Thank You & Some Additional Fun!

First, I would like to thank you ALL for the work you have done this summer. 

Students, you have put a lot of time and effort into your academic successes this summer. We, as professors, appreciate your hard work, and we can assure you, it WILL benefit you in the future! We also appreciate your good attitudes and willingness to be open, share, and listen to your classmates. THANK YOU! 

Tutors, your SI sessions made this program a success. Your being willing and available to answer questions, handle concerns, and teach lessons is invaluable. THANK YOU!

Professors and administrators, without all of your hard work, dedication, and time spent in developing the program, none of us would have been able to have this wonderful experience. THANK YOU!

Tomorrow nearly brings this program to an end, but before the "real" end, we have a few more fun plans for you all:

Friday, 8/15- Recognition Ceremony 11:00am-1:00pm
Friday, 8/15- Brazilian Churrasco 6:00pm at Professor Megan's home (address below): 

105 N. Washington St.
Deerfield, WI 53531

Saturday, 8/16- Westward Trip Departure

I hope you are all able to attend the above events, and we all hope this first IEI experience has been a pleasurable, valuable, and rewarding one for all!

'Stick of Justice' or 'Staff of Moses'

Last Friday were went to the Old World Wisconsin, in Eagle, WI. I think it was the best Friday excursion we had so far. That place is like an interactive museum. It was amazing to see how the society was back in the 19^th century. How they used to cook, sleep, farm.

We also were able to carve a piece of wood. Everybody had part of it. It was really fun and relaxing. I think I could do that all day long. After all I had made the “Stick of Justice” or “The Staff of Moses”. Both are fine.

Trip to Chigago

Yesterday, we went to Chicago. The city is just amazing! It remembered me Sao Paulo, because of the gigantic buildings and the huge amount of people, the opposite of Whitewater.
We went to the Millennium Park, the Navy Pier and to the Michigan Avenue, where we spent most of our time. It is such a large avenue, with so much stores! If I wanted to see all of them, it would take me at least 2 whole days. After that we ate one of the best pizzas I have had in my life.
But there is still much things I have to see there, hopefully I'll go back there someday!

Photos by: Coimbra, D.

Weekend

First of all, I would like to write about my little bother. Today is his birthday and I wish I could be with him to celebrate his birthday. He is such a cute baby (he is 9 but he is still my baby) and I miss him so much!

Second of all, I would like to say that I am happy and sad at the same time. I am happy because I am moving to Milwaukee, my homework is getting over and because I like to be happy. But I am sad because I am going to miss people from Whitewater. Well, let's talk about nice things. 

We went to Old World Wisconsin and it was so fun! I thought that I would be boring but it was really fun!

Chicago was also really fun! But by now I am so tired because I spent the whole Sunday doing homework and I really want to sleep because I walked so much this weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVI!!

The Old World

   On this last Friday we went to The Old World Wisconsin, a theme park that shows the past Wisconsin. There we saw a lot of farms that represent the first farms from the different nationalities like German, Danish, Irish, etc. We rode this weird big bicycles, we try some letters on the telegraph, we played with the old toys, we did and saw a lot of things from the past. This things make me fell about how easy is to live now and how difficult was in the past. We have so much things to help us today, everything is easy. Today we live in the world, we don't need to go to another country (like me), but everyone can see the world in the tv or in the internet. In the past seems that people live and die without see the beauties of the world. I can't imagine myself in that time! 

   Fun fact, we know are part to the U.S. army! There is a guy who was dressed like a man from the north in the civil war and he sign us like they did in the past and he teach us how to hold, move and shot a musket and how to attack with a bayonet. Another fun fact, there is a very funny blacksmith. He is very cool and he teaches us a little about blacksmiths. 

More photos!

Chicago tour

Yesterday, we went to Chicago, Illinois. We drove to Harvard first, a small town in Illinois. We took a train there to Chicago. That was the first time I took a train in the U.S. We arrived there around 10:30. The Millennium Park was our first stop. The Cloud Gate is so attractive. It looked like a big bean, and it also looked like a funny mirror. After lunch, we walked to the Navy Pier. There were so many people there. I saw that there. It is surprised.

After the Navy pier, we took a trolley to the Michigan Avenue for our free time. Shopping is a tired thing, but after that, the important thing was coming. Yes, I mean food. We had delicious pizzas for dinner, it is pretty good. It is a pity that I could not go to United Center to see the statue of Michael Jordan. 

In fact, I do not really like Chicago. It is so cold. So many tall buildings prevent the sunshine. The people who live in Chicago look like so angry when they are driving, and they are all racers. It is so dangerous. 

We are all in this together

For building a better future for the planet, it is essential the participation of most people possible. If one is doing his part, it may be encourage other ones to do the same. There is no THE most important person to solve Earth issue. Only way is everybody do one’s portion.

Simple acts like recycling trash and don’t waste water are already great steps for a bigger goal. There are many other ways for a person help our planet. It is just collaborate e keep moving on!

How to be green

It's very common to see people talking about preserve the planet for the new generation, but most people think that the only way to do it is doing something that will take a lot of time. It's not true. To be green, you just have to do simple things that help to preserve the nature.
Things like separating your trash to recycle, don't throw something that still useful away only because it's old, avoid keeping something using energy when you don't need it (leaving the PC on when you are not using it, for example). Also you can do things such as taking something that someone threw on the street and put it in the trash.
Simple things that can change the world.

UWW Sustainable

Last Friday, we had a tour at the UWW campus with Wesley Enterline, and he showed us several things that the UWW do to be sustainable. Things that may look like nothing, but are very important, for example the windows, that preserve the temperature inside the buildings, so we can use less power with the air conditioner, or even recycle the remaining of demolished building to build a new one.

Also he answered my principal question: Do you have solar panels ate the campus? If so, what is the energy used to? How much does it helps to economize energy?

He said that yes, there are several solar panels at the UWW (at Hyland Hall), and the energy generated only supports 2% of the whole building. It may look like nothing, but the build itself uses a lot of energy.

I really enjoyed the tour, I didn't noticed most of the things that are being done here to be sustainable.

Recycling

It is really usual to hear the sentence "We recycle" or "Start to recycle". But.. what is recycle indeed? Recycle to me is to reuse something. For example, a soda bottle. You can fill it up with water and recycle the bottle.
Some people does not know what to trow as recycle garbage and this is such a huge problem. I guess that everybody should learn what is recycling and what is not. For example, some times I don't know what I should throw in the recycle garbage. I guess that teachers should tech us whenever we are kids. And also speak up about the pros that recycling offers. That's the way I think about recycling.

Cup plants

1- What is the most efficient environmental program in UW - Whitewater?
And Wesley replied that is the work to reduce energy and steam. According to him, energy gets the focus because there's money evolved. The more energy you save, the more money you're saving. He also said that the importance of almost all programs is to show people why saving energy is worth it.
Wesley also spoke about a cup plant. This plan holds the water between its leaves so the birds uses it as a water reservoir. I found this really interesting. People also take the seeds off when the winter starts and plant them again in the next summer.

I want a world for my children

    I don't have children, but I want a world for them. The man is hurting the earth, like Chief Seattle said. Things are different from when I was young, my father say this to, and my grandmother said this before us two. The world is changing, somethings it change for better, but somethings it change for worst. We see the difference in the temperature, the global warming, we see the amount of trash getting bigger. There is more and more pollution. The people thinks more about money, they use more the social networks instead of talking in person. The people is getting more greedy. The man is thinking more an only about himself. I never see a Dodo bird, they are extinct before my father was born, maybe my children will never see the blue macaw, or the jaguar. The rhino I know they will not see in the nature (only in zoos), because they are extinct now. There is a lot of things... I can say to my children "don't play videogames, let's play outside!" But I want a world for then! I want that my children see the nature the way I see it. So for this happens, we need to change the world! I'm not talking about great things, but small things such as recycle, or trow the trash on the trashcan not the floor, or you can be more friendly with people. Every little change will help. If everyone do their job, the world will get better. So, start! Do something! Let's change the world!

Sustainability tour

Last Friday we had a sustainability tour in UW-Whitewater campus. Our guide, Wesley, is a sustainability coordinator at the university. He gave us information about how recycling, economy of energy and water reuse process work on campus.

One of the information that most caught my attention was about solar energy. Only Hyland Hall has solar panels in entire campus. Nevertheless, just two percent of the whole energy consume in this building comes from the sun. Such and huge structure for so few energy production.