The Last (but not final) Reflection

One of my objectives this past semester, my final one as an undergraduate, centered around integration. My usual modus operandi in the race to a diploma - bowl over the unnecessary gen eds that stood in my way, pass with the bare minimum of efforts, living's easy with eyes closed kinda thing. Just handle the busy work, cross the stage, and enter the exciting world of unemployment! Something about this course's description rattled me from my non-major-oriented slumber. What if, as proponents of a liberal arts education have been sayin', I took this one as seriously as my philosophy courses or Portuguese classes? What if I could integrate the material of Geography 125 into my day-to-day, like I do pragmatism and language? Surely it would make what seems like a meaningless L&S requirement into a worthwhile endeavor in which I'm a responsible and concerned participant, not as an A-seeking student, but as a resident of Milwaukee with literal skin in the game. The service-learning option intensified what I had originally planned to do via text book. Volunteering at the Urban Ecology Center made this class personal.

As I mentioned in the first post, I already frequented the UEC every Tuesday and Thursday as a appreciator of free coffee and day-old pastries. Going on walk-alongs with third graders on field trip, helping to clear rubble from the Milwaukee River Greenway, tending to the locally reconstructed ecosystems along the Oak Leaf Trail, all with the love and smiles of my fellow community members has transformed my position in the city that raised me. It's turned me into an actionable community member. While I've served in other ways - from running a local sheriff's political campaign, to organizing demonstrations, teaching free community music classes, etc, there's been something rather unique in my experience with the UEC - the pure joy of working with my community, without recognition or praise, to simply enjoy and enhance our shared space. It's been an incredibly gratifying semester, one of connecting dots, dirt in fingernails, and participating in the breath of Milwaukee for no other motive than to simply be a part of it.

I believe the challenges which the Urban Ecology Center confronts have been importantly framed as community ones. Their solutions, by definition, must be community-oriented. Their success lies in their ability to mobilize members of the community into action. Small steps aimed at contributing positively to a sustainable, thriving Milwaukee. Their land stewardship program has been a great accomplishment. Their education and citizen science projects develop partnerships and expand the web of environmentally-conscious actors in Milwaukee. From what I can tell, any issues which present themselves to the UEC can be solved due to their wonderful reputation, strategic partnerships, skilled service members, and their genuine concern for improving the ecological and social footprint of the city, one ecosystem at a time.

http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2013/01/09/rise-of-the-urban-ecology-center/