Written by Svetlana Zenkin

Finals are almost finished, and we have a month-long break ahead of us. As my ERG cohort's first semester draws to a close, it's time to reminisce a little bit. I feel like a lot has happened since September, but also have perfectly vivid memories of our first meeting in Barrows Hall as a class.

It's been a challenging, yet rewarding few months. A big part of the challenge was that I had worked for six years between undergrad and grad school, so it took a while to re-adapt to student life. I was extremely nervous about doing well at the beginning of the semester. I even cried two days before one of my homework problem sets was due because I was afraid I wouldn't complete it perfectly and on time. This was for an assignment that was maybe worth two percent of my grade! Thankfully, I felt progressively better.

As far as the good parts, here are a few of my highlights:

• Living and enjoying Berkeley, probably my favorite place in the US!

• Learning a lot in Dan Kammen's Energy and Society class, which most ERGies take.
• Having fun working and griping about the homework assignments with my Microeconomics study group.
• Our newbie camping and canoe trip in September.
• Going to a salsa-dancing party organized by Tanya.
• Being constantly inspired and humbled by the knowledge, experience and good nature of my classmates.

Next semester promises to be busier, but hopefully also very rewarding. In addition to classes, I will be a Teaching Assistant for John Harte's "Quantitative Aspects of Environmental Programs" class. Also, I will be editing the blog and newsletter for the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative (BERC) as their VP Communications.

For now, I am looking forward to having an enjoyable and productive break. It'll be nice to read for pleasure, visit friends in San Francisco, go on more hikes and cook some of the recipes I've bookmarked during the Fall! Oh, and put some serious time into researching and applying for summer internships.

Last weekend Jess G, Dimitry and Pierce formed an ERG team to attempt and master one hell of an emotional and physical challenge - the famous Spartan Beast obstacle course! On a cold pouring-rain Saturday they dove right in (quite literally) and came out as new people on the other side.

Here is Dimitry's account:

5 hours, 13 miles, and 25 obstacles later, we emerged victorious.  It's not every day that we can dine in Hell, but as Spartan Warriors, we got an 8 course meal.  And yes, we could have done better, finished earlier, or climbed harder, but we could not have been more of a team, and that was something to be damn proud of. 

We crossed pools of mud and water, which for some of us came up to our necks.  We leaped over fire, climbed long slippery ropes, crawled under barbed wire for what seemed to be miles.  We even threw spears at imaginary enemies (well, there were targets, but they were dressed up as enemies) and fought off attackers (with foam weapons, but hey, they were vicious!).  All of this was done in 50+ degree weather, in pouring rain, unyielding winds, and on terrain which seemed almost perfectly made for injury.

As ERGies we frequently find ourselves struggling through obstacles together: lending a hand on a problem set, advising on fellowship essays, or providing support in times of self doubt.  The Spartan Race in Sacramento was no different, and our team finished every mile, supporting one another through some of the hardest physical challenges we had ever experienced.

Written by Tanya Dimitrova

Last weekend I went to Point Reyes National Seashore with a group of ERGies. The field trip was organized by John Harte – one of the most charismatic professors in ERG. There was supposed to be an education objective to it – something about bird watching and identification, coastal geomorphology or who-knows-what else. But of course the trip ultimately turned out to be a bonding long walk on the beach, where each of us ended up talking about our fears, formative experiences, aspirations and dreams.

John himself is a real inspiration. Not only is he a wealth of knowledge, but one usually finds uncommon wisdom in his words. You could pick any topic and he will have something to say about it. (Usually something along the lines of “Yes, I wrote a book about this…”) But as humbling as I find talking to him, he himself is a humble person. When I mentioned this to him, he played it down by saying “Whenever you are 73, you will probably have a similar amount of experience!”. (Nice to say, but unlikely!)

After hours of walking and chatting about life, the universe and everything else, I asked him for advice on one of my personal greatest struggles: how do you maintain a positive outlook for our future as a society while facing issues such as climate change, food insecurities, overpopulation and religious conflicts. How can one remain optimistic in the face of a sobering reality while maintaining intellectual integrity.

He sighted and said “Each of us has a moral imperative to keep a positive attitude. What would happen if all people despaired?...” Later on he added, that having a strong and meaningful family support helps “more than any number could express”, nodding towards his wife a few meters down the beach, who is frequently a co-author in his written work.

We went on asking him about which projects he found worth dedicating our time to and what does he regret not having done in his life. He replied (paraphrasing) “Pick a project where you could apply your skills most effectively, something that you feel passionate about. It doesn’t have to be the ‘most important issue’ out there. I used to work in ERG with John Holdren. I focused on ecosystems, biodiversity, macroecology, while he was dedicated to nuclear non-proliferation. From time to time I would feel bad about my chosen field: I could work all I wanted on understanding and protecting biodiversity when in just a single moment a nuclear war could wipe it all off the map! Put in that perspective, my work was meaningless. But then I realized that if we destroyed all of the natural world while focusing on ‘more important’ issues, in the end there wouldn’t be anything left worth living for with or without a nuclear war.”

I am not sure what it is about the sea. But on a beach people inevitably speak with more sincerity and candor than in any other setting. Thank you all for sharing an inspirational day!