These aforementioned methods are great, and combined with technological applications such as skype, blogging, facebook, twitter, and other social media, it appears that keeping in touch and sharing information is easier now than it ever has been. The combination of communication technology and modern travel make it easy for people to connect in either the virtual or real worlds.
It with these thoughts in mind that I realize how fortunate the Action Research Center, the University of Cincinnati, and the City of Cincinnati are to be hosting Professor Sankaren. Over the past few weeks I have had pleasure of working in the same space as Shankar, attending meetings together, discussing dissertation ideas, and even arranging a visit for us to volunteer our time at Gorman Heritage Farm —really working in the field. As an environmentalist, I am often overly critical of long distance travel because of the fuel burned. However, there is no substitution for “being there,” wherever that is. Travel and face-to-face meetings, working side-by-side, cultural immersion, and sitting around the same table with others are invaluable experiences.
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| John Hemmerle, Shankar Sankaren, Alan Wight Gorman Heritage Farm - October 18th, 2011 |
As Peter Reason stated in 2005, “Thank you Shankar for taking the time!”
Alan Wight
Action Research Center
University of Cincinnati
Notes:
Shankar Sankaren. 2005. Action Research Journal. Notes from the Field: Action Research Conversations. 3 (4), 341 – 350
Peter Reason. 2005. Action Research Journal. Editorial. 3 (4), p 339- 340.
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Dear Alan,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for taking me to Gorman Farm and introducing me as to how action research can be applied in the garden and explaining to me about the importance of food.
In the culture where I come from we celebrate our new year as a celebration of harvesting called Pongal - http://www.pongalfestival.org/
I have recently been invovled in an action research project at my University in food secutiry by recovering phosporous form human urine to fertilise gardens. We have actually installed special urinals at our University.
Apparently we are going to encounter a phosporous peak in the World - like the oil peak - unless we find new sources of phosoporous.
See http://phosphorusfutures.net/phosphorus-recovery
We are throwing away valuable phosporoaus through our waste. Not only thta we are wasting energy to throw away valuable nutrients by sneding them awya on long pipelines!