Items

• 
  2021-09-06

  Terrariums out of Boredom

  Covid took us away from everything and reality was hard to cope with. I decided to retreat into nature. The struggle was that I hated being in my house and I couldn't stay outside forever. I decided that I would bring nature indoors and started to make terrariums. I was able to exercise, practice a hobby, create art. and safely quarantine all at once.
• 
  2022-06-24

  1.6 billion face masks entered our oceans in 2020

  This is an Instagram post from birdlife_sa. It discusses the amount of face masks that ended up in the ocean, and what you can do to make your mask disposal more environmentally friendly.
• 2022-06-24

  Correctly dispose of masks

  This is an Instagram post from ecowhizz_sa. This is a post advising people to dispose of their masks properly to protect the environment.
• 
  2020-05-12

  Rediscovering Nature

  When I graduated high school, I moved to a different side of Houston, TX. I was quite reserved in my new environment. This was in part because the environment was a bit rough in some parts. However, once the pandemic took place, I decided to explore my surroundings a bit more. I discovered overall, the area was quite nice. In the process of exploring my environment; I decided to check out a park that was five minutes from my house. I had been to this park as a child because of it's proximity to the city's zoo. But, I never went as an adult. The park I discovered, which is known locally as Hermann Park was one of the best discoveries I ever made in my life. This park became my escape. My place of peace. A safe space away from the hustle and bustle of everyday city life. The sensecape was pleasant. The sounds of the birds chirping blissfully while watching a squirrel crawl up a tree brought me to a place of internal calmness I had never experienced before. I enjoyed lying between the trees either in my hammock or laying out on my blanket gazing at the sunset and enjoying the peace and tranquility of the inconspicuous indistinguishable sound of people talking who were coming and going.
• 
  2022-05-13

  Mask trash motorcycle in Peru

  While walking my daughter home from school I noticed this disposable mask next a motorcycle in Arequipa. It was about one block away from Av. Kennedy.
• 
  2022-05-10

  GC Oral History, 2022/05/11

  A student describes their experience working during the Covid-19 outbreak.
• 
  2022-04-07

  Mask Pollution

  This is an Instagram post by discarded_face_masks_uk. This is an account that shows people that have left their face masks on the ground, thus making it worse for the environment. Hashtags like #coveryourface do imply that they still want you to wear a mask, but are against people accidentally leaving them on the ground. This helps speak of a larger issue where with mask mandates in places in some areas, it leaves more opportunity for people to litter with their face masks, as people will take them off at times when doing certain tasks or if they think they don't need one in some specific area.
• 
  2022-02-06

  Nozomi park mask trash

  Mask trash by the parking lot at Nozomi Park.
• 
  2021-12-07T13

  Covid-19 Archive Project Second Interview

  After learning about four major pandemics, we discussed how our views of the COVID-19 pandemic have changed over the course of the semester, and how our perceptions of pandemics as a whole have changed.
• 2020-02-02

  Sounds and Scents of a Maine Island

  In February 2020, I moved to Vinalhaven, an island off the coast of Maine, for a job that promised to advance my career and provide time for personal introspection and growth. The island community was vibrant, and as a newcomer, I was invited to dinner parties, game nights, and book club meetings – I hardly had time to miss the family and friends I left behind in Colorado. Three weeks later, the COVID-19 pandemic required me to exchange my introduction to the community for long solitary hours. Handshakes and warm hugs from new acquaintances were replaced by cold winter days and a lack of human contact. The seclusion drove me to explore the island’s shoreline and conservation trails and intermingle with nature that was unimpeded by humans who had retreated behind the walls of their homes. Without the distraction of a companion, I noticed the wind rushing through trees, saltwater crashing against the rocks at the ocean’s edge, bald eagles screeching, chickadees singing, and small animals scurrying through tall natural grasses near the basin. I sat so still one morning that a curious, gray mink approached me and stared for a few seconds. One November evening, while I walked along the rocky shoreline at State Beach, an estrous scent from a whitetail doe in heat wafted from the nearby woods. While the pungent odor attracted bucks, the smell assaulted my nose and distracted me from the fresh scents of saltwater, pine, and balsam. The overpowering smell suggested that the doe was close; her presence comforted me in my isolation. I expected to integrate into my new island home through people. Instead, I became grounded in the environment, surrounded by the sounds and scents that I may have otherwise missed.
• 
  2021-09-21

  Haig and Tia Oral History, 2021/09/21

  I think it's really important to document everyday life during the pandemic because soon everyone will forget what it was like.
• 
  2020-03-01

  Increase of Outdoor Participants since the Pandemic's Onset

  Since the start of the pandemic, I've begun to both run and hike when I get the chance. After talking with people who have done the same since before the pandemic, they've noted how there is absolutely an increase of people outdoors. For me, it's a great way to escape and improve mental health, and I think it's worth noting how many are trying to find ways to improve themselves and keep going through various ways during such a tough time.
• 
  2021-01

  Wolfeboro Storm Damage

  These are two screenshots of a post and comment from the official Camp Wolfeboro Facebook page talking about damage the camp sustained in January 2021 from storms. The post provides a donation link for people to donate money to fix the damage; the post notes the donation goal is $20,000. The post notes that 40 trees fell in camp and that the water heater shed was destroyed. A comment left by the camp account under the post says "At this time, about 40 trees down in camp and on the road. The water heater shed has also been destroyed. This information is as of Sunday, no news on the storms of the past 48 hours". The post was uploaded on January 27, 2021.
• 
  2021-08-21

  Mask trash outside the CDL

  Wednesday, August 18 was the eve of the first day of classes at Arizona State University. It was also the first week that the Child Development Lab (CDL) was open for daycare on campus. I picked my son up around 5:00 PM and took this picture of mask trash, likely unintentionally dropped by one of the parents outside the center. This image is part of the mask trash series.
• 
  2021-07-16

  A Tale of Two Regions

  Since we aren’t getting on a plane any time soon, we road tripped it up to Tahoe. Taking advantage of having our car, we decided to drive out to places we would normally never visit, such as Sutter’s Mill and Donner Pass. As my husband called it, it was the Huell Howser California Gold tour. Something that was immediately noticeable was the rarity of people wearing masks around Tahoe and through the desert. Though mask mandates were lifted in CA June 15 for the vaccinated, I’d say about 50% of people still wear them (including my family) where we live. However, out in the more rural deserts and mountain areas, there was not a mask to be seen. I thought it was extremely interesting at Sutter’s Mill, which is a state park a couple of hours from Sacramento. The Park Rangers all wore masks indoors, and signs indicated unvaccinated must wear masks indoors. However, the tour of Sutter’s is all outdoors, with the exception of going into some of the historic buildings. I was a little nervous because I worried about my unvaccinated children going on a tour with possibly unvaccinated strangers who wouldn’t have to wear masks. However, when the tour began, I noticed all the families (all strangers to us) on the tour were wearing masks. Our docent asked each family where they were from and we were all from Los Angeles or Orange County. We all remained masked the whole tour. Our docent even commented “you know you can take off your masks outside?” He said it really nicely, but everyone remained masked. This regional difference was extremely interesting to me. I suppose Southern Californians may have a different way of thinking because our case counts were so incredibly high during the winter that they built field hospitals and ambulances were unable to pick up patients. Maybe that has made us more cautious. It was a literal war zone with the enemy being an invisible virus. Or maybe it’s just that every family on our tour took the same kind of vacation we did for the same reason - wanting a vacation but wanting to be outdoors, avoiding planes, and being able to safely distance. Donner State Park also had COVID protocol still in effect, with their interactive displays turned off.
• 1976-08-23

  this why we hafe to stop the Pandemic and the covid and other disease

  why i think this is important to me because human is the one that made these disease and it is killing people and are population is going down and we all work together we could fix this and even animals population would go down because they get sick as well and there population and the air around us would go bad and still is and it ant just hurting us its hurting the earh and this why its important
• 
  2021-08-10

  Resilience, Hope, and Turbulent Waters: have we learned?

  I’m torn. I see resilience and hope: Resilience of so many in societies across the world who reconfigured their everyday lives to attempt to keep the virus at bay and hope swept in largely by Biden and his competent army of experienced workers who believe in the power of government to be a positive and unifying agent of change. But, we have a troubled world with a geopolitical climate and an environmental climate pushing us into turbulent waters. I’m torn because I have seen the virus pull us together as a community of pods and isolate us from one another. My hope and dream? That we learn from this Covid journey to do better with the other crises bearing down on us. That each of us take up individually and as a community the challenge to address climate change now in our homes, in our daily tasks, in the way we function in our communities, and at the ballot box.
• 
  2020-10-07

  Pandemic gardening: More than half of Canadians were growing their own food at home this year, study shows

  Gardening and growing one's own food became more widespread during the pandemic, led by worries about food shortages and prices along with the desire to engage in new hobbies during the pandemic. This article discusses a study done by Dalhousie University regarding Canadians' growing their own food during the pandemic and compares the current gardening trend with the victory gardens prevalent during World War II.
• 
  2021-07-06

  World Zoonoses Day

  This is a tweet from the UN Environment Programme showing the driving factors behind zoonotic diseases and pandemics. Humans abuse of the environment is to blame.
• 
  2020-06-18

  Why COVID-19 will end up harming the environment

  This article warns that COVID will only offer a brief respite from environmental problems like air pollution. Post-COVID, we may see even worse pollution and accelerated climate change.
• 
  2021-07-21

  Coronavirus, Climate Change, and the Environment

  In this article, Dr. Aaron Bernstein, Director of Harvard Chan C-CHANGE, answers questions about how climate change and COVID-19 are related. He discusses the problems that animal agriculture causes for both the environment and human health. Hopefully, more people will hear the words of a world-renowned scientist and make the change to veganism like I did 4 years ago.
• 
  2021-05-31

  Pandemic pets: Pet shops seeing more abandoned reptiles

  Pet shops in Charlotte, NC report that alongside the increased demand for exotic pets, there has been an uptick in animal abandonment as well. The pet shop in this article reported that the number of rescue calls they received doubled during the pandemic. Exotic animals abandoned outside raise environmental concerns. If some manage to survive the winter, they could pose a threat to native wildlife.
• 
  2021-04-19

  Faith Guided Man to Make 1200 Face Masks for Community

  I remember vividly on March 12, 2020, when I told my students that school might be canceled next week because of Covid-19. At that moment, I was confident that we won’t be coming back to school the following week because of the events that were occurring around the world and the scenes that we have never seen before that were happening in our own backyard. The shortage of food and essential items were something that I have never imagined would occur in our local store. It was a horrible feeling of uncertainty and a feeling of being powerless about what to expect. My parents, brother, and I have underlying health issues thus living this year has taken a toll on the way we interact with other people from outside of our household. We feel like we are living on an island. In April, CDC had a constant voice in what we should do and recommended that we should wear face masks with two layers of fabric, wash our hands and be socially distant. At that particular moment, I was stressed out because how in the world will I get face masks when almost everything in the store is gone. I then told my mom about this and my mom said that there is a sewing machine under the stairs that I can use to make face masks. As a 6 foot latinx man, my parents didn’t have any issue with me using or learning how to use a sewing machine. In a Mexican household, only women can use the sewing machine, but in my household, my parents have embraced the new identity of America, and believe why would there be a problem in me doing things that are normally done by females? I used faith to guide me in understanding how to use the 1960’s sewing machine. I prayed and said that I have good intentions of helping my family and community to be safe from this virus so please help me financially and physically in making face masks. That same week, I received a check in the mail, and with that money, I purchased a lot of fabric and materials to make facemasks. I created a universal design that uses less material and in some way helps the environment and I created about 1200 face masks. I also found a way to create 50 face masks per hour and that helped me a lot. Even though many people feel reluctant to wear face masks, it breaks my heart that few don’t care about the people who have underlying health issues. They may be asymptomatic to covid, but wearing a face mask is a moral thing to do, and a thought that comes to my mind is, “Father, please forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” For a whole year, my family and I were protected from contracting Covid-19, and the first week of April of 2021, we got our vaccine. I truly believed that my prayer was answered because God knew my intentions and in some way protected my family and me for doing basic things to help us not to get this horrific virus.
• 
  2021-04-18

  Gardening: Feeding the Planet and Ourselves

  Gardening is something I learned I loved in the spring of 2019, and I noticed many differences during the pandemic. The garden centers were always busy, much busier than the year before. And often, they would be sold out of things such as vegetables. The article I have shared here I found while researching food insecurity. I have long thought that growing your own food is something that should be more widespread, especially among places of poverty. Of course, this article does not mention the fact that people living in extreme poverty barely have enough water to survive, let alone grow crops with. Regardless, this article makes good points about our soil, our diets, and the future of our planet and species. I think one good consequence of the pandemic is more people will turn to gardening, which opens up many more aspects of life.
• 
  2021-03-09

  Birds during the pandemic

  This article tells us about wildlife, specifically birds, during the pandemic. As many other animals were, birds were a lot more active when the lockdown began. Some many see this as a good thing but this article goes into detail about the good and bad things that happened to birds during the pandemic. This article is important because it addresses a topic not many people think is important and gives more in depth into this side of nature.
• 
  2021-04-14

  Penguins in Cape Town

  This article is an article about the penguins in Cape Town. During the lockdown of the pandemic many animals were seen roaming the streets and some of them were penguins in Cape Town. This article explains what the penguins were doing and shows how the pandemic changed wildlife.
• 
  2021-04-06

  Mask trash #20

  A child's re-usable face mask with Cars 2 design found on the sidewalk across from Jaycee Park in Tempe, Arizona.
• 
  2021-04-01

  Mask trash #26

  Mask trash along Rio Salado Parkway near Hardy Drive.
• 
  2021-03-23

  The mask trash series

  The mask trash series. Historical records come in many forms, and although history favors the written record, the current pandemic reveals ephemeral stories worth documenting. Globally, many people are wearing face masks daily, some are hand-sewn, others commercially made, and some are disposable. They are necessary, they slow the rate of transmission, but they also come with an environmental cost. Corresponding with this new public health trend is a rise in pandemic-related trash such as face masks littering driveways, streets, sidewalks, parks, and waterways. Face masks choke the landscape and harm wildlife. Disposable masks are spun from polymer plastic, meaning they won’t break down, but they will continue to split into smaller and smaller pieces, some of which will be ingested by animals and even re-consumed by other creatures in the food chain. The mask trash series seeks to highlight the increase in pandemic-related trash, and give space to a facet of history we often wish we could ignore: the waste we either intentionally or inadvertently discard.
• 
  2021-03-20

  Mask Trash in Our Sacred Places

  Mask trash found in a protected habitat area of Muir Beach, California. The area is closed to try and recover habitats in danger.
• 
  2020-05-01

  COVID19 and wildlife

  This website gives more insight on how cover 19 has effected wildlife and how humans can help the cause.
• 
  2020-06-22

  Human effects on wildlife in a pandemic

  This article is telling readers about how cover-19 has allowed researchers to figure out more on how humans have an effect on wildlife. With less humans going out there may be a change to see.
• 
  2021-03-19

  Introspective Interconnectivity and My New Dance Partner

  Went it seemed like the entire world shut down because of COVID-19, and we were ordered into lockdown, we could no longer be out and about in the world, gather – or even see our friends and families. As time passed, people began to absorb the implications the pandemic was having on their lives and our responses ranged from loss and mourning, loneliness, and restlessness to introspection, creativity, and reinvention. Meanwhile, the natural world began to tap our shoulders. The animals returned to our cities, birds had took back the skies, and all sort of hidden gems were no longer obscured by our pollution. My own relationship with nature is one of push and pull. I witness in nature, the miracle and fragility of my own fleeting life force mirrored back to me. This inspires awe and intensifies my awareness of being alive, of being a conscious individual within a larger interconnected whole yet understanding that this “whole” remains elusive. My mind battles to rationalize my observations and impressions of an intelligent force that seems equally purposeful and chaotic, innocent and cruel, physical and divine. This relationship has held me rapt and has been at the heart of why I make art. For over 20 years, I have incorporated moss (both living and dried), pine needles and other organic materials into sculptures, constructions and large-scale installations that explore the living energy of the natural world. It is while being in nature that I find myself closest to my art. As I carefully and respectfully collect mosses and needles, the seductiveness of vibrant colours and complex textures occasionally gives way to revulsion as I realize how much insect life they carry back to my studio. While I am made ecstatic by the beauty of life, I am terrified of stumbling upon traces of death. But now, with the pandemic, the possibility of death has come very much to the foreground where, just breathing in public feels dangerous. Although usually a citizen of the world, I am currently fortunate to be living in the country, with the expanse of Georgian Bay across the road and surrounded by deep forests. Outside of my miniscule bubble, I am essentially alone here and the deafening silence has force me to look further inward. My new work has become intimate in scale – small wall constructions made with pine needles. I sort, order and place my pine needles with Baroque intention. They are painstakingly laborious to make – a process that is contemplatively ritualistic but it is now the one area where I feel a sense of control and I am able to manifest love in a physical way. The forest seems ever more vibrant now because when the world went silent, Mother Nature returned to her dance, and now I can fully be in that dance.
• 
  2021-03-15

  Mask trash #11

  White and blue disposable face mask found near 9th and Roosevelt in Tempe, Arizona.
• 
  2021-02-16

  Desert Mountains in Late Afternoon, Tucson, Arizona, USA

  This photograph of desert mountains in Tucson, Arizona, USA, shows the beauty and the power of nature. The image is associated with our creation of an Environment collection in the archive. We seek to collect stories about the environment: how it has been impacted by the pandemic, with changes in pollution levels, increased levels of trash, and alterations in human interactions, and how humans have interacted with the environment during the pandemic, using it decrease stress, get out of the house, grow food, and gain a greater knowledge and appreciation of it.
• 
  2020-05-08

  The world outside, during the pandemic

  The article describes how the pandemic has affected the natural environment in Arizona: the building of the border wall between the US and Mexico (with great effects on animals), the changes to how firefighters will put out fires during this time to adhere to social distancing guidelines, and the increase in trash in federal natural areas. It has described how some people have gained a new appreciation for the environment during these times.
• 
  2021-02-22

  Black history and the COVID-19 pandemic

  This post shared on social media talks about how environmental, economic and political factors play key roles in the pandemic spread. Interestingly this article talks about the county Milwaukee, in which simply being black puts the life expectency down by 14 years. Dr. Camara Jones states in this article that "COVID is just unmasking the deep disinvestment in our communities, the historical injustices and the impact of residential segregation,”. As stated in the article, when mojority of black people in Milwaukee county went to near by hospitals when they felt they were in contact with the virus, they were sent home and died before the confirmation of the test came back. This shows how the pandemic is effecting black people.
• 
  2021-02-22

  Mask trash #3

  Disposable mask spotted en route from the Tempe transit center to the Childhood Development (Psychology building) on Campus along Veteran's Way. 33°25'21.0"N 111°55'45.3"W
• 
  2021-02-20

  Mask trash #2

  I saw this black, disposable mask while vacuuming my van on Saturday at Cobblestone Auto Spa. I picked it up and threw it away before it blew into the water channel.
• 
  2021-02-20

  Mask trash # 1

  Mask trash on the playground at the Kroc Center in Phoenix, AZ
• 
  2021-02-07

  Nature Endures

  This photograph shows the imposing Catalina Mountains (Babad Do'ag to the indigenous Tohono O’odham) to the north of Tucson, Arizona, USA, with a majestic saguaro in the center front. The rocks in these mountains record millions of years of history. The multi-armed saguaro has stood for at least 75 years. Viewing these natural phenomena has always been a favorite pastime of mine, but during this time of pandemic, contemplating these forces of nature reminds me of the endurance of nature and the long stretch of environmental history. The pandemic and our current difficulties will pass just as other the saguaro and the mountains have seen many other calamities pass.
• 
  2020

  Places of Silence

  Places of Silence Artists’ Statement The cataclysmic situation caused by the Covid-19 has created a new reality for people. Society faces disastrous effects of unprecedent pandemic: losses of the human lives, loneliness, luck of personal interaction, anxiety, feeling hopeless. Visiting our favorite places, we were struck by the scarce silence of the streets, abandoned buildings, gardens. We saw the familiar places from entirely different perspective - they were silent. Spacious grounds, the ocean coast, paths in the sand were without the usual addition - a man. Our ongoing project “Places of Silence” reflects our personal experience in this new reality. Another aspect of the project is depicting the sublime beauty of landscapes surrounding us. We feel that looking at nature brings a balance and hope, as well as leads to the self-reflection, understanding oneself, and one's responsibility to other people. The project consists of ten large scale mixed media paintings on canvases and more then eighty works on paper. We have chosen paper as the integral material for the series. The origin of paper is directly related to nature. Its texture and brittleness reflect the amazing vitality and fragility of the nature. We applied black acrylic paint on the traditional oriental rice paper creating the palette of different hues and then attached small pieces of paper to the canvas the same way as if we would be using paint. Dense layers, lumps of liquid mass soaked in water, monochrome colors, an endless gradation from black to white allow us to create rich Earth like surface for our landscape works.
• 
  2020-06

  June of 2020: a quarantine journal

  This past June, for the first time in my life, I began keeping a daily journal—composed in formally identical declarative sentences—as a record, not only the events of the world that were on and affecting my mind, but also my domestic observations of home, of family, the creatures in my yard, the blooms erupting throughout the garden. In a season of isolation and upheaval, it in many ways helped to keep my brain from total dissolution into quaking depression. Once this month-long record was complete, I launched a Kickstarter campaign in support of the limited publication of *June of 2020: a quarantine journal*, with all profits being donated to Black Girl in Maine, a social-justice blog founded by writer, educator, and activist Shay Stewart-Bouley. While my skill has always been the construction of narratives that allow the reader to feel what it’s like to experience the characters’ experiences, Shay’s talent lies in taking the complex abstractions of social justice and explaining them in a way that is not only immediate and concrete, but also grounded in the experiences of both herself and her audience (in other words, she takes the cultural phenomenon at large and makes it directly relevant to you and your life). She has an ability that I lack. So I’m using my abilities to help support her and her work.
• 
  2020-09-28

  Noticing the little things

  Like many people, I've been spending a lot more time in my back yard this year. Once the weather started getting nice enough our household and the neighbours all seemed to have the idea to start barbequing, just for something different to do, and we often had barbeques going in three back yards along at the same time. One such day I spotted two baby wattlebirds in the tree. I spent a good few hours that day, and the next few, just watching them and their parents feeding them, I even saw their first flight. It's something I never could have imagined spending so long doing before the pandemic, so I guess you could call that a positive of the experience. (HIST30060)
• 
  2020-11-05

  Lethargic Lockdown

  HIST30060 - In reviewing this 'plague' year, I feel that there can be no simple way of explaining the whirlwind of emotions that seemed to fluctuate just as readily and sporadically as our daily covid- case numbers did back in April and May. My first uploaded image is a photograph I took of a note that was found in our letterbox in Balwyn, which we received on the 7th of April. Later we discovered it was made by two younger girls who lived at the bottom of our street, who had been writing similar letters for all our neighbours too! I felt it was very important in this unprecedented time to cherish the small acts of kindness, particularly given the emotional state of lockdown. Despite their relative insignificance, it is these small communal acts which I will cherish, which keep us connected to those around us, while ironically social distancing at the same time. Similarly, the young sisters who made the card are the same age as my niece, 9 years old. I often look at this card and think of how their youth has been irrevocably changed in this pandemic. My second image is a photo I took of Mills beach in Mornington on the 31st of July. I think it will always remind me of the occasion where I snuck down to the Beach, on the premise of doing some 'maintenance' at a family property, which was what I explained to the police who were patrolling the highway. My father has had his bouts with pneumonia in the past, so the family decided that if he could conduct his work from home, then it would be best to get of Melbourne. So my mum and dad were staying down the in Mornington from late March and came back to Melbourne around the start of November. Although we would routinely call eachother on zoom, this photo in a way commemorates the time where I had to sneak down to the beach in order to see them. Though a beautiful sunset at mills beach, there also is a sense of morbid beauty and unease to the photo. It was the only time I think I have ever seen such beautiful weather and calm water, with no boats or people in sight. The third image is a screenshot from a facebook invitation to a party which was created in early March. The guys that made the group event had originally planned to host a get together by December. I think in a sense this does give some explanation in regards to the expectations of corona, and the hysteria that was surrounding it in early March. I think as explained in the screenshot, although we didn't know what to expect, all we did know was that "the next few months are gonna be very long." Recently they updated the invitation from a party that will maybe happen in March next year. Although it may be some form of normality to look forward to, I think that this year more than any other we have learnt to prepare for the worst. Though it is currently listed to go ahead around March next year, part of me thinks it will be delayed again. My fourth image is a screenshot I took from an instagram page called "melb_lockdown," which was created in early April this year. It is an instagram page that features many artful collections of the Melbourne CBD area in black and white photographs. As one who often indulges in photography myself, I think the artist behind the instagram page is always trying to send a message with his work. I think what strikes me most is naturally seeing images of one of the 'most liveable' cities in the world, which is now devoid of the very things that have have given the city it's -claim-to-fame.' The once frenetic energy and vibrancy of the busy Melbourne CBD is now lifeless, colourless, and painfully mundane. My last image, is a meme that a friend of mine sent me. Similarly it is a an Instagram page called 'Covid 19 Funny Memes.' Though very funny, it also highlights a lot of the communal attitudes that have fluctuated and changed through out the pandemic. In late February/ early March, I believe that because it the pandemic was largely still a distant story that was affecting Europe more readily and Australia, it was something we really engaged in a kind of hysteria with. Because we hadn't experienced it, it was something we couldn't truly understand. Certainly these sought of humorous memes were not being created back then. But now I feel having lived with the pandemic for the last 8-9 months, people's attitudes have altered so much. I think because we are now more prepared to satirise, mock or create humorous memes is not to suggest that we have become apathetic towards the pandemic, but I think it shows that we are 'over it.' I think now living with this shadow over our lives for 8 months has taken its toll, and humour may be one way we can attempt to disassociate ourselves from this monotonous cycle.
• 
  2020-07-23

  HIST30060: 12 Apostles Great Ocean Road

  HIST30060: This photo is remarkable because of the tranquility it boasts, in contrast to the usual palooza of tourist buses and clicking cameras. Taken a few days before the second hard lockdown in Victoria, this photo is a tribute to how different this year really was. As my friend and are marveled at the rock formations for 30 minutes, we did not see a single other person. The car park built for hundreds was empty, visitors center closed indefinitely and the sound of our footsteps echoing as we passed under the multi-million dollar underground walkway. This year has been a major challenge for everyone, however has granted (or forced) a new perspective on life which perhaps makes every experience more impressive.
• 
  2020-09-26

  The causes of COVID-19

  The COVID-19 pandemic was something I definitely did not expect. It was a shock to not only me, but also to everyone in this world. This pandemic completely shifted my life into something entirely different from what I’m used too. Pre-COVID-19, I did not have to think about leaving my house with a mask on. Now, while we are still in the pandemic, leaving the house with a mask on is part of my everyday essentials. Wearing a mask is currently part of my wardrobe. I bought reusable masks because they are not good for the environment. Global warming is a very big issue that many people do not believe in, but I do believe in. I try my best to help the environment as much as I can, so buying reusable masks is what I did. Also, those medical masks are so expensive now, it is something I cannot afford to keep buying. While on the topic of expensive, I was someone who always carried hand sanitizer with me wherever I went. Now that hand sanitizer is a necessity due to the virus, it was hard for me to find them in stores, and when I did find them, the cost was two times higher than it originally would be. Money became an issue for me due to the change of price in many things. I did not work during the start of the pandemic because I was scared to put my families lives at risk. I work now, but I practice social distancing as much as I can, I sanitize, and I wear a face mask at all times. The hardest part about being in quarantine would be remote learning, and it still is. I was someone who despised online classes. I always avoided taking them. However, due to the pandemic, I had no other choice but to take online classes. I appreciate the effort my professors put into trying to make everything work, but it will never be the same as being in class physically and learning. Taking online classes is so stressful because I am basically teaching myself. Depending on the professor, somethings are just not clearly explained so I am left confused very often. Trying to manage everything in my personal life on top of online classes is not easy. Working academically in the comfort of my own home, with my family was and still is a struggle. I need to be in a different environment other than my own home in order for me to fully concentrate and study for my classes. Another constant issue with remote learning is my horrible WIFI connection. My WIFI has been a mess since quarantine started. Having bad WIFI added on to more stress for my online classes because I needed the internet to finish my work and pass my classes. Nonetheless, the CDC is trying their best to stop the spread of COVID-19. This pandemic has caused a major shift to the world, especially mine. The best thing I can do is to continue to work hard and do the best that I can. We have been in a pandemic for 7 months now. Unfortunately, this is our new normal.
• 2020-10

  The energy crises revealed by COVID: Intersections of Indigeneity, inequity, and health

  This article highlights the glaring structural energy inequalities experienced by Indigenous communities in the United States. The Covid-19 pandemic has laid-bare many of the systemic inequalities in the United States, with Indigenous access to consistent and low-cost energy to be no exception. Access to energy is a bare minimum requirement for functioning society, yet it is commercialized and a steady income is required for access. With so many losing their jobs during this crisis, the article examines the concept of energy sovereignty and why it is key for Indigenous communities, especially now more than ever.
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  2020-04-09

  Hyderabad Smog Clears During Lockdown

  The pictures are two from late February that show the level of smog and haze in the sky and another from 1.5 months later where the sky is blue. I have NEVER seen a blue sky in Hyderabad - it’s always a constant haze and it shows the stark contrast and effect we have on the environment. The picture from the Hyderabad golf club was taken about 10AM in the morning without a cloud in the sky.
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  2020-06-09

  As EPA Steps Back, States Face Wave Of Requests For Environmental Leniency

  Excerpt from article: New York also does not publicly track pandemic-related leniency requests, despite leading the lawsuit against the EPA. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation suggests that citizens file formal public records requests if they want information about companies that have told the state they cannot comply with environmental rules.