Service Learning – Ted Otto

For my community outreach activity, I chose to work with Dr. Brickman and my classmates to help clean up litter on campus following a home game, especially focusing on the area around Tanyard Creek. We met behind the O House dining hall, where we were given trash and recycling bags. We also received grabbing tools to avoid hurting ourselves, which ended up being necessary as we found multiple broken bottles. After this, we split up into smaller groups and followed the creek in an attempt to clean up the trash that we could find around campus. My group followed the creek from O House to Bolton, and then went back up Lumpkin street cleaning as we returned to the main group.

I found the experience pleasantly surprising overall. UGA did a surprisingly thorough job cleaning up after tailgaters, and we had to work to find any trash around. All of the main pathways were relatively pristine, although there were some out of the way or covered areas, such as down by the creek itself, that we were able to find and clean up some litter. While it wasn’t surprising, I was annoyed with the disregard that people had shown the day before. The school does an incredible job providing and servicing trash receptacles throughout campus on game day, which makes the litter all the more annoying. Additionally, much of what we found was dangerous, such as broken bottles or things with sharp edges, making it not only careless but harmful to everyone on campus.

One of the few large pieces of trash that we were able to find.

I found the experience very useful, as it showed first hand both the impressive work done by the UGA cleaning services and the areas in which we can improve, both as spectators and as residents on campus. I didn’t gain any new skills through the cleanup, but I did gain a stronger understanding of just what is meant when we talk about litter on campus.

As a result of this experience, I will definitely be more careful about helping myself and others to be more careful with our belongings and our garbage. I also now know where is and isn’t cleaned on campus following game day, and as such could make suggestions about where to target future cleanup or preventative efforts against littering. Overall, I have a better appreciation about the wonderful job that campus employees do, as our cleaning experience was relatively easy and trash free.

Climate Simulation- Ted Otto

When I played my role in the policy exercise, I felt like I was fighting an uphill battle against a phenomenon that has already progressed too far and against other groups who either wouldn’t or couldn’t do anything to help stop its perpetuation. I felt like the world police, trying to get everyone to follow the rules for their own good even if it seemed hopeless.
Over time, I became more sympathetic to the plight of the developing world, as it is being asked to commit equally to stopping a process they had little to no involvement with in the first place. It’s easy for developed nations to cast blame on these nations who are causing increasing amounts of pollution compared to the rest of the world, but I realized that their behavior is completely understandable, as they haven’t had a chance to grow as the developed world has.
We became more willing to contribute to less developed countries as we listened to their problems, and we had to take an increased international role in order to make up for the lack of participation from other groups.
The unwillingness of other developed nations to initially contribute or match our promises, as well as the obvious need for aid in the less developed countries spurred us to make an even larger contribution.
As the world stands now, I don’t think a simple contribution to a global fund and reduction of emissions will be enough to maintain a livable level of climate change. Technological developments and international agreement in conjunction with domestic policy and willingness to contribute, however, still could stand a chance if that change starts very soon.
Developing nations had emissions per capital that were too low to reasonably reduce further, and the rest of the developed world at the beginning of the simulation was hesitant to even contribute to other nations’ limited emissions, much less to limit their own production. Most of this was overcome however, resulting in a significant, although ultimately insufficient, reduction in climate change.
Personal change in consumption to more environmentally friendly products signals desire for change in production standards. The speed with which change can take place with significant impetus is very promising in a free market economy like that of the United States. Additionally, demonstrating irrefutably the havoc that climate change can and will wreak can help to catalyze these efforts, and education of the public can help to disseminate the most effective ways to combat the crisis.

Ted Otto Watershed Reflection

In this picture I see a piece of graffiti in the Lilly Branch watershed. I see it as representative of the arts, something the Athens community cares about greatly.
I was struck by the presence of art, albeit simple, in this utilitarian area. It was out of place in a metal structure, which itself was out of place in a more natural area.
The picture makes me think about how disruptive and conspicuous our presence and impact can be if we are not careful to limit it. The giant metallic structure covers up the natural beauty of the watershed, forcing new art to replace what could have been natural majesty.
I feel both displeased that our presence has caused a break in the environment, but also happy that someone could use this space to express themselves.
This picture is about the changes that our presence can force in the natural environment, whether or not we are aware of it.