Spring 2008 Crossings Extras
Alumni Notes
Therese Swanson class of 1995 wrote to say
"I went to AR from 1993-1995 after graduating from Coon Rapids Senior
High in 1993. I did mostly math, chemistry, physics and a few English
classes. My favorite teaches were Lance Lund in the Chemistry
department and George Heron in Math. (He was the guy that taught Differential Equations that always
wore a white lab coat!) I understand my Physics teacher Max Malmquist has since retired, he was also very good.
I transferred to the University of Minnesota IT to the Chemical
Engineering Department. Graduated with my Bachelors in 1998. I now work
for the oil industry for BP located in London. I work on offshore
projects in deepwater sub-sea installation technology.
AR did a lot for me. I believe that I wasn't as mature as I thought I
was at the young age of 18. The teachers at AR made all the difference
in keeping me in line. U of M was a step change in class size and
significantly reduced teacher one - on -one time and my knowledge and
good foundation from AR helped me and gave me the confidence to succeed.
My brother still goes part-time working on his Accounting degree. "
Ecological Alumni Interviews
Amanda Bergstrom, E.I.T.
Water Resources Engineer
ARCC: How long were you at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, and on which campus(es)?
AB: I spent two years in Coon Rapids.
ARCC: Did you have a major?
AB: My studies were geared toward meeting the Civil Engineering curriculum at the University of MN
ARCC: What do you do for work now, and do you see it as an environmental job?
AB: I'm a Water Resources Engineer. My job is definitely classifiable as an 'environmental' job. I work for an environmental consulting firm (EOR, Inc.) and through this company I provide permitting and ongoing engineering services to the Rice Creek Watershed District, which is a political subdivision of the State of Minnesota, established under the Minnesota Watershed Law. The District is also a watershed management organization as defined under the Minnesota Metropolitan Surface Water Management Act, and is subject to the directives and authorizations in that Act. Under the Watershed Law and the Metropolitan Surface Water Management Act, the District exercises a series of powers to accomplish its statutory purposes. The District's general statutory purpose is to conserve natural resources through development planning, flood control, and other conservation projects, based upon sound scientific principles. Working together, the RCWD consultants (legal and engineering services) develop the rules that are implemented by the RCWD via the 'permitting' program, which I mainly implement by doing development reviews and providing written reviews to engineers/developers.
ARCC: Did you have a sense, as an ARCC student, that you would end up doing the kind of work you do now? Describe your time at Anoka-Ramsey.
AB: I didn't necessarily know what I was getting into or where I was headed while at ARCC. I made the decision before applying to ARCC that I was going to become a Civil Engineer but didn't really know where I would end up in the field. My time at ARCC was spent cramming in as many courses that were required by the UofM curriculum at essentially half the cost so I could be as far along as possible in the process by the time I transferred to the UofM.
ARCC: With the national elections in November, do you see the outcome as having an effect on what you do, and on the environment in general?
AB: Absolutely. To-date, the current administration has cut as much funding as they possibly could related to environmental regulation and that directly affects the work we do and our clients as well. Many of the projects we seek out are related to government agencies and are funded by federal, state and/or local tax dollars as well as grant programs, etc. When this funding becomes scarce due to budget cuts, it has a pretty direct and significant effect on the amount of environmental projects that become available for us to work, causing a drop in overall available work for us. However, the downfall of the residential construction industry seems to be having a much greater impact on our competitors and because we don't do much of that type of work, we have not suffered the losses that other companies have and are currently suffering in terms of available work.
It is my hope that we can elect a candidate that believes in pursuing and investing in alternative energy sources and in funding all of the environmental programs that have been put into legislation but the staff that is needed to implement them has been since eliminated, rendering the laws essentially ineffective.
ARCC: What changes would you like to see made (if any) in the way average people lives their lives, as far as those changes might effect the environment?
AB: I would like to see the biggest change come in the construction of residential as well as commercial buildings in using alternative energy sources (namely geothermal) because I feel this can make one of the greatest long-term impacts in reducing our use of fossil fuels. I would also like to see much greater regulation and restriction of allowable CO emissions for passenger vehicles. Additionally, I feel strongly that this nation must participate willingly in a worldwide energy policy (e.g. Kyoto accords). It is a global issue and I feel this country should be leading the effort, not lagging significantly.
ARCC: Is there anything you would like to add?
AB:
This is a very interesting topic for me and I would love to be affiliated with research or presentation of any kind related to the topic because it's something I feel very strongly about. Thanks again for including me in your survey!
Candy Barthel
Horticulturalist Educator
ARCC: How long were you at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, and on which campus(es)?
CB: I attended Cambridge Community College from 1992-95. I received an AS degree.
ARCC: What do you do for work now, and do you see it as an environmental job?
CB: I am self-employed as a horticulturist/educator - that is I manage a city garden, have done kids’ garden programs for several years, work with landscapers using native plants, done designs and planting for shoreland revegetation, and taught a wide variety of garden-related classes.
When doing any part of my work, I consider it environmental because my motivation and vision is to create a beautiful landscape that will inspire and to educate others to tend any kind of garden. Once kids or adults get their hands in the soil to produce something, they will be drawn into the whole picture of caring for the earth.
ARCC: Did you have a sense, as an ARCC student, that you would end up doing the kind of work you do now? Describe your time at Anoka-Ramsey.
CB: Because of the poor economy in the mid-‘80s, we finally had to sell our cows and machinery and quit farming in 1991. The following summer, trying to figure out who I was, I impulsively took a class titled Canoeing, Camping, and Field Biology at the Cambridge Campus. The class went to the Boundary Waters for five days and it was a life-changing experience for me. As a result, I enrolled in a full slate of classes in the fall with the goal to be part of the landscape industry in some capacity. I initially was excited simply about landscape design and implementation. Two other threads gradually emerged from the teachers, students, and a particular honor’s class - I began to realize an ability and enthusiasm for teaching, and I began to see sustaining the earth as a cause that would fire my engines.
I could write paragraphs about what an extraordinarily positive experience those years at Cambridge were for me! Because I was seriously non-traditional in the age category, I initially felt intimidated by higher learning - especially math (anxiety!) and computers (frustration!) but the teachers and staff were wonderfully supportive and helpful. Even though the classes were a ton of work, I became involved in several extra-curricular activities all of which made that time so fun, enriching, and rewarding.
After graduation from Cambridge Community College, I became a student at the University of Minnesota, driving to the St. Paul Campus five days a week; one hour and sixteen minutes from home on a good day. In two years I graduated with a degree in Environmental Science.
ARCC: With the national elections in November, do you see the outcome as having an effect on what you do, and on the environment in general?
CB: On the local, state, and national levels I work to make my voice heard on issues regarding the environment. I hope very much that whoever is elected in November takes climate change seriously and makes reducing our carbon footprint a priority. This seems to me more likely in the Democratic Party, but even there pressure is important. While there needs to be government leadership and solutions, I see individual actions as being equally or more important. Enough individuals of a like mind create a tide of opinion and action that influences public policy as well as influencing marketing. For instance, when I first began training myself to have on hand and use canvas bags when shopping, clerks were taken aback when I said “no” to paper or plastic. Now clerks are familiar with that option and the stores themselves sell re-useable bags at the check-out counter or give a small discount if you bring your own bag. Small actions do make a difference.
Regarding the future of what I do, regardless of elections, I will probably be more involved in shoreland and water protection in my work and focus volunteer energy on inspiring and educating people to make small changes in their lives to reduce their impact on the environment - perhaps setting up worm bins in a local school classrooms or coordinating a raised-bed garden project at the homeless shelter, or having rain barrels available through the city and teaching classes on their use, or….
ARCC: What changes would you like to see made (if any) in the way average people lives their lives, as far as those changes might effect the environment?
CB: I would encourage people to grow some of their own food starting with something simple like a potted tomato plant on the deck if that is all that can be managed. Let them begin this little project for “selfish” reasons: the good home-grown, fresh flavor and healthy nature of the food they eat. They will want to try other vegetables, herbs, or fruits the following year. Before you know it, those adults and kids will become champions for the environment as they realize that few, if any synthetic chemicals, no processing, packaging, or transportation went into the production of their food.
Also I would love to have more families, schools and restaurants compost their food scraps, weeds, and leaves to reduce the amount of organic waste that goes in landfills (which requires fuel to transport it). Compost is such an excellent addition to the family garden - ameliorating the problem of either sandy or clay soils and providing a host of other benefits to the garden and environment.
ARCC: Is there anything you would like to add?
CB: Studies show that gardening (when not pursued in excess) has therapeutic effects on the mind, body, spirit, and community. The activity is not only offers a variety of exercises, adaptable to individual ability, but can create a peaceful spirit and be balm to a heart dealing with loss. Gardening increases a person’s self-esteem through a sense of accomplishment while it teaches patience and persistence. Gardeners naturally interact with others to learn new things and become open to new ideas. Gardening encourages generosity and is all about hope. What could be better for the world than that?
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