarily represent those held by
the university. Letters and submissions are welcome.
Please address all correspondence to:
The Macoskey Center
ALTERNATOR EDITOR/ Slippery Rock University
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
724-738-0606
E-mail: thealternator@sru.edu
2001 Market Garden Review
By Jennifer Lauzon and Spencer Welton, Macoskey Center Graduate Assistants '
The Macoskey Center Market Gardens are traditionally designed and operated by Slippery Rock
University students. The gardens provide opportunities for hands-on experience in the planning,
growing, and selling of vegetable production. In that respect, several changes were made to the
design, location, and marketing of the gardens and their bounty this year.
Permaculture and Design
The Market Gardens had been located m the
agricultural fields north of the Macoskey Center barn
during the last several years. This year they were moved
back to the "Permaculture Gardens" adjacent to the south
side of Harmony House at the Macoskey Center.
Permaculture refers to a design system created by Bill
Mollison from Australia. Some basic Permaculture
principles incorporated at the Macoskey Center include:
1) using the characteristics of the land to your advantage
and working with, rather than against, existing features;
2) using the land in the most efficient way possible (i.e.
having dual-functioning elements, minimizing path space
in gardens); 3) and laying out the land that you are choosing
to work with in a format that makes sense (i.e. placing the
herb gardens closest to the house, followed by the
vegetable gardens, orchards, and woodlot or pasture, which
need less attention respectively). So besides giving the
agriculture fields a rest and rejuvenation with the planting
of several cover crop trials, the closer location has allowed
the gardens to receive more attention and made gardening
more enjoyable.
Fifteen raised beds of approximately 2767.35 square
feet were in production this summer. Most of them were
double-dug in the spring as soon as the soil was dry enough
to work. Double-digging refers to the process of bed
preparation by removing the top layer of soil from a trench,
moving it to the side, loosening the exposed lower layer
www.sru.edu/ depts/chhs/macoskey/
The new website for the Robert A. Macoskey Center for
Sustainable Systems Education and Research is up and
running at www.sru.edu/depts/chhs/macoskey/. Visit the
site to learn more about the center and view a growing
collection of online photos in albums relating to
community, composting, ecological building, ecosystem
management, interpretive trail, renewable energy,
sustainable agriculture, and weekly events. Don't forget
to send an email to the Macoskey Center during you web
site visit to get further details on past, current and
upcoming events and projects; to provide feedback about
the web site; or just to send a greeting or letter of support
to the staff. Happy surfing. O
3
of soil, and refilling the first trench with soil from the next
trench to be loosened. Through this process, soil becomes
better aerated and able to drain, an important consideration
with our western Pennsylvanian clay hard pan. The raised
beds can be considered a semi-permanent form of
gardening. The paths remain in the same place year after
year so the vegetables are not grown on compacted soil.
The beds, approximately four to six feet wide, eliminate
much of the path space taken by traditional row gardening,
while still allowing easy reach of crops in the middle of
beds.
Compost and lime/wood ashes were added to the raised
beds. The compost adds nutrients, increases the waterholding
capacity, and increases the cat ion-exchangecapacity
of the soil (the ability of the soil to hold positivelycharged
ions important in nutrient uptake). The lime and
wood ashes help to chemically balance the slightly acidic
soils. Our plants were able to be spaced fairly closely in
the beds, thus allowing the most efficient use of space,
due to the soil preparation. Plant competition was kept to
a minimum due to the loosened soil that allowed for plant
roots to grow downward more easily, and the compost that
provided enough nutrients. One extra benefit of the close
plant spacing is that the plants act as a "living mulch"
which, once plants are established, keeps weeds out and
moisture in. Along with the water-holding ability of the
soil's organic matter, the living-mulch technique worked
well for water conservation. With some of the long hot
weeks between rains this summer, it was rarely necessary
to water.
We extend our thanks and recognition to
the 85 fantastic individuals who signed up
for the Macoskey Center organic produce
e-mail list, and the 63 wonderful people
who bought organic produce from the
Macoskey Center Market Gardens this
summer. We appreciate your support of
organic methods and wish you continued
healthful and tasty opportunities in your
future. See you next summer.
(continued on page 4)
Markets and Sales
In previous years, produce was sold on campus twice
a week. This strategy rarely paid off in relation to the
extra time and effort it required. This year, we sent flyers
to all campus staff detailing our produce e-mail list. An
announcement was also made over the center 's regular email
list. Those replying with interest were sent weekly
updates on what produce was available. Customers would
then call in orders for pickup, or delivery to their oncampus
location. This strategy worked well by allowing
more garden time, yet allowing us to serve interested
patrons better. A roadside sign was also put up at the
Macoskey Center, but no clear results were seen from it.
We donated our excess produce to the Institute for
Community Service Learning's Empty Bowls Dinner.
Pests and Problems
Some of the insects that visited were not as welcome
as the myriad bees, butterflies, and ladybugs. Japanese
beetles attacked the pole beans and orchard trees. They
were picked off by hand and dropped into a bowl of soapy
water, then squished. We counted more than 1000 hand
removed Japanese beetles. They remained present in
smaller number towards the end of the growing season,
but the plants seemed to be strong enough to handle the
minimal remaining damage.
Flea beetles absolutely ravaged the eggplants and
arugula. These plants may have been put out too early, as
flea beetle populations seem to diminish later in the season.
At first, mixtures of garlic, mint, and catnip, all of which
are reported to help repel flea beetles were tried for defense.
The mixtures seemed to work ok, but took effort to prepare;
especially when the frequent early season rains washed
the sprays off quickly. We also tried sprinkling ash and
lime, which was much easier and quicker to apply, on the
eggplant leaves. This seemed to hinder the flea beetle
numbers, though they were still present in some quantity.
Diatomaceous earth seemed to have the same effect as the
ash and lime. Flea beetles also appeared on the potatoes,
but did not have too much effect on the foliage.
Striped cucumber beetles appeared on both the summer
and winter squash. They didn't cause much plant damage,
but we were concerned with their supposed ability to spread
diseases. The beetles were picked off and dropped into
soapy water. Although the squash planted early were well
established and more resistant to the beetles, squash planted
later in the season, after the beetle's arrival, were severely
damaged. Mulching seemed to help combat beetles on
the younger squash; it may have something to do with the
burrowing habit of the beetles. 0
4
20..0. 1 Macoskey Center Market Garden Beds .
ALTER
"A vision without a task
is but a dream,
a task without a vision
is drudgery,
a vision with a task
is the hope of the world. "
Inscription on a church,
Sussex, England circa: 1730
The Robert A Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education_ and Research
Holiday 2001 Book Wish List '
Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East
by Jeffrey Glassberg
(January 1999) Oxford Univ. Pr (Trade);
ISBN: 0195106687
Dragonflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to
Dragonflies of North America
by Sidney W. Dunkle
(September 2000) Oxford Univ. Press (Trade);
ISBN: 0195112687
National Audubon Society Field Guide to
North American Insects and Spiders
by Lorus J. Milne, Susan Rayfield (Illustrator)
(November 1980) Knopf;
ISBN: 0394507630
National Audubon Society Field Guide to
North American Wildflowers: Eastern Region
$15.16
$20.96
$15.20
by National Audubon Society (Editor), John W. Thieret,
William A. Niering, Nancy C. Olmstead
Revised edition (April 3, 2001) Knopf;
ISBN: 0375402322 $13.96
Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Northeastern
North America: Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms
and Angiosp erms: Dicotyledons
by Garrett Crow, C. Barre Hellquist, Norman C. Fassett.
Revised Edition Vol. 1. (July 2000).
Univ. of Wisconsin Press.
ISBN 029916330X
A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs Northeastern and
North-Central US and Southeastern and South-Central
Canada (The Peterson Field Guides)
by George A. Petrides
2nd edition (September 6)
1973 Houghton Mifflin Co (Pap);
$90.00
ISBN: 039535370X $14.40
A Field Guide to Insects: America North of Mexico
(Peterson Field Guides)
by Donald Joyce Borror, Richard E. White
(April 15) 1998 Houghton Mifflin Co (Pap);
ISBN: 0395911702 $15.20
National Audubon Society Field Guide to
North American Mammals
by John 0. Whitaker Jr.
Revised edition (May 1996) Knopf;
ISBN: 0679446311 $15.20
Identifying and Harvesting Edible and
Medicinal Plants in Wild (And Not So Wild Places)
by Steve Brill, Evelyn Dean
(May 1994) Hearst Books; ISBN: 0688114253 $15.16
5
Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast
(Comstock Book in Hereptology)
by Arthur C. Hulse, C. J. McCoy, Ellen Censky,
Linda Witt Fries (Illustrator), J. C. McCoy
(May 2001) Comstock Pub Assoc;
ISBN: 0801437687 $27.96
The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual
by Ann Fowler Rhoads, Timothy A. Block,
Anna Anisko (Illustrator)
(June 2000) University of Pennsylvania Press;
ISBN: 0812235355 $69.95
M,ushrooms of Northeast North America:
Midwest to New England
by George Barron
(April 1999) Lone Pine Publishing;
ISBN: 1551052016 $15.96
Birds Of Pennsylvania Field Guide
by Stan Tekiela
(April 15, 2000) Adventure Publications;
ISBN: 1885061765 $10.36
In The Winter 2002
Alternator ...
Slippery Rock Elementary School Garden Project
News and views from the Robert A. Macoskey
Center for Sustainable Systems Education
and Research
Reader submissions
And much more!!
Readers are encouraged to submit articles, ideas,
artwork, humor, news, poetry, fiction, book and
music reviews, announcements and other
commentary. Submissions should be"Word"
formatted and on disk, or double-spaced hard copy.
Please include information on how to contact you.
Material should be sent to: Alternator Editor, The
Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems
Education and Research, Slippery Rock University,
Slippery Rock, PA 16057; or e-mailed to The
Alternator@SRU.edu. The Alternator editor reserves
the right to edit for length, style and interest.
Material will be included in upcoming issues as
space allows. Submissions are due by December 15
for the Winter 2002 issue and January 15 for the
Spring 2002 issue. O
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