Karen Vanek

Mission:

The Resiliency Institute is transforming the suburbs into resilient permaculture communities rich in social capital. Resilient communities are prepared for economic, social and environmental change. They communicate and thrive through robust and reliable human, environmental, and community systems. What makes them resilient and reliable is the myriad of resources that are intentionally designed into the communities based upon permaculture principals of care for people, care for the earth, and fair share.

We have chosen to focus on the suburbs because they are the “edge zone” between the urban and rural environments. In permaculture the “edge zone” is the area where two ecosystems connect and is the most biologically diverse and productive. With more than half of the U.S. population living in the suburbs and an abundance of land, the suburbs have the potential to become productive self-sustaining communities rich in social capital, with economic and environmental resilience able to fortify neighboring urban and rural communities (http://www.theresiliencyinstitute.net/about/).

I learned about all aspects of organic produce including sowing seeds, transplanting seedlings, watering, weeding, harvesting, washing, storing and packing. Additionally, I gained marketing experience by recruiting new CSA members at trade shows and selling our produce at Chicago farmer's markets. One of my most unique experiences at King's Hill Farm was establishing a 3-acre food forest early in the growing season that thrived even throughout the record drought! I also learned about means to cultivate, harvest and preserve shiitake mushrooms grown on Ironwood logs. Additional responsibilities included feeding the pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks and installing portable solar electric fencing. Our crew rotated preparing lunch, and I especially enjoyed the challenge of inventing nutritious dishes from ingredients fresh-picked off the farm! Along with farming, a mixture of hard work, cooperation, economics, ecology and animal husbandry skills were had during this internship which gave me a deeper appreciation for the energy it takes to create organic foods.

I worked in Geoffrey Greene's lab purifying and crystallizing cytosolic protein/ligand complexes for the Ben May Department for Cancer Research at the University of Chicago.

My responsibilities included gathering data from newly established fire management research plots for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Over the course of six months, my team surveyed several hundred acres of landscape in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa using Fire Effects Monitoring and Inventory Protocol (FIREMON). I catalogued more than 93 plant species from North Dakota grasslands, coniferous, and deciduous forests. This contribution of data impacts the application of prescribed burns in land management regimes to re-naturalize degraded rangelands.

This position developed my skills in establishing and maintained trusting relationships with clients through caring for their beloved pets. My work took me through many of the neighborhoods throughout Chicago where I had the pleasure of meeting many colorful personalities (both man and beast) and experiencing the diverse households that comprise this fine city. I took great care in tailoring my work around the particular needs of every pet. I appreciated the deep level of trust and confidence that each client had in me to take care of their pet(s) and their homes while they were away.

•Engaged in customer service, office management, organization and property advertising
•Developed computer and communication skills