M6.4 Blog: Industrial Farming

• Your thoughts about the vanishing of bees (what else have you heard/seen about this issue?)

I have heard a lot about bees vanishing in mainstream media over the last few years, but I did not understand the depth of the issue at all until watching the movie, "Vanishing of the Bees." It is frightening to think about all the ways in which we are doing irreparable harm to our ecosystem and planet. The only other thing I had seen recently about this issue is a startup by a young woman who is putting beehives on tech company campuses in order to promote beekeeping and raise awareness about this issue. (And also as an activity for people working on the tech campuses, I guess?) The name of her nonprofit is Bee Downtown. Here is a link to an article describing the company: https://www.wraltechwire.com/2019/05/08/bee-downtowns-ceo-turns-passion-for-bees-into-company-nearing-1m-in-revenue-heres-how/

• Dirt!: The Movie 

This movie was pretty interesting. I have never learned about the history of dirt and although the earth is often emphasized in this way in spiritual and mindfulness programs I have participated in, I have never had the history of dirt explained to me in an evidence-based way. I wish this movie was mandatory in all high schools. I think if I had started learning about this at a younger age, I would have made better and more environmentally friendly choices throughout my life, rather than still trying to change bad habits that I have formed as I learn more now as an adult.

• Were you able to discover if there is a factory farm near you? Were you already aware of farms near you? What do you think about this? 

Yes, Solano County has factory farms! I definitely assumed there was no way there would be factory farms near me given how liberal the Bay Area is. I am really disappointed in this and I am inspired to action to end factory farming in our area!

• Composting: Do you currently compost? Have you composted in the past? Do you know anyone who composts? Would you consider composting, after learning about its benefits from the movie? 

I learned about composting from my partner because he is an environmental activist. I never really took an interest in composting or even understood what it was at all until I met my partner. I have never composted and the apartment I live in currently in Oakland does not have composting services. I would consider composting if I lived in a house that had a yard in it, and my partner actually tried composting once when he had a small backyard but it was too difficult in such a small space because it produced such a strong foul odor. I would love to compost and would definitely do so if the city I lived in collected compost, like the city of Marin or other Bay Area cities.