Nature

** TASK: Week 1 **
//“’Know **Thyself’** and the modern precept, ‘Study Nature’ becomes one maxim.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson// Emerson urges us to know ourselves more intimately through studying nature. Your ecovillage's Human Resources department has decided that each villager should discover more about his or her nature. The HR department has arranged for a popular personality test called the Myers-Briggs evaluation to be administered to each villager. Each villager has been asked to submit a summary of the results listing his/her personality type and his/her ideal job(s).

First, the ecovillage should familiarize itself with the Myers-Briggs personality assessment: http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

Secondly, each villager must visit the testing website and complete the questionnaire: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

After completing the questionnaire (allow 10-15 minutes), the villager will receive a personality profile. Look for three links directly under the personality profile letters. The links will lead to the following websites: After each villager has completed the personality assessment, post a brief summary of your “nature” and its accuracy to your life.
 * 1) First link: an explanation of the letters and their corresponding meanings.
 * 2) Second link: career choices enjoyed by people with your personality type
 * 3) Third link: an in depth profile of personality and career choices

Conservation Chief: Dan Ryave Sustainability Overseer: Lindsey Yealy Green Thrumbs: Greg Bennett and Kristen Walczak

__Dan Ryave__ After taking the personality test, my results came up as: Extraverted 1 Intuitive 56 Feeling 62 and Perceiving 33. After further analysis, I discovered that my personality test very accurately depicts my life. Dr. David Keirsey states that people like me  "see life as an exciting drama, pregnant with possibilities for both good and evil, and they want to experience all the meaningful events and fascinating people in the world." The way he describes my nature is very similar to the way I go about living my life. Not only do I put an emphasis on meeting people, I also like to experience new things and events that add to my understanding of the world around me. I also would agree that I see life as an "exciting drama," meaning that based on the decisions of those around me, my life will either yield positive or negative consequences. More analysis led me to discover that I may have a suitable career in the fields of psychology, journalism, or film directing (Jung Career Indicator). Each of these fields sounds appealing to me, especially psychology because, for my career, I believe that there is a large possibility that I will become a pediatric psychologist. Furthermore, Marina Heiss states that people with similar results as mine " often have strong, if sometimes surprising, values and viewpoints ." This assumption is very true for me; I believe strongly in certain issues that may go against either the majority or even close friends. However, Heiss points out the flaws in the nature of people like mine as well: "they also tend towards procrastination, and dislike performing small, uninteresting tasks." This statement could not possible be more true. I am the stereotypical procrastinator by nature, often taking naps or mindlessly avoiding work before seriously studying and putting forth my best effort. Small tasks, such as simple, but busy-work, homework often gets left for the morning bus ride to school or even homeroom. While this part of my nature is something I'm not entirely proud of, it is something I must learn to deal with by creatively problem solving (something I also am good at, according to my nature). These results help affirm my beliefs that there are many diverse and good qualities that I possess, and even though not all the qualities I have are beneficial, I have many qualities that make me a leader, meaningful, and determined.

__Lindsey Yealy__ After reviewing my results, I almost completely agree with what they state. My results read Extraverted 56, Sensing 25, Feeling 62 and Judging 33. One of the links that went along with my results was a Career Page. Using my personality test results, the page directed me to a list of possible career options that would fit me well. One option that the Career Page gave me was Hotel Management. When I attend college, I fully intend on studying Hotel Management. I found it really exciting that my results showed that I would do well in that field. The only results that I found difficult to understand was Sensing at 25. My emotions are always evident to those who I love and care about. I have a weak heart and immediately feel sorrow and sympathy for anyone in need of help. Most people who know me know I am not afraid to express myself and show my excitement. Therefore, the high scoring 56 in the Extraverted Category makes sense. The personality test results match me pretty well for the most part and shows accuracy. This whole process was also reassuring for myself to know that the Hotel Management field will fit well with my personality.

__Kristen Walczak__ || Extraverted


 * Sensing || Feeling || Perceiving ||
 * Strength of the preferences % ||
 * 56 || 50 || 25 || 56 ||

**Exterverted**: I don’t agree with the 56% I receieved on Exterverted. I am an outgoing person, and I like to be around people more than half of the time. I do have a wide range of friends, and like to hang out with them all of the time. 56% exterverted is a little low for my personality. **Sensing**: I agree with the 50% sensing. It is accurate to say that about half the time I am concerned with what is real, and present. I usually trust experience rather than words or symbols, and I remember events in the way that they actually occurred. However, I usually don’t pay attention to facts to the point that I miss new possibiliites. **Feeling**: I think that 25% is pretty accurate for Feeling. I am a compassion person, and I care about other peoples feelings but, I am not overly mushy, or get nervous when “harmony” is missing among a group. I would rather tell “the cold truth” than be tactful. **Perceiving**: I agree with the 56% I recived on percieving. I am completely open only about half of the time. I also like to appear loose and casual, and do my work in spurts of energy. But, the other half of the time I do use my decision making preference in order to make decisions about my life. Overall, I believe that this survey was pretty accurate. Each category is relatively close to my personallity.

__Greg Bennett__

[|Extraversion (E)] **33** I do agree with this on the aspect that I am fairly outgoing and will tend to jump into an activity without looking into all aspects of it. This basically says that I am gregarious, in which case, I am. [|Intuition (N)]. **25** I got a low score on intuition which makes me think that I can apply somewhat in both categories then but more intuition. In intuition I agree that I can tend to analyze facts give to me in a straightforward manor, but when it comes to making something a reality, I can do that. There are still some aspects of sensing that apply to me as well, which are that I can solve problems both using facts and pragmatically. [|Thinking (T)] **33** This field applies to me most of all because I do tend to think scientifically and find logical explanations for everything. But I don’t see myself as very task oriented which can go against the score “33” in Thinking. [|Judging (J)] **18** In the judging category, I do like to have things decided but that’s just about the only thing on the list that I agree with. And under the Perceiving category I do not think I apply to any of them except maybe I work in bursts of energy.


 * __Career Opportunities__** were limited to me due to the low scores throughout the entire test. But the career I did get was the career I was looking at going into. This career was engineering. This applies to me because of the scientific ad logical approach. But also having to associate with clients on a daily basis.

** TASK: Week 2 **
** Walden Lofts ** // “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. […] I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.” – Henry David Thoreau // House? Nope. Townhouse? Nope. Apartment? Nope. Loft? Absolutely. The latest craze in the housing market is the loft: a large, open living space created or converted for residential use. Pittsburgh companies have recently converted a number of industrial sites, ranging from the Strip District to East Liberty to the South Side, into lofts, some of which sell for close to $1 million. One of the leading loft companies, No Wall Productions, has asked your knowledgeable ecovillage to design a ground-breaking loft: Walden Lofts. Your ecovillage will scout a suitable location, plan the layout, select fixtures (lighting, faucets, kitchen cabinets, etc.), and furnish the space. In selecting fixtures and furnishings, you must limit the number of objects to 50 (i.e., you have to specify “1 toilet”. No claiming “toilets” as 1 item). In addition, you should include at least 5 “green” elements in your design, making Walden Lofts a place where industry meets nature. Thoreau’s philosophies in //Walden// should inspire your plans. Prepare to pitch your idea to No Wall Productions. Be sure to include the connections to //Walden//. Find a location. Plan the layout. Furnish the house - 50 items. Pitch the idea. Connect to Walden. ** Resources: ** Your Client: [] [] [] []

** TASK: Week 3 **
** Town Square ** // “It was like traveling into a far country, such as I had never expected to behold. […] I began to comprehend what its inhabitants were about.” – Henry David Thoreau //

Thoreau’s night in jail gave him a fresh, unique perspective on his town. Truly a man who sought good in every situation, Thoreau took the opportunity to consider his community and fellow townspeople from a new angle. Your ecovillage has been asked by Upper St. Clair Township to develop plans for a town square. Your ecovillage must develop a design plan that not only reflects the community's needs and unique features, but also includes a mode of public transportation that connects Upper St. Clair to downtown Pittsburgh. Provide sketches/blueprints of the square that include its exact location, and a detailed justification for your design.


 * __Thoreau Pillows__**



1. The Om Fountain in the center of the town square offers residents the opportunity to think and reflect on their lives and incorporate an element of nature into their day. It is the central point of the town square and accurately reflects the spirit of unity and togetherness that the community represents. This big fountain provides entertainment for younger children who can make wishes on pennies thrown into its large basin and cool off in its mist on a hot day. It also gives Upper St. Clair residents a chance to get out on a nice day and experience a part of nature close to their homes.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">2. The Thoreau Park that is located in the town square allows residents to be close with nature and experience animals, elements, and raw forms of nature. By creating the park, community members are shown how important it is to take care of the environment in order to keep it clean and safe for society. This park offers a playground for young children, benches for residents to rest on, and an open green field for people to play and lounge around on nice days.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">3. Walden Sports Complex is a fitness center that offers different opportunities for exercise, such as running or playing a game of soccer. The fields are of highest quality and are kept clean and safe for users. Residents of the community can enjoy a healthy activity instead of sitting at home, spending their time watching television or playing video games. It will allow the community to come together in fitness and experience a sense of togetherness in sports exercise.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">4. Thoreau’s Organic Food Market is a small organic food shop that only offers the healthiest and most natural food products available. This shop encourages healthy living in the residents and offers them a quick stop spot to get food and drinks after a walk in the park or a morning of exercising. By eating healthier, residents will feel better about themselves and feel more confidence in their abilities and actions.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">5. The Conscience Connection Bus Stop is located in the town square in order to provide residents with an easy way to connect to the city. Residents can travel for a cheap price in a comfortable bus available only to Upper St. Clair community members. Residents are given the opportunity to commute easily back and forth to their jobs and teenagers can travel safely and inexpensively to the city to enjoy an afternoon at Station Square.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">6. Intuition Intellectuals is the town square library available to residents. Any resident can go to the library, open 24 hours a day, to rent books, movies, or magazines. The library offers residents books ranging from self-help books to science fiction novels. Thoreau himself has several of his feature works in the library, put on display year round in the entrance to the library. The library gives residents a place to reflect on themselves and encourages people to learn and spread their knowledge to others.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">7. Oversoul Post Office is the communal post office used by all residents of Upper St. Clair. The post office allows people to write letters to family or friends and have a means of getting their letters to them. The post office encourages the connection of people without technology by giving a price reduction to anyone who sends a hand written letter from their facilities.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">8. Self-Respecting Supplies store is a small shop that offers residents a variety of supplies, such as paper, pencils, or notebooks. The store strongly supports residents using their supplies to keep journals of their own lives or write letters to loved ones who live far away. This encourages an attitude of expressing oneself for who one is and allowing a sense of freedom to residents.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">9. Thoreau Pillows is a tiny shop featuring all throw pillows! A resident can find a variety of different shapes, sizes, patterns, and colors of throw pillows for any room in the house. This shop encourages residents to embrace their comfy conscience and take time to treat themselves to a day of relaxation and contemplation.

** TASK: Week 4 **
** Scorn Machinery ** // “And the narrowest hinge in my hand puts to scorn all machinery.” – Walt Whitman // Your ecovillage has decided to promote a “natural” product. Instead of relying on inventions that break or become outdated, you would like to sink your research and development funding into a more sustainable, historically-proven object. So, you turn to nature for solutions, as inspired by Whitman’s great love of grass, pismires, sand, eggs, hands, and cows. Find and select a natural object that has been helpful during at least three major points in history. Create a new, compelling use for the object in 2011. Highlight the historical effectiveness of your “invention” and advertise to potential consumers.

=__ Om Group __=

[[image:Big-Bill-Crazy-Horse-Leather-S-228775.jpg width="275" height="210" caption="Horse Leather Boots"]]
One of the most famous advancements in America in the early 1860's was the Pony Express. The pony express was a speedy mail delivery service that stretched its paths from the Great Plains all the way into Sacramento, California. By riding on horseback, mail carriers could be more efficient in delivery. Before the telegraph, the Pony Express was the fastest form of communication in western America. It was exceptionally vital to California, as it allowed the state to remain in close contact and on close terms with the rest of "the Union" prior to the civil war. Though the Pony Express was only in operation for a short eighteen months, it demonstrated a great step up in convenience, as it allowed the delivery of mail to be quickened immensely. The Pony Express was an outstanding introduction into speedy communication, and by the time it had run its course, the telegraph was well on its way.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The horse is a great natural product. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> One major use of the horse in history is Genghis Khan’s army. He conquered much of Asia and established one of the world’s largest historical empires. His Mongolian cavalry was feared as they expanded the borders of Khan’s army. The Mongol army was famous for its use of horsemen. The mobility of the Mongol army was unprecedented; horses allowed for the military to cover large distances without becoming overextended. Horses the speed needed to keep a steady supply line. The army would maintain multiple horses for each rider, sustaining the mobility of the military. The army’s mobility also allowed for different use of tactics that would throw enemies into a state of disarray. Their use of horses and tactics differed greatly to Europe’s use of knights. Mongolian horsemen included mobile horse archers as well as heavily armed lancers to engage in close range combat. Horses were used as a psychological tool against the Mongol’s enemies, contributing to many of the enemy’s defeats. Horses were also an effective management tool; the Mongolians used horses to communicate across their vast empire. Horses can still be used today for hunting, or taking on any any natural <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> adversary  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> with ease!

Feeling slow and tired? Do you feel the need to run through fields of gold while feeling the wind in your hair? Well now you can with the Centaur 2.0. Expected to be released in 2011, the Centaur has an upper body of a man with a lower body of a horse. Thanks to the combination of horse and man, man’s physical abilities will be highly more efficient and effective. The strength of a horse’s legs will enable man to travel farther faster without the use of oils and chemicals harmful to the environment. Because the horse is considered to be a very natural animal, the Centaur allows the human to feel closer to nature. Throughout history, the horse has played a major role in the development of society. Now, man will have the chance to merge with one of the most important animals in the world and become more useful thanks to the Centaur. The Centaur allows the human to keep valuable human qualities such as the thumb and brain while giving the human the power, strength, and speed of a horse’s body.