Sustainable Return is divided into four categories: Water, Air, Land, and Lifestyle.
It has a dual function of increasing awareness
and creating a format for student body at large to jointly volunteer
for environmental causes in the name of the school.
WATER
For those of you who don't know, water shortages will be one of our biggest concerns in the near future.
Quartet of Volunteers
In June 2009, alarmed after watching the movie FLOW, four staff members of the Tai Chi Center gathered around the fire (literally) for the first of a series of meetings on water, with the goal of forming a volunteer group. The focus and efforts of this group will become one even as our reasons for doing so are varied.
The Great Lakes are the largest body of fresh water on surface of the earth. We intend to joyfully and jointly volunteer our time and efforts protecting the health of the water in the Great Lakes, as we live, work and practice tai chi within the watershed of Lake Michigan.
We are looking to share the responsibilities of a single volunteer position with one of the local organizations charged with protecting the Great Lakes watershed.
Building a cistern may become a part of this project.
Rain barrel
In spring, 2007, The Tai Chi Center installed a rain barrel to capture the rainwater runoff from the roof to water our rooftop garden.
AIR
As Hsu Fun-Yuen would say, "One month breathing mountain air equals one year in the city, one day breathing mountain air equals one month in the city, one hour breathing mountain air equals one week in the city, and one minute of mountain air is not enough to live on."
350 Breaths
Oxygen is required for the biochemical reactions in the body that provide energy.
Without energy to power the brain and other organs the body dies.
In July of 2008, Elizabeth Wenscott and 6 student members filmed the first half of Tai Chi Chuan in collaboration with 350 whose mission is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis--to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.
7 x 50 breaths needed to perform the first half = 350 breaths in total.
350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide--measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM--it's the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.
Currently we are at 390.18 Parts Per Million
Carbon Day
During the summer of 2009, Elizabeth Wenscott and Don Tomei had a booth at Chicago's Carbon Day Festival where they promoted the low environmental impact that both Tai Chi and Qigong have on our planet. A video of that day will soon become available on our YouTube page.
LAND
The Bee Trail Project
The bees are disappearing. It is estimated that in the US alone, more than 24 BILLION bees have disappeared since Spring 2006.
A honeybee visits 50 to 100 flowers during a single flight of pollen collection.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that about one-third of the human diet is derived from insect-pollinated plants
and that the honeybee is responsible for 80 percent of this pollination.
In 2009, the Tai Chi Center of Chicago joined the growing movement of backyard beekeepers and we are keeping hives. Our goal is to have as many interested households and gardens in the 3 mile radius from the hives support the health of our bees, beginning by doing one thing differently in their household. Map of the 3 Mile Bee Trail!
Actions promoting bee health:
Plant bee- friendly plants in your yard.
Buy raw, local, honey. If available, buy honey from bees raised organically or biodynamically. Honey is the only food that has no shelf life expiration date: it doesn't spoil.
Eliminate the use of pesticides and herbicides in your garden. Bees need food without poison for themselves and their hive just like we do!
Eliminate the use of dryer sheets. The chemicals on those sheets are released into the air when heated in the dryer, potentially interfering in the bees ability to "smell" pollen flows.
Host a hive on your property, when swarms are caught and additional hives become available.
Become a beekeeper yourself. For the real enthusiasts, start your beekeeping career with a topbar hive, which is healthier for the bees. topbar hive, backyard beekeeper.
Join the bee guardian movement. Our hero is Corwin Bell, Bee Guardian. We have yet to take classes with this innovative, gentle beekeeper, but he does have video of his work.
Sustainable Gardening: The Greening of St. Ben's, a Sustainable Lifestyle.
Lectures covering:
Pollinators: Day pollinators: bees; night pollinators: bats
Colony Collapse Disorder: The negative effects of dryer sheet use
Dark Skies: Light pollution and its negative effect on bat populations, wildlife, plant life and human health
Soil nourishment: Biodynamic, organic nourishment of the soil (instead of fertilizer use)
Pesticides and genetically engineered plants: Trees providing our oxygen needs
Global Warming: Basics including the breaking apart of the Arctic shelf
Moss: A lawn alternative that holds both moisture and topsoil
Winter sidewalk management: Sand vs. salt
Three Trees Tai Chi
Coming soon. Until then here are some interesting facts about Trees
Bats (the night pollinators) & Chickens also coming soon.
LIFESTYLE
Community Supported Agriculture http://www.angelicorganics.com Community supported Illinois family farm, growning an astounding array of vegetables and herbs since 1990, farming in accordance with Biodynamic principles.
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