Let's discourse nature

As this semester comes to an end, it’s hard not to look back and reflect on everything I’ve learned both academically, and personally.  I doubt I’m alone when I say that has easily been one of my most interesting semesters to date.  Interestingly enough, it has been one of my favourites.

Throughout this course, I feel as though I’ve come to understand what my definition of nature interpretation is, and where I see myself fitting into the field once I graduate.  By using the knowledge I’ve attained from completing my degree in zoology, and the communication skills I’ve gained in respect to nature interpretation, I hope to be able to aid in the conservation of our earths species in any way I can.  

Even as a child, my parents instilled in me that one of the best things for conservation, is education.  They taught me that if people are unaware that there is a problem at hand, there is very little they can do to rectify the situation.  Unfortunately, there are countless species which are on the brink of extinction and the sad truth is, if a majority of them disappeared, many wouldn’t even notice this disappearance.  In my opinion, a major issue is that the media tends to focus on the species which are the most charismatic.  Pretty much everyone knows that polar bears and rhinos are facing extinction, yet I’m sure only a very limited few know that the blue-throated macaw is on the brink of extinction.  With a population estimated at less than 200, they are the most endangered parrot in the wild.  This is a great shame as blue-throats are such personable birds and in my opinion, they should be getting as much attention as for example, polar bears.   

Pictured above is Olivia, one of the blue-throated macaws I’ve had the pleasure of working with.  Although she wasn’t the biggest fan of me, her mate Neuton grew fairly attached to me as I was one of the few people who didn’t scare him haha.                        

Due to this lack of knowledge, my goal as a nature interpreter is to educate the public and raise awareness that many known and unknown species are facing extinction and that we should be taking the initiative to save them. I say this because most of the species are going extinct due to our actions.  All species are important in some and we should be attempting to save as many as we can and not just the ones that we think are cute.       

One belief that I feel I bring to the table is that much of science is extremely unaccessible to those who do not have a background in science.  What I mean by this, is that almost every scientific paper I’ve had to read has required at the very least, 3 read throughs in order to fully digest it.  I believe that this is largely due to the at times, excessive use of scientific jargon.  In my opinion, scientific articles are seen as the be all end all when it comes to communicating research.  I feel that this is very outdated as there are plenty of methods of communicating information that could appeal to a much broader audience.  The methods I speak of include but are not limited to; infographics, videos, podcasts or even comics!  By using more accessible types of media, is able to be understood by more people which in my eyes, makes them much more valid methods for scientific communication.         

Another course I was in this semester which I felt did an excellent job of instilling this message was ZOO*4910 or, integrative vertebrate biology.  For our final project, we were tasked with presenting one of the scientific papers we studied in class in an untraditional format, which I thought was an incredibly cool assignment.  For my project I decided to present Stoddard et al.’s study, “Wild hummingbirds discriminate nonspectral colors” as a video sketch, which I had a lot of fun making!  I chose to do a video as I felt that using things like, music, pop culture references and comedy would make the material much more interesting and engaging.  To ensure that the information presented was easy to understand, I sent the video to a few of my friends who don’t study one of the sciences.  Thankfully the consensus was that the concepts presented we extremely clear and easily understandable which told me that I had done job well.  If I’m being honest, this was probably the most fun I’ve doing a project in university and it is hand down the one I am most proud of.    

A screenshot from the video capturing the eye sore that was my hummingbird costume.  For anyone interested, the video itself is available at this link!    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adcbJtaqw_M   

Having played live music for a decent amount of time, performing is something that I not only enjoy doing, but I also think I am somewhat good at (could be delusion though).  Because of this, I feel that this sort of performance based education is something I would like to get better at as I feel as though it is the method of interpreting nature that works for me.    

As a zoology major, I feel as though it is my responsibility to use the knowledge I have gained to aid in the conservation of the species that we share our planet with.  This extends to ensuring that the next generation will be able to see and experience the same biological diversity that I had the pleasure of experiencing.  It may be one thing to view nature through the glass of an exhibit at a zoo or on a screen, but it is a completely different thing seeing it first hand in the wild.  For me, I will never forget seeing killer whales in the wild, it honestly felt like I was seeing some sort of mythical creature that was thought not to exist.    

A picture I took of the pod of killer whales I was lucky enough to see out in B.C.

Ethics is a very diverse term that is unique to everyone in different ways (Beck et al. 2018). Personal ethics are moral guidelines that you give yourself that help in situations and making decisions in your personal life (Beck et al. 2018). Often ethical values are shared between people but, the level of importance within your ethics will vary. Some personal ethics I poses in my day to day life includes integrity, respect, empathy, selflessness and honesty (Indeed, 2020). Other types of ethics involve the moral decisions of right and wrong. I myself make decisions based on my ethical and moral views which are developed as I grow as a human being, experiencing different places, cultures and education. In terms of nature interpretation, the type of ethics I developed throughout this course is the moral relationship of human beings to the environment. I value all of natures living and non-living components because they hold true beauty and importance to my life as well as others around me.

I believe every living thing shares an equal intrinsic value despite how powerful one can be over another. What I mean by this is that I morally feel it is wrong for example to destroy ecosystems for urban development or hunt tigers for their fur and/or welcome new products into our lives that had to be tested on multiple animals first. Who is it to say that humans have the rights to make the decisions regarding another living things life? It reminds me of an environmental perspective I have learned about and that is the social construction of nature (Robbins, 2014). Humans for hundreds of years have used natures natural wonders as a way to express social status rather than appreciate nature for all it is (Robbins, 2014). For example, people with weeds all over there lawns were seen as not successful or socially acceptable people because weeds were deemed as “ugly” (Robbins, 2014). Dandelions are a type of weed that humans feel pressured to expel from their lawns but in return we are just damaging the honey bee population (CBC, 2016). Honey bees rely on dandelions because they are the first source of nectar for bees in the early spring (CBC, 2016). Who is to say that humans have the rights to subtract a major food source from an ecological important species just for a socially acceptable status? I believe the answer is that humans don’t have this right and we abuse the privileges nature provides us with.

The type of weeds usually removed from lawns so the lawn looks “prettier”.   https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/solutions/weed-control-turfgrass/

I also believe expressing nature through different art forms is one of the greatest and most ethical ways of doing so. A special place to me where I grew up is my cottage located in Dorset, Ontario. Throughout the town of Dorset, sculptures of beavers, loons and wolves are displayed to express appreciation for these species and acknowledge that they are important in nature. Whenever I walk past these sculptures it makes me think about my encounters with beavers, loons and wolves throughout my life. For example, when I think of beavers, I can tell a story of why beavers were given the status of an emblem of Canada. When I think of wolves, I remember back to when a pair of wolves made shelter under my cottage and I was able to see them come out from underneath and walk back across the frozen lake into the forest. When I think of loons, I think about all the years practicing and mastering a loon call and the cool feeling I got when it triggered a response from them. There is nothing more beautiful then relaxing by the fire on the beach as the sun is setting and the loons are howling back and forth.

Common loon found in freshwater ecosystems.     https://abcbirds.org/bird/common-loon/ 

I also believe privilege plays a role in nature interpretation (Beck et al. 2018).  Being able to grow up and experience the things I listed above is truly a privilege I am forever thankful for. It is to my understanding that some people don’t have the privilege of going outside or having the freedom of seeing a beautiful landscape (Beck et al. 2018). In my most recent adventures, I had the opportunity to travel to Vancouver and go hiking. The accessibility to fly across Canada to another province is a privilege as well that some people may not be able to experience. Hiking and exploring the different ecosystems they have really opened my eyes to how much nature can change even just between a few provinces. Nature flourishes wherever life can grow and be sustained which I think is beautiful.

The ethical responsibilities I have in my day to day life is educating others on why we need to treat nature and the environment as equals to us. Our beautiful environment will not be sustained if we keep negatively impacting it (Wals et al., 2014). That is why environmental education is so important, people can learn about the evolving issues of species loss, ecosystem destruction and climate change in hopes of creating efficient solutions for the future (Wals et al., 2014). If we treat nature and wildlife as an equal to us then maybe we can start to preserve our natural world before it is too late (Wals et al., 2014).

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T., & Knudson, D. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. Urbana, IL: Sagamore – Venture Publishing LLC

CBC News. (2016). Lawn full of dandelions is a good thing, says bee expert. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/dandelions-lawn-bees-1.3526394#:~:text=Julia%20Common%2C%20chief%20beekeeper%20for%20Hives%20for%20Humanity%2C%20a%20group,at%20this%20time%20of%20year.&text=It’s%20pollen%20and%20nectar%2C%22%20Common,Coast%20guest%20host%20Gloria%20Macarenko.

Robbins P., Hintz J., and Moore S. (2014). Environment and Society. Wiley Blackwell, United Kingdom.

Your point about how humans get to make decisions regarding the lives of other living things got me thinking. I think it is part of human desire to own, and nature is not exempted from that. This makes me think about situations like trophy hunting and when developers want to build on land that is home to threatened species. These decisions might seem so easy to people when they see themselves as a separate entity from nature. And that’s why I think that it’s becoming increasingly important for people to become reconnected to nature and I think interpretation can play a very big role in that regard. Thank you for your insightful post!

 References:

Dear Board of Directors,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory and their education program for school-age kids. I understand that there is currently insufficient funding for the program to proceed into the New Year. My intention of this letter is to share my own experiences of this program and highlight the role it plays in nurturing environmental stewardship in kids, in the hopes it may persuade you to re-direct funding back to the program.

This program at the Butterfly Conservatory, guides kids through the centre to learn about the butterflies, make arts and crafts, and spark curiosity about nature. As a kid, I remember participating in guided programs just like this one. I’d look at the butterflies up close, being careful not to scare them away, and watch as their curled-up tongues uncoiled to munch on the fruit plates the staff had put out. Everything about butterflies fascinated me and these programs helped to nurture my curiosity.

I know firsthand how important these programs are because they were extraordinarily influential for me. However, you don’t have to just take my word for it. There are a variety of published articles and studies that explain the importance of such nature interpretation programs. These publications highlight the value these programs add to the education of young kids and their continued appreciation for nature.

An article by van Boeckel (2015) supports that “…such activities help bring about the ignition of the participants’ fascination and curiosity…” (p. 801) and challenges the distance between humans and nature in traditional classrooms. An article by Wals et. al. (2014) states that science and environmental education have become distant, explaining that “…The rise of citizen science (CS) also enables for people to engage with science…in collaboration with scientists working in local contexts” (p. 584). By providing these programs the centre is engaging with the surrounding community in a way that enhances stewardship. Merenlender, et. al. (2015) also supports this idea that environmental stewardship is fueled by knowledge. This studied found that those who engaged with nature interpretation programs had an improved sense of confidence to conserve ecosystems and continue their learning after the program. Considering both of these studies, it stands to reason that targeted programs for young children fosters environmental stewardship and care at an early age.

These programs connect school-age kids to the world around them in a way they experience in school. For me, my trips to the conservatory encouraged my curiosity about the natural world around me. Since my love for nature and butterflies was nurtured, I was encouraged to follow these interests professionally.

I understand that the allocation of funding is a tricky balancing act. However, these programs contribute to kids becoming more caring adults with a greater understanding of nature and their impact on it. I encourage you to visit one of these programs before making your decision. You will see the tremendous impact these kinds of educational experiences have on future generations.

Thank you for your consideration,

Jenine

References:

Merenlender, A.M. et. al. (2015). Evaluating environmental education, citizen science, and stewardship through naturalist programs. Conservation Biology, 30(6), 1255-1265.

van Boeckel, J. (2015). At the heart of art and earth: an exploration of practices in arts-based environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 21(5), 801-802.

Findings also suggest that kids involved in educational programs spent more time outside than those who did not and this goes on to have a domino effect, as the more time they spend outside, the more likely they are to get involved in programs and learn more about the environment. This really goes to show the role of these types of programs in getting kids to connect to nature, especially now that so much time is spent on technology. What led me to become interested in studying the environment was the educational programs I was able to take part in as a child and it’s sad to realize that they are threatened by issues such as funding. All in all, your letter was really great and I enjoyed reading it!

References:

David Suzuki Foundation. (2012). Youth Engagement with Nature and the Outdoors. Retrieved from https://davidsuzuki.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/youth-engagement-nature-outdoors.pdf

The title sounds like the slogan for a new tech company based out of Silicon Valley. Alas, it is not.

I loved this week’s course content particularly because of the assigned TED talk Dr. Amanda assigned, which I will dive into later during this post. Learning about nature interpretation this semester has been a breath of fresh air because I had no prior exposure to this field. Thus, it serves me well to reflect on my experience since reflection allows for greater growth.

I know for certain that nature interpretation can serve a purpose to all age groups. That purpose may be different for different demographics and different scenarios, but it can serve a purpose nonetheless. For example, interpretive messages delivered to youth groups resulted in less littering along trails of Shiloh National Military Park (Vander Stoep and Gramann, 1987). On a completely unrelated note, interpretation has successfully been used for safety by protecting people from bees, bears, bison, and everything in between (Beck et al., 2018). 

Photo of hikers reading interpretive messages on a trail. Nature interpretation can be in various forms (such as this visual sign) and can be used for various purposes. Retrieved from here.

What I still wonder is how technology will impact interpretive industries in the future. I don’t just mean directly, either. Technology has impacted our entire lives in ways that could not have been imagined just 10 years ago. Surely, it will impact everyone involved with nature interpretation, but in what way? We’ve already seen apps that can identify plants, apps that teach you about the different species in the area you’re visiting, and more. What’s next?

Photo of an interpretive phone application that can be used to enhance experiences in nature without a traditional interpreter. Retrieved from here.

I find inspiration whenever I am in the flow state that Dr. Amanda talked about this week in lecture. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described the flow state as being in a state of ecstasy, where you forget your problems and existence. Csikszentmihalyi put into words what I have always felt, but never intellectually explored. I enter the flow state often during my athletic pursuits and university courses. Everything melts away when I’m flying through a downhill trail on my mountain bike while being completely immersed in nature. This brings me inspiration because it demonstrates to me I am capable of much more than I consciously think I am capable of. In terms of nature interpretation, it means I have to be genuine with what I know, what I want to know, and where I’m at. This will help bring me inspiration when I am taking on tasks related to nature interpretation.

I can ignite by setting up my environment to make the flow state a possibility in almost everything I do. Csikszentmihalyi stated that if something is too difficult, it’ll result in anxiety. If something is too easy, it’ll result in boredom. The middle ground is where the magic occurs. I can ignite by doing what’s in my power to achieve that middle ground. In university, this means picking courses I am passionate about at a difficulty level relevant to my skill level. In nature interpretation, this means undertaking a project that is relevant to my skill level. I can follow the rule of “relevant to my skill level” in all my pursuits by being honest with myself about where I currently stand. This will take me to the next level by allowing myself to be engaged on a sincere level.

I’m curious what you think about Csikszentmihalyi’s TED talk on flow that was assigned this week. It certainly had left a lasting impression on me for the reasons stated above. Let me know what you think.

Mo

References

Beck, L., Cable, T., and Knudson, D. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. Urbana, IL: Sagamore – Venture Publishing LLC.

I absolutely loved the first thirty seconds of the podcast, as a participant I felt immediately drawn in by the groovy music, sound effects overlay, and tiktok meme?! The animated tone the hosts conveyed also allowed for an immediate interest in engaging with the content they were about to deliver. 

The first lesson I learned was the danger of road salt to living organisms such as animals and plants. A situational example was posed in which the audience learns that the introduction of salt into freshwater ecosystems impacts the food sources of fish. I also learned that fish are not the only organisms affected by the problem as road salt can also be poisonous to animals we see on land such as squirrels and chipmunks. However we are not just left to ponder on the problem, but we have a solution introduced, beet juice! I know a lot about the nutritional benefits of beets but I had no idea its benefits extended to dealing with snow and ice. Finally, I learned about the impact road salt can have on trees through depleting the vitamins they need to grow, and a second solution of sand is presented as an alternative to road salt in order to prevent slipping in the winter.

                 Image by Rupert Kittinger-Sereinig from Pixabay 

The lessons in the podcast were presented through the use of descriptive words and sound effects to invoke imagery in the various situational descriptions, as well as analogies to relate to the experiences of children such as referring to the freshwater environment as the fish’s home.

I think the method in which the information was presented was very effective in regard to the target audience being children. This is in terms of the humor used, the sound effects, and the casual and friendly mood invoked by the hosts, which I think would positively contribute to keeping children engaged throughout the entirety of the podcast. These techniques used also contributed to the flawless development of information in the podcast while still allowing for breaks, which is great in avoiding overloading the audience with information, but also makes the time fly by. 

                      Image by Irfan RInaldie from Pixabay 

After listening to this I feel motivated to explore and integrate more sound effects and music throughout my next podcast to not only compliment the information being communicated, but also seamlessly transition between different sections.

I think the most amazing thing about nature is its connection to humans. My mood almost always depends on the weather outside. If I wake up and it’s dark and gloomy outside, I can almost never just get out of bed right away. My friends and I always talk about this because they feel the same. I think in general, majority if not all students would agree with me when I say that if it’s dark outside when I wake up, then I am going back to bed. The dark and gloomy days are almost always my least productive days as well. I always feel low on energy, motivation and inspiration on those days. However, when the sun is out then I’m always up and ready to go. The sunny days always go by great for me, and are always my most productive days too. Another example is seasonal depression. Seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a kind of depression that is related to seasonal changes. Seasonal depression has sort of become an ongoing joke amongst students and although we all joke about it, I know the jokes come from a place that understands the depths of the disorder. Obviously not every student is diagnosed with actual seasonal affective disorder, but I know we all at least share similar feelings of sadness that come from the darker and colder days in the winter. The winters are really tough as students, and I can vouch for that. 

I don’t know the exact moment I made the correlation between my mood and the weather because for as long as I can remember I’ve been associating the two. However, I do remember this conversation I had with my grandmother, when I was younger. I got in trouble for running around my grandma’s flowers with my soccer ball and cleats. I tripped and scraped my knees, and while I was crying about my knee, it began pouring rain outside. My grandmother was obviously annoyed about her garden, so she said “look you even made mother nature upset and now she’s crying!” Instantly I felt bad, and so I stopped crying and made a note to be extra careful around my grandma’s garden. The comment to my grandma was nothing other than a trick to get me to stop crying, but to me, it left a hefty mark on my little 6 year old brain. After that moment, any time it would rain, I would wonder why mother nature was sad, and the fact that she was sad made me sad too. As a little delusional 6 year old, I really thought me and mother nature had some kind of bond. Another very vivid memory I have, is of me walking home from the school bus on a half day. I was in the 7th grade, and our school did half days occasionally, so I was walking back from my bus stop and I wasn’t feeling the greatest. The whole day was kind of gloomy and occasionally it would sprinkle rain, so I guess it really impacted my mood too. I made it to my house and no one was answering the door, so I sat on the porch playing on my iPod touch, waiting for my mom to get home. The rain began to pick up so I decided to let myself in through the garage door. I got inside and usually I would turn the TV on, but I was still very sad for some reason and now since it was raining, I just felt the need to cry. I cried for a while and eventually got myself together and was making myself a snack when the phone rang. It was my mom so I picked up and she began apologizing saying she forgot it was a half day, and she had to rush somewhere urgently and she would be home in a few hours. She wasn’t telling me where she was, but I kept asking over and over, so she finally broke and told me that my uncle had just passed away and she was in the hospital. My uncle had been fighting cancer for two years at that point, and it looked like he was winning the battle, up until we got the news of his sudden passing. Suddenly, everything made sense to me, I was sad because somewhere downtown in the hospital my uncle was taking his last breaths, and as always mother nature was crying with me. 

These two memories have been some of my core memories as a child, and I think they dictated my relationship with nature. I’m a lot older now, more wise and definitely not the same little delusional 6 year old, but I still feel like nature is tied to all of our emotions and wellness, just as I thought it was back then. This is what is amazing about nature to me.

References:

Something interesting I learnt recently is that trees make rain, in the sense that they have a large influence on rainfall patterns. Plants actually release microparticles and microbes that enable water to condense and form clouds and about 40% of the precipitation over land comes from evaporation and transpiration by plants (Ellison, 2017). I thought it would be an interesting anecdote to drop in terms of rainfall and rainfall patterns. I definitely agree with you that nature has a strong influence on our emotions and what’s interesting is how you associate your childhood memories to your relationship with nature. One of the chapters in the textbook (I think it might be chapter 6) mentions how our experiences with nature as children really has a strong impact on our perceptions and relationship to it later on life. I really enjoyed reading your post and resonated with it as well, thank you for sharing your experiences.

References:

When I think of arts-based nature interpretation a lot of different things come to mind. So, this unit led me through a string of thoughts. First, I thought of the concepts Beck et. al (2018) explains, such as theatre. I also reflected on “At the heart of art and earth: an exploration of practices in arts-based environmental education”. This article expressed the lack of connection today’s digital society has with real components of nature (van Boeckel, 2015). I also thought about people who have employed artistic methods to share stories of nature with the rest of the world, such as Paul Nicklen and his photography. Paul Nicklen is a Canadian photographer and marine biologist.

I really admire Nicklen’s photography because it centres around sharing information about the changing climate and the nature of regions most people will never visit, such as the Arctic. I think that photography like this allows us to connect with the cumulative impacts of climate change and visualize what’s happening worldwide. Photography allows us to see the Arctic melting, polar bears diminishing, and glaciers breaking. These are things we read about in science reports. However, climate change statistics and research can be really difficult to keep up with. Photography presents this in a more digestible way. We can see the science. It provides an opportunity to connect more deeply with the implications of climate change.

Check out Paul Nicklen’s website here to see what I mean! https://paulnicklen.com/

Next, I started to think about how I interpret nature through art. I can’t say that I often use art to interpret nature, but I do love to take pictures on my travels and share them with people when I get back. This unit has started to get me thinking of this as a small example of arts-based storytelling. I recently shared a photo album with some friends, and I found that all my photos had stories to go along with them. It became a big conversation about the places, people, and landscapes in the photos. It was really fun and made me feel connected to the places in the photos again.

For instance, this photo I took in Reykjavik, Iceland eventually led to a conversation about global food systems! Photography can help spark conversation and lead to all kinds of discussions!

I think visual storytelling is a really great way to connect with different areas and interpret nature in an artistic way. It’s a method of using today’s technology to bring people closer together and form a deeper understanding of the natural world.

References:

Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. Urbana, IL: Sagamore Publishing.

This week’s discussion really had me thinking… Who am I to interpret nature through art and how do I do it? I had never thought of consciously grouping nature and art in the same category before but when I stopped to think about this for a while, I realized something. I have never been an “artsy” person. I was actually the kid who avoided art classes at all costs in high school, but I was also the kid who loved taking pictures. I’d take pictures everywhere I went of everything around me; whether it was photos of my friends in front of a scenic background, me in front of pretty flowers or even just the pretty flowers by themselves. Going back to my original point, the thing I realized is that this in itself is a form of interpreting nature through art because photography is a form of art.

Here is a photo I took this summer of the beautiful sunset while boating on Lake Ontario. 

The textbook helped me wrap my head around this idea because it presented multiple ways in which nature can be interpreted through art. The textbook stated that art can be experienced through music festivals, art museums, nature photography, expressive sculptures and even theatre performances (Beck et al., 2018). This notion was eye opening to me as I had never thought of associating most of those things directly to nature, however now I can link such activities and use them as a tool of nature interpretation in my day to day life. For example, I can now be more aware of the prevalence of nature in media platforms such as TV shows, movies, podcasts and even music videos.

Last weekend while home for thanksgiving, I watched a very thought-provoking documentary by David Attenborough called A Life on Our Planet. Essentially this documentary talked about our history of life on earth and how we are slowly killing our planet, species, and ecosystems or in other words “nature”. The reason I am mentioning this particular documentary is because it had a very specific way of offering a vision for our environments predicted future through nature and various scenic videos. I now realize that this itself is a form of art. The documentary effectively and efficiently connects our generation directly to the current natural world through our television screens, and to me, that is phenomenal. Our textbook expressed that nowadays younger generations have a loss of interest in nature in comparison to previous generations, as a result of a disconnect from the natural world (Beck et al., 2018). That is very unfortunate to hear, but I felt as though this documentary in a small but significant way through art, helps to fill this gap and I’m sure there are lots and lots of other similar films that do the same!

I now realize that we all individually and in our own unique ways interpret nature through art. For me it’s through my passion and desire of capturing every moment and especially the moments with beautiful scenery (my favourite is sunsets). For other people it may be through their music, art museums, etc. These unique ways in which we interpret nature through art help us mold our individual thoughts on nature.

This is a photo of me and my best friend surfing in San Diego, CA in 2019. The scenery was so incredible we had to stop and take a photo! 

Thanks for reading! If you have any documentary suggestions that pertain to the ideas, I shared I’d love to add them to my “to watch” list.

Cheers.

Reference:

I also think like you mentioned, documentaries are a very powerful form of interpretation through art because they make use of many forms of art such as storytelling, music, and imagery to communicate messages. They are able to make us care about places we’ve never been to or animals and plants we might have never heard of before by appealing to our emotions. 

           Take a minute to consider the following three questions! Have you ever thought someone’s front lawn was ugly because it was full of weeds? Does the economy influence our relationship to the environment? Do you ever wonder how the atmosphere is a shared common property amongst every country? These are some questions that will be discussed in this week’s blog!

           There are six different perspectives to define societies relationship to nature. Population and scarcity, social construction, markets and commodities, institutions and “the commons”, political economy and lastly, risk and hazards (Robbins, 2014). Population and scarcity perspective refers to our growing population and the scarce amount of resources nature provides us with.  It’s a belief that the root cause of our environmental challenges is overpopulation, resulting in resource scarcity (Robbins, 2014). How could we manage the resources nature provides us with as our populations increases? We need to preserve these resources and innovate renewable energy sources before it’s too late. The social construction of nature can be viewed in two different ways. One, the construction of our views on nature or two, the process of constructing nature for physical and material uses (Demeritt, 2002).  These views cause a variety of environmental challenges, for example how we preserve our oceans, forests and take advantage of the land we build cities on, without considering long term effects on nature. Could view trees as simply nature, nature being natural living biochemical compounds. Rather we view forests as lumber and for material use. Weeds are known as “ugly” in todays society because a very long time ago it wasn’t socially acceptable to have a lawn with weeds. A nice family would have a nice green lawn full of grass. Who are we to place more value on one thing than another? And take advantage of the natural world.  The third perspective is markets and commodities. This perspective believes the economy controls our environment, where producers and consumers drive the economy (Robbins, 2014). The market price of lumber may rise or fall rapidly without reference to the growing social value we place on healthy forests, or the value of healthy forests to environmental and human health (Robbins, 2014). Furthermore, a market-based solution to benefit the environment is green consumption. If as a consumer we want to make ‘green’ choices then the producers would become more eco-centric. Some food for thought for our future! The fourth perspective called institutions and “the commons” explains how the atmosphere is a shared, common property resource that no one or group owns (Robbins, 2014). Highly developed countries emit the highest rates of greenhouse gases per capita because of industrial development and our high levels of consumption (Robbins, 2014). This perspective suggests, to help the environment the world needs to come together as a one to make a change for the better. For example, coming together as one can help decrease global temperature rise and possibly minimize climate change. One person’s impact on the atmosphere, positive or negative, affects the world. The political economy perspective explains that power relationships produce the environment in which we live and our perception of nature (Robbins, 2014). Higher emitting countries such as Canada, is more likely to purchase things from a lower emitting country (Robbins, 2014). The reality of exporting waste and pollution to developing countries for disposal causes pollution and health effects that developed countries ignore. Lastly, the risk and hazard perspective revolve around how we perceive dangerous situations. Forest fires or a natural event are known as hazards (Robbins, 2014). We make forest fires more hazardous by building houses close to forests or near oceans where tsunamis are commonly occurring. We use risk to assess the probability of a negative outcome (Robbins, 2014). For example, how much pesticides can we use before the risk of cancer increases? The lemon theory is in similar relation to the risk and hazard perspective. Risk is both the probability of occurrence and the magnitude of the outcome (how negative). For example, the failure to complete a risk assessment was why the Timiskaming disaster occurred, resulting in a fatal accident (Hooykaas, 2020). Therefore, as outdoor events occur, if not monitored or assessed, it can lead to a major crisis.

Here is a link to a great video on environmental economy further discussing the above. Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlAfFgKQ5r8 

References

Demeritt D. What is the ‘social construction of nature’? A typology and sympathetic critique. Sage Journals. (December, 2002).

Hooykaas, Amanda. “Nature Interpretation”. Lecture 3, University of Guelph, Guelph ON, September 28, 2020.

“Anyone who believes in indefinite growth of anything physical on a physically finite planet is either a madman or an economist.”- Kenneth Boulding

I think it’s easy to forget that we live in a finite world especially if our relationship with nature is distant. The UN projects the world population to be around 9.7 billion by 2050, and the quality of life of humanity largely depends on the actions we take in the next 30 years (UN, 2019). We are currently using the renewable resources of 1.7 earths, this means that we are using more ecological services and resources than nature can regenerate (Shaffer & Diep, 2020). The global footprint network runs a campaign called Earth Overshoot Day which marks the date that we have used more from nature than our planet can renew in the year. For 2020, this day was August 22nd. 

           Image retrieved from: https://www.footprintnetwork.org/

I think it's also important to remember that when it comes to overpopulation and resource use, although developed countries might have lower birth rates, their rate of consumption of resources and contribution to climate change is higher than developing countries (UN, 2019). Which is why in more developed countries, income plays one of the biggest roles in environmental impact, that is why reducing the amount of consumers and encouraging more sustainable consumption is an effective way of reducing the pressure on resources. However, in taking action to preserve resources, it is also essential to ensure that resources are distributed more equitably.

References:

Shaffer, M., & Diep, A. (2020). Earth Overshoot Day 2020. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://www.overshootday.org/

All throughout our lives were obviously evolving, changing, facing new problems and gathering skills to solve those problems. Every stage of life takes adjusting to, from entering elementary school, through puberty, going to high school and so on. I imagine everyone, much like myself, can look back and remember the awkwardness and uncomfortable adjustments that each of these stages brought. For me some of the biggest adjustment periods that I can remember was going from grade 9 to grade 11. I’m really not sure why but those years were when I truly started being myself and felt changes between my peers happening at different rates. That being said, I think that I really noticed these changes in my final year of high school and entering into university. My grade 12 year was when I started to actually have to try much harder in my classes and really not do well in some. The pressure of doing well combined with the daunting thought that one mis-step could mean that university acceptances would not arrive started to give me anxiety and panic attacks in the middle of class. I had no idea that I was really experiencing them until speaking with my doctor, but this is something that kind of allowed me to realize that I really am growing up and this is some real life stuff. 

Going away to school is supposed to teach you about who you truly are and cause you to grow and become more independent. For me, I was always told I was a mature teenager and young adult, which I definitely felt, but going away to school was still a shock, much more than I realized. Navigating new friendships while missing your friends and people from home, all while dealing with new class environments was nothing close to calming. Overall I know that my first year of university taught me so many things about myself that I wouldn’t have discovered so quickly had I not gone away. 

The stage of life I’m in right now is kind of a complicated one and I’m sure a lot of you can agree. I’m currently 21 years old, fully an adult with some adult responsibilities like minor bill payments and taking care of myself while I’m away at school, all things that don’t bother me at all. I’m conflicted with the feeling that I just want to do whatever I can to accelerate the start of my life. I don’t want to be in school any longer than I want to so the idea of doing a masters just sounds so awful to me, but I know it would be beneficial. I want to live on my own and fully move out of my parents house, but how can I ever afford anything with todays housing prices? It sounds weird but the idea of being a mom excites me to no end, but will I be able to find a stable job soon so that I can have kids young? It’s somewhat of a negative mindset, but I feel like the demand for everyone to get a huge decade long post secondary education is something preventing me from starting my life and actually living. Does anyone else feel this way as well? These are just some things that are constantly in my mind recently as I’m in my final year here at UoG, entering into the stage of life that I feel is so crucial. 

Thanks for reading my random mind dump and rant!