“When I left Louisville on a quest to find a calling, I wasn’t 100 percent sure where it would take me. When I talked with my friends, they all thought I was crazy to go into the woods in the middle of nowhere and study organic farming, forestry, green building.”
What are your interests as a maker?
I have always been interested in the underlying approach to creating socially just communities. And now the interest is within the context of a geographical community. I have had the privilege to travel the world looking at sustainable infrastructure. My experience is with issues relating to, but not limited to, water filtration, ecotourism, nonprofit management, energy infrastructure, transportation, natural resource extraction, waste generation, agricultural systems, resource localization, environmental education, construction techniques, and issues relating to disenfranchised populations.
At a time when there weren’t many opportunities, how did you pursue your interest in sustainability?
I have an associate degree in natural resource management and a bachelor’s degree in sustainable community development from Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, Vt. When I moved back to Louisville in 2006, I discovered that my unique skill set makes it difficult to find proper utilization and employment. Because I want to bring my experience beyond that of the local community, I am pursuing a second degree in chemical engineering.
After spending over a decade dealing with issues relating to sustainable development, I recognize that the industry is looking for some solid cost saving and environmentally friendly solutions. I think the next broadly reaching field for sustainability will be in chemical engineering and will focus on finding environmentally friendlier solutions, not only in our supply chain, but also in the materials we use to create products.
Did you attend Sterling College because of its sustainability program?
There were a number of reasons behind my decision to attend Sterling College. I was the first in my family to actually attend college. So my family really didn’t have a solid grasp on what that process should look like. I honestly should have done more research, but I was young and spellbound. I left the concrete jungle of Louisville, Ky. for the first time and went someplace where you could watch the universe unfold every evening. The air is unpolluted due to the lack of industrialization and increased land protection standards. The food tastes better because it’s all local, organic, and made from scratch. Everything is just polar opposite. According to Gallup [Poll], I left one of the least healthy population centers for one of the most.
If you were to ask me today if I’d do it all over again, I’d be on the fence. The best knowledge I have ever received came after I graduated from college. Do what you have to do first, then go back and study what you want to do second. That way you have the foundation you need to be successful. Sometimes I feel like I am doing things backward by attending engineering school now. But then again, if I was to attempt such a feat coming out of high school, I couldn’t guarantee that I would have the discipline required to be successful in such an intense learning environment.
Why did you move back to Louisville?
My last year in Vermont was probably the most difficult one I have ever had. I was doing LEED-certified construction in Vermont. It was the coldest week of the year – bordering -60 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill. I was living in a passive solar mansion with a journeyman-level finish carpenter who spoke five languages and a wolf dog that was left outside of a small town in Alaska by a pack of wolves. Long story short, the old timer had a stroke. His family needed to move back into the house. They wanted me to move out in two weeks or less. It’s really hard to find a new place in the dead of winter. It’s even harder when you’re working 60 to 80 hours of hard carpentry.
My mother had moved back to Louisville the previous month. And since my family had been trying to get me to come back home for a couple years, it just seemed like the universe was trying to get me out of the woods and back into the world of civilized society. So, while suffering from cabin fever, I gave away everything but my tools, clothes, and books. Then I loaded up my pickup truck and proceeded to drive for 20-plus hours through whiteout blizzard conditions to return to my old stomping grounds.
How have you put your interests to work here?
Since moving back to Louisville, I have helped build a number of nonprofits. The primary issues locally that receive the most funding seem to revolve around our community’s food stream and our transportation paradigm. While I was a bike messenger for 1st and Market Bike Couriers Bike Shop, I was the only bike messenger that attended the Louisville bike path planning summit. I have also built a number of community gardens. My two favorite projects include Garden Commons [Recognized] Student Organization at the University of Louisville and the Garden of Goodness down on 7th and Oak. I also helped build a nonprofit called New Roots that buys produce from Amish farmers and delivers it directly to low income populations through community organizations, typically churches.
The culture here is in the earlier stages of the process of engaging the communities about the issues, but not directly supporting the green projects in a way that is quickly developing our infrastructure. However, people are willing to pay more to live in healthier communities. With time, Louisville will get there.
How has LVL1 impacted your pursuits as a maker?
For me, making goes beyond what we do inside the walls of LVL1. My membership in LVL1 has allowed me to have a foundation in which I can approach the community as a leader in my field while having the backing that comes from a collective of tinkerers, manufacturers, and engineers. This group of people constantly provides me with real world applications to my educational pursuits and tirelessly supports my work. In return, I try my best to help them and the space.
Thanks to the establishment of LVL1, we can pretty much accomplish almost any goal, such as helping the Salt River Watershed with their Web page, building a business card template for EarthSave International, providing space for the manufacturing of solar panels for [U of L’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Club], and providing workshops on raising chickens. LVL1 is an insurmountable resource for the community that goes beyond the recording studio, the metal fabrication, the wood shop, and the laser cutter. The real magic is in the camaraderie of people with various backgrounds, skills, and expertise.
–Grace Simrall
Bio:
Student at University of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering, with undergraduate research in sustainable chemical processing. Vice president of U of L’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Club. U of L Speed School Student Council representative for Engineers Without Borders. Photovoltaics electronics specialist for U of L’s Department of Energy Solar Decathlon team. Special project manager at Garden Commons, U of L’s gardening Recognized Student Organization. Contributor to the Garden of Goodness on 7th Street and Oak Street.
Title:
Greeny
(co-director) of LVL1 Hackerspace (community workshop and lab).
Location:
Old Louisville
How to buy remedies online at best prices? In fact, it is formidably to find of repute apothecary. Kamagra is a far-famed treatment used to treat emasculation. If you’re concerned about sexual disfunction, you probably know about dosage of levitra. What is the most substantial info you have to know about levitra doses? More information about the problem available at levitra dose. Perhaps you already know some about the matter. Usually, having difficulty getting an hard-on can be embarrassing. This disease is best solved with professional help, generally through counseling with a certified doc. Your dispenser can help find the version that is better for your condition. We hope that the information here answers some of your questions, but please contact physician if you want to know more. Professional staff are experienced, and they will not be shocked by anything you tell.