While some students pack their suitcases for relaxing spring break vacations on the coasts, others are getting ready to put their hands in the dirt.
Alternative spring breaks are different from typical spring break vacations because they usually involve volunteering or community building versus the more traditional beach vacation.
A group of 12 CU students will be going to Catalonia Island off the coast of California during spring break to address environmental conservation awareness issues said Lindsey Zemler, a 22-year-old senior English major and site leader for the trip.
“We’re going to work on projects that will help with the conservation they do daily,” Zemler said. “We’re going to help them rebuild fences, help them take care of their native plants, and help them paint their airport.”
The group will be in the Catalonia Island for eight days working with another community to understand their local environment, and hopefully gain perspective on their own environment, Zemler said.
“They have a very unique ecosystem on Catalonia Island and we’re going to into this to hopefully learn about something that is very new and different from our own community,” Zemler said.
A big part of the trip is to see how another community works within their environment. Learning different techniques to handle environmental issues and sharing across communities is something they hope to achieve, Zemler said.
“I think that this whole sense of immersion into something we’re not accustomed to and being aware of this creates a time of reflection for how we handle things in our own community,” Zemler said.
The trip is also an alcohol and substance-free trip. Zemler said she thinks this gives the students a chance to bond at a different level.
Hope Sword, a 22-year-old senior sociology major, said she went to South Dakota in 2008 with the student group Conscious Alliance. Sword said the trip allowed her to see the faces she had been fundraising for.
“We got to do really indigenous things with the Lakota tribe,” Sword said.
Alternative spring breaks give students a chance to be introduced to things they normally wouldn’t be exposed to, said Erin Schey, a co-facilitator for the Lyons Permaculture Design course.
The Lyons Permaculture Design Course is another spring break alternative some students are choosing to participate in.
The course is being offered in Lyons, Colo. at the organic farm, The Lyons Farmette. The Lyons Farmette has an environmental sustainability education center, according to the Permaculture Design Course Web site.
The course, which runs from May 19 to April 3, includes nine days of morning, afternoon and evening activities, Schey said.
Participants will attend some lectures but mostly get a hands-on experience working in the dirt, sharing organic meals and learning about sustainability, Schey said.
“For people who want to be hiking or outdoors this is a great spring break option,” Schey said.
The Permaculture Design Course is about communities and how they interact. And how to use technology in more efficient ways, without destroying natural resources, Schey said.
“It’s a skill set that I think everyone should have as we face things like oil and climate change and economic collapse,” Schey said.
Those who complete the entire course will graduate and become permaculture-certified, Schey said.
Not all students will be looking for permaculture certification this spring break. Students going the more traditional route for spring break say they are hoping to relax and visit family.
“I’m driving home to L.A. and then road tripping to Santa Barbara with a friend,” said Adam Ciesielski, a 21-year-old junior economics major.
Ciesielski said he built houses in the Bahamas for spring break in 2008, but is looking forward to hanging out with friends and family this year.
“I miss the ocean,” Ciesielski said.
Mexico is usually a popular spot for college students looking to relax over spring break, but safety concerns are keeping some students out of the country this time around.
“I would never go to Mexico; it is so dangerous right now,” said Giulia Volini, a 22-year-old senior sociology major.
However, not all students are phased. Some are still planning on a getaway to the country.
Justin Ashar, a 23-year-old senior geology major, said he is planning a cheap getaway to Mexico at a mansion his friend is renting out.
“I’m stressed out in school and just want to hang out on the beach and drink a beer,” Ashar said.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Erica Lindberg at Erica.lindberg@colorado.edu.
