Since I’m at home this weekend, I decided to take advantage of the kitchen tools I don’t have in
my dorm and make smoothies! This morning, I took a chance and made a green smoothie. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it’s basically a smoothie with spinach in it. I know it sounds gross, (especially in the morning) but I promise, you can’t taste the spinach and it’s delicious. Here’s what I put in my smoothie:
Chocolate Protein Green Smoothie
1 frozen banana
1 handful baby spinach
1 strawberry-banana Chobani
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
It was so good and protein-packed! It’s also great that I got some veggies into my diet bright and early in the morning.
My nerdy self also loves being at home because I get the chance to read The Washington Post over breakfast. My dad was reading an interesting story and said, “You should blog about this!” So, here I am. The story actually goes along with my “green” theme for the morning.
The story, “Battle at Virginia Tech pits forest v. football” is in regard to the potential plans to build a new football practice facility in Stadium Woods. Stadium Woods is the area right behind Lane Stadium. Building the new practice facility would require destroying about 140 of the trees (a quarter of the forest). Forestry professor John R. Seiler took a corkscrew to the trees this past winter to see just how old and valuable the great white oaks are. His findings are astonishing. Seiler discovered that the trees are older than the United States, and were possibly alive during the founding of Jamestown. Seiler said that these types of trees used to cover the United States; but the white oaks in Stadium Woods could be the oldest ones in the eastern United States.
Let’s take a look at the opposing side of this story. We all well know Hokie football is a huge part of life at Virginia Tech. Come fall, we live and breathe maroon and orange along with the entire town of Blacksburg. Naturally, the large Hokie fanbase brings in tons of revenue for the school (almost $40 million last year alone). The benefits to building the almost $20 million practice facility are obvious; modernized and top-quality practice facilities and equipment are essential to a team’s success. I was also unaware that many ACC teams are persuading top high school recruits through their practice facilities and fields. The new facility offers an opportunity to better Hokie football.
Here’s the problem. Stadium Woods holds incredibly valuable trees; Seiler found a Confederate engineer’s map dating back to 1864 that had drawings including the great white oaks. Aside from their historical significance, Army ROTC also utilizes the woods to train the cadets in “conceal and cover” tactics. Of course, fellow runners can agree that the running trails through Stadium Woods are a great alternative to Huckleberry Trail. Opponents to building the new stadium offered other locations, such as the nearby tennis courts on Washington Street or parking lots of similar size. If the facility could be built in an area that wouldn’t be destroying an area of such historical significance, why not build the facility there?
The urban planning committee will discuss the plans with Virginia Tech President Charles Steger, and a true scientific aging of the trees will be released on June 1. I wouldn’t say I’m some crazy environmentalist; but I’m all for beautiful scenery, and I think the existence of Stadium Woods contributes to the natural beauty around Lane Stadium. For now, I suppose we all must take sides (and I think we all know which side I’ll be taking).