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Aquaponics, Cape Eleuthera Institute, CEI, research, Uncategorized

On Plastic Research Expedition with Kristal Ambrose

Cape Eleuthera Institute’s Kristal Ambrose embarked on her epic journey to of plastic research, leaving on April 24th.. From Nassau, Bahamas to Texas, USA; from Tokyo, Japan to Guam; and finally, on to Majuro, Marshall Islands, the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of exploration, opportunity, and learning for Ambrose, CEI’s Aquaponics Intern and researcher dedicated to finding solutions to plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.

“Most of what we eat, drink or use in any way comes packaged in petroleum plastic—a material designed to last forever yet used for products that we use for as little as thirty seconds then throw away,” describes Ambrose on her blog. “Plastic creates toxic pollution at every stage of its existence: manufacture, use, and disposal. This is a material that the Earth cannot digest. Every bit of plastic that has ever been created still exists, including the small amount that has been incinerated and has become toxic particulate matter. In the environment, plastic breaks down into small particles that release toxic chemicals into the environment. These particles are ingested by wildlife on land and in the ocean, contaminating the food chain from the smallest plankton to the largest whale…This trip will serve as my formal training experience to tackle the plastic pollution and marine debris issue within my country.”

In Nassau during the days before departure, Ambrose was invited to tea at the home of His Excellency Sir Arthur Foulkes, Governor General of The Bahamas. Continue reading →

Daily Update

Daily Update May 14, 2012

Weekend Recap: Saturday was an eventful day with Research in the morning and then Human Ecology in the afternoon. In the morning each research group presented to faculty and CEI in preparation for the presentation they will give over parent’s weekend. Every group received feedback on their Power Point Presentations and on their delivery. It was a great way to hear other points about our work and better ways to facilitate to others what we have done. Saturday afternoon we had a large chunk of time to work on our Human Ecology projects. Felipe and I went out with faculty guidance and speared lionfish. We are trying to show an alternative use of lionfish other then eating them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZpXZ4f_8xQ&feature=youtu.be

Our group is catching lionfish and then fishing with them to see if they are effective as bait. We will then facilitate that information to local fisherman. As of right now, most local communities still don’t know that lionfish can be eaten. Continue reading →

Daily Update

Daily Update May 10, 2011

Yesterday, during art class, the student body officially set the Art Gallery in motion. On Parent’s Weekend there will be a showcase of the students’ artwork set up in the octagon. There are multiple committees in charge of different tasks for the showcase. Some of the committees include set up and clean up crew, appetizer crew, and printing labels crew. The curators, in charge of the overall process, are Matti McAlpin and Liz Ellinger. They take over the entire design of the extravanganza. All the students are excited for their parents to see the hard work they’ve put towards their artwork this semester.

Today is the final preparation day for our Human Ecology final projects. Continue reading →

Daily Update

Daily Update May 8, 2012

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Yesterday was the first day back into the swing of regular classes. We had a community meeting in which the new Cacique Council was named – Annie Obrecht, Ann-Marie, Rachel, Kyle Titsworth, and Brendan. The activity of the meeting was a kayak rotations themed relay race. Everyone was split into their kayak groups and had to run to stations which included putting on their spray skirt, life jacket, and singing “Row Row your Boat;” digging a Dead Man; and running to a van, getting in, and singing a Hannah Montana song (experienced during Down Island Trip). After the relay race, we split into random groups and talked about our individual goals for the rest of the semester. Some of the goals included: to finish the Super Swim or Half Marathon, to do better in class, or to beat their old Run-Swim time. It was a good time in which we officially ended our kayak groups and then came together as a community. Continue reading →

Eleutheros

Eleutheros

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The Human Ecology, Histories, and Literature Departments have collaborated on a series ongoing personal reflective essays called Eleutheros. Each week students are asked to write a reflective essay that demonstrates their understanding of the themes from their coursework and effectively links these themes to their unique thoughts and experiences.  Enjoy reading these two articulate examples of how our students have deeply and personally engage with essential questions, important to their course of study at The Island School…

Prompt:

1.  What does it mean to “marry your heart to your right hand?” (Omeros 72). Who lives this way? Do you? Should you?

Abby Anderson:

When I talk to my grandmother, she often tells me about weaving. She has been weaving for most of her life, was the President of the New Hampshire Weavers’ Guild, and goes to weaving conferences around the country where she shows her work and sees others’ work. In her little two-bedroom house, she dedicated an entire room to weaving, filling it with her loom and supplies. When my grandmother talks about weaving, I notice an important quality in her voice that perpetuates her love of weaving: passion. To find one’s passion and to be passionate are two goals that many people strive for throughout their lives. This passion makes up the essence of what it means to “marry your heart to your right hand,” (Omeros, 72). Continue reading →

Daily Update

Daily Update, May 7, 2012

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On Saturday night kayak rotations officially ended. Kayak groups 1, 2, and 3 were returning from watching the sunset as K4 emerged from the Boathouse. They had just finished the long process of cleaning their gear. It was hard to recognize them because they had just come off their solo; meaning they all were extremely tan. K4 talked about how it rained for the first three days of their trip, but they continued pushing through it and ended up having a great time. To celebrate everyone back on campus, we watched a movie and devoured ice cream and brownies during intermission.

Students continue to tell stories to each other of their solo. The highlights include: Felipe Gomez slept on his pool toy mattress (his personal item), Sterling Wright made a rope swing and bracelets, Annie Obrecht sang Adele to herself, Kyle Titsworth built a shelter out of trees and palm fronds, and Taylor Lundeen tried to sleep for 48 straight hours. Overall everyone enjoyed the experience and had some time to reflect on ourselves, our experience so far, and what time we have left.

Cape Eleuthera Institute

Pete Muñoz of Natural Systems International Visits the Cape

Earlier this April, CEI was fortunate enough to have a visit from Pete Muñoz of Natural Systems International, which specializes in ecological engineering and biotechnology. Pete’s background includes extensive work on water systems, ranging from storm water run off to catchment methods to waste water treatment; in many respects he is at the forefront of his field in the world. Through working with CEI’s Josh Shultz, Sam Kenworthy, and Geoff Walton, Pete was able to gain a deep understanding for how CEI and Island School collect, use, and treat their water, and how we could improve our current practices. Specifically, Pete and his team at Natural Systems are going to help us to create a new, innovative method to deal with all of CEI’s waste water, as well as adjust our wetland system (“poopoo garden”) at IS to maximize productivity and potential energy generation. Treating our water properly could allow for more food production, fewer energy inputs, and less waste generation. A win on all fronts. Pete and Natural Systems work all over the U.S. and the rest of the world. Chances are they have worked on projects close to you. If you’d like to learn more about what Natural Systems does, check out their website: http://www.natsys-inc.com/
Cape Eleuthera Institute, News

CEI’s Kristal Ambrose Sets Sail

Over the course of three days in early February, 5 Gyres scientist Marcus Ericksen hosted a conference at the Cape Eleuthera Institute for educators on the impact of marine plastic pollution. Eriksen gave presentations detailing voyages to these gyres to study their makeup and movement. His passion inspired CEI’s Kristal Ambrose to action. Motivated by the dilemma of plastic marine debris in the local waters of the Exuma sound and oceans around the world, Kristal pursued an opportunity of a lifetime.

The CEI aquaponics intern decided she wanted to accompany him on one of his voyages. Following a series of fortunate events Ambrose got her chance. Thanks to efforts on her part to secure funding and support from Chris and Pam Maxey, Christian Henry, Josh Shultz , Annabelle Brooks, The Nature Conservancy, and Bobbie Hallig, she will be headed to the Marshall Islands to begin her Journey. Then, from May 1-23, Kristal will be joining Marcus Eriksen and his team on a research expedition to sail across the pacific ocean from Majuro, Marshall Islands to Tokyo, Japan to study the Japan Tsunami Debris.

Organized by the 5 Gyres Institute, Algalita Marine Research Foundation, and Pangea Exploration, the expedition seeks to answer questions that explore what happens Continue reading →

Cape Eleuthera Institute, Events

Lionfish Collecting and Handling Workshop at CEI

The next “Lionfish Collecting and Handling” Workshop organized by REEF in collaboration with the SPAW RAC will take place on May 15-18, 2012 at the Cape Eleuthera Institue. The workshop is a 2-day workshop focusing on hands-on collecting/handling and monitoring for key resource managers or their official designee. This workshop is the second of 3 workshops that will be held in the region and  funded in part by a NFWF (National Fish and Wildlife Foundation) grant. This workshop is by invite only. Please contact Skylar Miller at skylarmiller@islandschool.org for more information.