About Joshua:
My CapU story starts back three years ago when I was studying art at Emily Carr University. At the time I became increasingly interested in the fantastic field of fungi. Slowly I was drawn to this infinitely connected, and unimaginably diverse group of organisms. Overtime I developed such an interest in mycology that it started to interfere with my art studies. That was when I decided to transfer somewhere else to study my friends; the fabulous fungi. The dazzling diversity of fungi within the forests of the Seymour Watershed is well known. Because of this, I made my application to CapU in hopes that I could be immersed in the velvety mycelial threads that abound in the nearby woods.
Once I was accepted into CapU, I took self-paced prerequisite courses which took much longer to complete than I would have liked. To get some perspective, I asked many people – much older and wiser than myself – what they would have done differently if they were to attend university again. The answer that I received was a unanimous and resounding “Get more involved!”. Taking this to heart, I have taken every opportunity that has come my way in this regard. Whether it be attending an EarthWorks event, or waking up at 5:30 to bike to school in order to make the 7:15 start time for morning Yoga, I whole heartedly throw myself into the CapU experience. Due to my antsy and ambitious nature, I have found myself with a job on campus, a position on the senate, and another on the board of the CSU, which keeps me busy an on my toes. I eagerly and energetically engage in issues of sustainability in hopes that I can improve my communities self reliance and reduce our environmental impact.
If you are interested in baking, fermentation, farming ,or food growing, I’d love to chat about it! I will happily share my seeds and ferment cultures with anyone who shows the slightest interest – be warned that you might end up with a jar full of a slimy kombucha SCOBY if I happen to hear you mention that you “love kombucha”. I can often be found hunched over in the community garden, scrupulously inspecting my garlic plants, or frantically run-walking between meetings and classes with a stunned look on my face.
Bio 208 Field trip to Pentiction
Wild Flowers
Ancient Red Cedar
Surveying and sampling Englemann Spruce Biome
Surveying and sampling Englemann Spruce Biome. We followed a bumpy dirt road up the mountain. As we left the main road, we also left behind summer, entering into a still and quiet winter. We walked from the bus a short while to the sampling site. Forming groups, we explored the mountains, testing our memory and plant ID skills.
Sagebrush experimental grazing site. The bus quickly pulled to the side of the road, and our instructors shouted out as the swung around the front of the bus “grab your books, we are heading out!”. Picking up my priceless copy and first edition of Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia, I walked from the bus. Barbed wire fences and bugged out fence posts lined the road. Little bird houses crowned each pole like tiny farm houses for even s. Once off loaded we made our way to the inside of the experiment site. Our goal was to analyze the flora of the region. Accessing the changes as we made the 416km journey from campus to Penticton
Sustainably programs and the CapU Community garden.
General photos around campus.
Those committee meetings
Tiny Watermelon, or Funky Cucumber?
Cozy Kale
Redwoods up north. Historically, this region was populated primarily by Redwoods, Ginkgos, and Fan Palms. Presently, this Redwood acts as a cozy reprieve from the fall rains.
Raspberries. When being fearless of thorns is not part of the job description, but should be. Fall is coming so here goes the old before spring comes in with the new.
Hanging baskets
From sunrise to sundown.
This is my parking spot.. Forget $4.00 a day in parking, I park for free! This is one of a few undercover bike racks, so you have to bet here early if you want a nice dry bum. The plus side is that you get to enjoy the beauty of the sunrise as you do it.
Bored of talking, go board walking
Bored of talking, go board walking. No more muddy shoes in your locker with all these board walks everywhere
Mossy sprints. Seymour trail running. One way to make sure you don’t miss your class is to do forest sprints at 7 o’ clock in the morning. Get a shower in, and if your lucky grab an expresso before your 8:30 Microeconomics class. No need to worry about vitamin D supplements with all that sunshine you’ll be soaking up before most people get out of their PJs.
Sustainability Week. Raise Your Voice. There are so many great opportunities to get involved on campus. This week we created an event to get feedback from students about what it is that they like about sustainability on campus, and what we can do differently. It can’t be overstated how much it rocks to skip the commute and walk down the hall to your job.
Titration Excitation. Gail having a blast in her Chem 110 Lab. Mixing acids and bases can be a lot more fun than it sounds. Just short of making vinegar and baking soda volcanos in lab, we get up to lots of exciting stuff. Gail here is having an exciting time mixing up solutions and titrating like it’s nobodies business.
Making school your work… or at least thats what they call it. A day in the life of a student employee for CapU Works. Here I am with a cheesy grin carrying local invasive plants to use as decorations for Sustainability Week. As a student employee you are given many different tasks. After dropping off these English Ivy vines, and trailing them around a board room, I help facilitate and prepare for an employee meeting to get their help with sustainability around campus.
Cycling to CapU and beyond. Going for a ride into the forest after a long day in class. Taking my bike to school brings me great pleasure. Besides the stunning sunrises and fresh air that I get to enjoy during my commute, there are so many great rides just minutes from campus.
Barefoot campus. Enjoying the last rays of the summer sun while getting work done. Shoes are leather prisons for our feet… or at least thats how I think of them. Thats why I love taking them off whenever I get the chance, and whenever it is socially acceptable of course.