Today we had the opportunity to
visit Bangor University where we got to learn about their sustainability
practices. We learned a lot about the little things that Bangor does to keep
their campus green. We focused a lot on recycling while we were at Bangor and
even got to dig through rubbish (trash), YAY!! This was quite the experience.
We found lots of neat treasures, such as toy chickens, urine test cups, and
even maggots. After getting over the grossness, we eventually found the
activity to be a good learning experience. We separated all of the rubbish into
recyclable piles, such as glass, plastic, and paper. We also had a section for
food waste and a section for non-recyclables. After separating everything, we
realized just how much we throw away when we could be recycling.
While at Bangor University, we also
got the chance to visit the botanical garden. We had time to tour the green
houses as well as attempt to navigate around the forest using GPS/compass.
Navigating the forest was an adventure as reading the slow digital compass was
quite the task. We more or less just ended up following our instincts (or the
locals) in order to find our way. One really interesting thing we learned at
the botanical garden was that for every one person, the United States has 2.5
acres of land, whereas Wales only has 0.1 acre. The biggest thing they stressed
at the botanical garden was that we shouldn’t be criticizing other countries
when we’ve all been destroying our own forests and lands for years. It’s
important that we all work together if we want to improve our world. A perfect
quote mentioned at Bangor that relates to this was, “If you want to go quickly,
go alone. If you want to go far, go together” – African Proverb.
The last event of the day at Bangor
was to visit their university farm. Here we had a lot of fun admiring the
sheep, we even got a picture (see below). Oh, and we also learned some things
about how to herd sheep and their sustainable tactics on the farm. After
visiting the farm, Tricia came to realize that her life calling is moving to
Wales to live on a farm and become a shepherdess (Lady Shepherd).
To end our busy day, the whole
class went out to eat back in Llandudno. Most of us had delicious desserts
ranging from ice cream to strawberry crepes. Kelsi, the same girl that got her
sandwich stolen from a seagull earlier this week, managed to get attacked by
another seagull who stole her ice cream cone. We’ve all decided that either she
is cursed or all of the seagulls just have the biggest crush on her.
Jamie McCarty
Junior, Early Childhood and Elementary
Education
Tricia Draus
Junior, Elementary Education
