Earth Charter

The Earth charter’s main goal is to have everyone contribute to the earth and make sure the earth will be a great home for people of today and tomorrow. The earth charter states, “To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.” The earth charter looks at the concern with keeping the earth a beautiful place that is somewhere that we can live off the land and have a sustainable lifestyle. There were many factors that could contribute to how our environment is in the future, how sustainable it is, and how well humans can use its resources. Earth charter stated that, “The global environment with its finite resources is a common concern of all peoples.” This brings up the concern that there are non-renewable resources that we are depleting rapidly and if there will be a solution when we finally run out of these resources. I think this is a hard topic and something that will have to be looked at when the problem actually occurs. I think until we run out of a resource and are forced to find a new way we may have some alternate solutions that few will use but will not take off until they need to. The earth charter seems like a good idea on paper but I’m not sure if it could actually be acted out and work as we would like it to. Although if there was a way to ensure all of the ideas of the earth charter are occurring that I think it is a start to helping, protecting, and preserving our environment for people today and tomorrow. Finally, the earth charter stated that, “To realize these aspirations, we must decide to live with a sense of universal responsibility, identifying ourselves with the whole Earth community as well as our local communities.” I like these words to end it with, and feel it sums up their ideas and the human responsibility that should be happening to ensure conservation of the earth.

http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/invent/images/uploads/echarter_english.pdf

Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall talks about the hope she has for the world. She feels that we need to change how we are doing things in order to save the world around us but has much optimism when it comes to protecting all life and restoring habitats for them to live in. She states, “Throughout the pages of this book, we have shared stories of species that, although rescued from the brink of extinction, are still endangered by lack of suitable habitat in the wild.” (Goodall 161). She also fears for the different landscapes around the world because they are rapidly disappearing and need to be maintained in order to survive. Jane spoke of many places that were in despair but found their way out and sees this as hope for the world. Jane told about her journeys to Gombe where she first went for the chimps and ended up working there for the chimps, the habitat, and the people. She saw much despair in a place this this and felt it necessary to help. She brought in education, resources, and more to get the land back to where it needed to be and the people back to a place where they could support themselves. Jane spoke of the importance of women and how, “All around the world, it has been shown that as women’s education improves, family size tends to drop.” (Goodall 171). Overpopulation is an extreme problem in most places in despair once they are able to give the women something to do and an education the population starts to decrease and the community becomes more sustainable. Goodall showed a sense of pride and determination when it comes to the worlds and it was renewing. I think that it is important to look at our communities and see what we can do for them like many people around the world fighting to help plants, animals, and humans alike. There are many things that need to be done to keep this world going and protect not only plants and animals but our selves. “…these keepers of the Planet. To save planet earth, each of us who cares must become involved in protecting and restoring the wild places and the animals and plants that live there” (Goodall 184).

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/10/jane-goodall/quammen-text

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

“The most alarming of all man’s assault upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials.” (Carson 153). Carson writes about how we as humans bring chemicals and products into our environment without thinking about the consequences that these chemicals could on day have not only on the environment and animals but also on humans. Essentially we are trying to control populations that have become rampant because of our own doing and we now want to get rid of them. In trying to get rid of these species or bugs or whatever they may be we do not take into consideration in which the means we take to get rid of them. There are things we could do to first keep these species to a minimum and also things we can do to try and control them without unleashing reckless chemicals that we know little about. In order to try and control these populations to begin with Carson suggests that we go back to the way we used to farm, with multiple crops to a farm. She pointed out that when we have a farm with one crop, bugs or animals that feast on the crop can thrive and multiply much more rapidly. “Man can hardly recognize the devils of his own creation” (Carson 154). Once chemicals are used it is hard to switch back to finding natural ways to solve our problems. Furthermore, not only do chemicals help to get rid of the intended target, but they could also have harmful effects on humans that are not yet known. “Thus the chemical war is never won, and all life is caught in its violent crossfire.” (Carson 155). The environment can work out its problems naturally but humans don’t like to wait for problems to be solved in their own time; we like to get things done on our schedule and effect all the things around us in doing so. Essentially, we decide to plant or work differently causing an adverse effect and then we try to fix the problem that we have caused by something that could in turn keep causing problems. It is like a vicious cycle that is waiting to explode.

http://www.chromatographytoday.com/news/gc-mdgc-gc-ms/32/shimadzu/new_gcms_method_package_for_residual_pesticides_in_foods_released_/18496/ 

What is Biodiversity and Why is it so Important\ by Vandana Shiva

Biodiversity is “a diversity of life- the rich diversity of life forms on our beautiful planet.” (Shiva 38). Biodiversity is how the world is made up, all the different things around us and how they interact and make the world a whole. There are many factors that affect biodiversity and how diverse the world around us stays or diminishes. Shiva wrote about the destruction of biodiversity and how crucial it is to try and preserve it better. There are many things that we as humans changes to become more efficient or to make more money off of it. This is a major contribution to the diminishment of biodiversity. “Biodiversity and cultural diversity hold key to those sustainable alternatives.” (Shiva 39). There are sustainable living techniques that could help preserve and protect the world’s diversity as we know it. Each culture and each unique piece that contributes to the world and its diversity are a part of the circle of life. “…that the Earth is a living system, self-regulating, and self-organizing. Just as our bodies maintain their temperature, the earth’s equilibrium is maintained through ecological processes in which biodiversity plays a central role.” (Shiva 41). Each and every part of each ecosystem have a role in keeping that ecosystem alive. The world is moving more and more towards producing food and goods the most efficient way whether that means the healthiest and best way it not always the case. This means people whose livelihood depends on these markets will be left behind, these people will not have a way to make a living anymore, and they will not be able to survive. The world has lost touch with biodiversity and with what should be done with the earth and people and how they should interact daily. Powerful people want to make the most money they can in the shortest amount of time and do not consider the consequences. This seems to be the downfall of humans, instead of taking and working with what the earth gives us, we have to push it and take advantage of it and push it to the brink of extinction. Shiva has brought out ideas and thoughts on how the world works with the biodiversity around it and how we should change our interactions with it.

http://back2greenjordan.blogspot.com/2011/01/biodiversity-in-middle-east-two-study.html 

A Tale of Two Farms by Jared Diamond

http://sustainableenergysystemz.com/sustainable-living-101/2349/

Diamond compares two dairy farms to the world. There are many societies succeeding every day and there are some that have come and gone. Much like the two dairy farms; one of which is thriving and the other that collapsed. The two farms had many similar factors but those factors just weren’t enough for one of them. Diamond discusses how the environment and ecology have a lot to do with the contributing factors that have to do with the success or failure of a society. For example, “both farms were located in gorgeous natural settings that attracted tourists from afar.” (Diamond 15). On the other hand, “both lay in districts economically marginal for dairying.” (Diamond 16). There were pros and cons to the two farms which can compare to how there are pros and cons in each and every society. No matter, if a society is a third world country or if you are in the United States, each society will have things working for its benefit and things working against the society. Diamond wanted to show us that we should look at history and try and avoid the same mistakes that we have already fell from. “The past offers us a rich database from which we can learn, in order that we may keep on succeeding.” (Diamond 17). We can look at the societies that we would have considered to have fallen and take a look at their pros and cons; once this takes place we should try and run our society so that the cons do not bring us down like the fallen societies. Not only do humans have an effect on societies and the world around us, but the environment also plays a role in how we manage as a society. Diamond talked about ecocide and how he believed that some of the fallen societies’ downfalls were that they didn’t take care of their environment and the land was no longer a place that could sustain living. “Many people fear that ecocide has now come to overshadow nuclear war and emerging as a threat to global civilization.” (Diamond 22). Ecocide is when a society fails because of its overuse or misuse of the land and the environment around us. Basically, it will benefit everyone to look out for our land and environment, because there is potential for land becoming unsustainable if we do not take care of it.

http://mymorzine.com/sustainable-living-in-morzine/?doing_wp_cron=1401734490.9240210056304931640625
 

Plan B

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pavo_cristatus_in_Barbados_Wildlife_Reserve_22.jpg

Plan B chapter 8 is about restoring the earth. The chapter talks about the world and what we as people need to do in order to save and restore our planet. Some of the things that need to be done are:  protecting and restoring forests, planting trees to sequester carbon, conserving and rebuilding soils, regenerating fisheries, and protecting plant and animal diversity. There are many things that are crucial in completing these goals as communities, states, countries, and as a whole world together. First of all, we need to hold each other accountable for what we do to our earth daily and how we plan on taking care of it daily as well. Trees, soil, fish, animals, and more are essential to our quality of life. Without these things we would not be surviving and moving on with our daily lives. There is projects that have been implemented to help restore our world already and need to be kept up with. There are still things that need to be done and put in place to further our betterment of every community. We as people need to realize our impact on the community and take our place and part in the ways that we can help change the environment for us and for the future generations. Forests are important to the environment and to us, they are an important aspect to our ability to breathe. We need to help keep forests alive and well and stop deforestation. Rapid soil erosion threatens to turn many places into deserts, but with efforts to maintain and build up soil this can be stopped. Fisheries are how we raise and get our fish; these need to be regenerated for the benefit of everyone. Plant and animal diversity are not only important but also fascinating. The more diverse and different we can keep the plant and animal communities the better. Every plant and animal has a place in the food chain and no matter how small their part seems without them the whole chain can be disrupted. All in all, we need to focus on what we can do not only on a small daily scale, but also on a large ‘changing the world’ scale.

http://rwandasafariholiday.com/package/photography-wildlife-gorilla-tour-rwanda-9-days/

A Land Remembered

A Land Remembered by Patrick D. Smith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                         http://patricksmithonline.com/RickPowers/

 

Tobias was a strong man who lived off the land and for the land. Tobias loved the natural world and the relationship that he had with it. He believed that the land belonged to man and that if you worked on the land that you owned the land. Tobias related to the land because he was a part of the process of the land feeding and providing for him. Tobias saw the land for what it was a support system for animals and humans and appreciated it for all that it provided for him and his family.

                Tobias feels a sense of place in the outdoors and in the scrubs. Tobias enjoyed his time outside and being able to be a man who tended and used the land. He was comfortable herding cows for a living, once he started that and it was a good way to help him feel proud of himself and his family. Tobias felt was at peace with his lifestyle and enjoyed the life he lived and the morals he had. Nature was a huge part of the MacIveys life especially Tobias’.

                Tobias left a great legacy behind. Tobias was known for how he used and lived from that land and his strong beliefs about the land. Tobias taught his son how to live off the land and helped set his family up for success with the orange groves and the cattle business. Zech had a great role model to look up to and learn from during his childhood. Tobias left behind a legacy that could never be forgotten.

                 I selected Tobias because I thought he was a strong man who set a great example for his family. Tobias was a country man who wanted to make an honest living, support his family, and live a modest lifestyle. I enjoyed Tobias’ values and his perseverance; I want to be able to preserve like he did. I, too, love that we can tend and then take from the land. I would love to be able to one day tend and take from my own land for my families use, I think this idea is so awesome. Tobias remained a strong character throughout the book and I think that this is an important character trait. All in all, Tobias was a great character that inspired me to want to be more like him, just a modern version.

 

Land Ethic Aldo Leopold

Endgame by Michael Grunwald

Grunwald wrote a tale about the struggles highs and lows of setting up a plan to help save and maintain the Everglades. He said, “The greatest enemy of the Everglades, the coalition’s leader declared, was further delay.” (Grunwald 79). It took a long time to come up with and lobby for a plan to be implemented in the Everglades. There were many people who wanted to Everglades to be saved and kept alive for future generations and our environments’ sake. It was time and delay that became an enemy of this idea. It took a long time and many efforts to even get the ball rolling in trying to get a plan set up for the sake of the Everglades. Then a plan emerged from many people and the environmentalists and people rooting for the Everglades decided, “Our feeling was:  This isn’t perfect, but it’s more good than bad.” (Grunwald 87). Many people had many different ideas about what needed to be done with the Everglades; once a plan was proposed about what should be done with the Everglades the people weren’t entirely satisfied or disappointed. There were many ideas and not everything could be included from everyone’s ideas, the people who wanted to save the Everglades decided that this was at least an effort to try and preserve this precious land instead of decided to develop on it. So in the end, “most green groups went along with the deal- some with trepidation, some with enthusiasm.” (Grundwald 91). I believe that this was a hard time for people of all sorts; there were people who wanted to develop, people who wanted to preserve the land, and people that wanted their specific plan to be in act. This was a time of much deliberation and hard decisions on what to do with a piece of land such as the Everglades. As we can see, the Everglades are still here today and there seem to be no plans to take it away or develop on it. Whether or not the land is as full of life as it once was it probably debatably, but there is no doubt there have been efforts to save and keep the Everglades to the wild and interesting place it has always been. In the end, “President Clinton was finally signing the Everglades bill, America’s first effort to restore Graham’s boyhood playground, to re-create the watery wonderland…” (Grunwald 99).

http://www.airphotona.com/image.asp?imageid=7685&catnum=0&catname=All%20Categories&keyword=&country=&state=&pagenum=420

Nature Deficit Disorder Presentation

Everglades National Park 3-minute Tour

The Nature of the Everglades by Marjory Stoneman Douglas

http://www.eosnap.com/image-of-the-day/the-everglades-and-miami-florida-december-24th-2008/

Douglas paints a wonderful picture and idea about the Everglades. The Everglades are mysterious and a place that are like no other place in the world. Douglas wrote, “…the grass and water that is the meaning and the central fact of the Everglades of Florida. It is a river of grass.”(Douglas 104). This quote I feel describes what you see when you look at the Everglades, it’s like a sea and like a forest combined. The Everglades are different than any other natural part of the world they are unique and something that we should appreciate.

http://vanessacastillo.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/miccosukee-tribe-member-john-tiger-tail/

              








  A name almost as new as the word “Everglades,” it means “Big Water.” (Douglas 107). I didn’t know that the Everglades meant big water I think that this is very interesting. The Everglades is truly a big water system full of saw grass that has stood through time. There have been many years and events that the grass in has always stood through time. The rocks in the land are small and like eggs in the sea, they stretch to the bottom and around the bottom of the Everglades. There isn’t anything particularly wonderful about the rocks in this system but they are a part of one of the most unique spots in the world.

http://vanessacastillo.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/miccosukee-tribe-member-john-tiger-tail/ 

                There is so much you can do in the everglades. There is a lot to see, you can airboat, be a part of a new environment and see and smell new things. There Everglades is something that needs to be prized and taken care of and something that we should appreciate especially as Floridians. “If the saw grass here is four thousand years old, many other of these associations may have been here almost as long.” (Douglas 134). There is a lot encompassed in the Everglades and many of it could be a part of history that stretches very far back in to time. There are many species and plant life alive and well in this type of environment there are things unique to this region that we wouldn’t necessarily find in another location.

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/aquatic-species/ 

I think that if you get a chance to see the Everglades you should take in all that you can, participate in air boating, and see all the scenery that you could possible take in. This is a place that you will find no other place like; you have one place to experience something so different from that rest of the world that doesn’t necessarily agree with human life on it, but does support life of many other things. “The mangrove here is at least as old as the Everglades, of which it marks the end.” (Douglas 149). Everglades National Park

The Land Ethic by Aldo Leopold

“This extension of ethics, so far studied only by philosophers, is actually a process in ecological evolution.” (Leopold 58). Leopold discusses how we treat the land and what it means to have a land ethic. There were many things that he talked about that I hadn’t really considered before. For example, we live from the land but do we take the time to ensure its’ safety and that it will be protected for our future. “There is no ethic dealing with man’s relation to the land and to the animals and plants which grow upon it. Land, like Odysseus’ slave-girls, is still property.” (Leopold 59). I liked this quote in particular because it really helps a person see how we treat the world around us. We treat the world like we used to treat slaves, as property. Since we evolved into a different ethic about slaves we no longer treat people like that. Leopold hopes that we can one day come to a different ethic about our land and come to a point where we treat it differently like we did with slaves. “Our formula in such cases is to relegate their conservation to government as refuges, monuments, or parks.” (Leopold 66). Leopold is talking about our “solution” to protecting out land. We don’t decide to protect the land as a whole we decide to take portions of it and set them aside to be protected. “The land ethic as a product of social evolution because nothing so important as an ‘ethic’ is ever written.” (Leopold 77). It is crucial that we as a people come to a point where we decide we want to actively take care of our environment. Once we as a people evolve to new ethics and new understandings we can come to a place to take care of our environment in an active way. We have come to new ethics is regards to many different things, but have been rapidly growing in technology and less of a need for the environment. I think that we will eventually get to a point where we need and want to come up with a new way to treat the world around us. I enjoyed Leopold’s perspective and think if more people got this thought in their head there might be more of a sense of urgency when it came to changing our land ethic.

http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/environment
 

Love it or Lose it: The Coming Biophilia Revolution by David W. Orr

“Biophobia, is increasingly common among people raised with television, Walkman radios attached to their heads, and video games and living amidst shopping malls, freeways, and dense urban or suburban settings where nature is permitted tastefully, as decoration.” (Orr 186). “Biophilia is…’the passionate love of life and all that is alive.” (Orr 187). These two terms are on two opposite extremes of a spectrum. Biophobia is when someone doesn’t like nature and doesn’t want anything to do with it. People who have biophobia can live without the world’s natural beauties; such as lakes, forests, oceans, and more. Some people can often fear nature’s beauties when suffering from this as well. On the other hand, people with biophilia are completely fascinated with the world and all that it entails. These people live and breathe for the world around them and love to be a part of anything that has to do with nature. “Biophobia is not OK for the same reason that misanthropy and sociopathy are not OK. We recognize these as a result of deformed childhoods that create unloving and often violent adults.” (Orr 191). Orr is trying to get across how serious it is to be a person with biophobia, this can be seen equally to being a sociopath or someone who has mental instability. People need to grow up in a house that appreciate and sees the value in the nature and world around us. It is important that we know where our food, oxygen, and most daily things come from. Without nature we would not exist and there is no reason that people should fear or hate the world around them. “The ecological crisis, in short, is about what it means to be human.” (Orr 197). I found this article very interesting; I notice how people are growing farther away from nature and being a part of the natural world. Although, I didn’t expect such hatred from some individuals toward it. I hope there is some way to help these people see that the world is a good thing and if treated right can keep providing us with all that we need to survive. I feel as though I am in the middle of this spectrum that Orr talks about; I love the outdoors and all that we get from the natural world, but I don’t continuously spend time in it.

http://myallpaper.likeandloves.com/?p=554

Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment by Richard Louv

Richard Louv showed and described how nature can really be restorative and help people in many ways. Nature, especially green environments helped many people in particular those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD. Louv described research and parents accounts that showed the effects nature had on children. Many people reported that after being in a green space for a short time they were more relaxed, attentive, stress free, and much more. Children were able to focus better and seemed to be happier when getting time outside and less time cooped inside. One mother accounted that her son was happier and doing better in school since she had bringing him to the park before school. This research is amazing and something that people should really consider. I believe if more people spent more time outside there would be less depression and more positive attitudes. Louv stated, “Subjects reported experiencing a sense of peace and an ability to think more clearly; they also reported that just being in nature was more restorative than the physically challenging activities…” (Louv 5).

Nature has a way of effecting people in a positive manner, some would say to the point that there is no need for ADHD medicine, but just a need for people to get out and experience some green scenery. “…green spaces may enable children to think more clearly and cope more effectively.” (Louv 7). I really enjoyed this article and all the insight it gave me on this topic. I am going to be an elementary teacher and after reading this I definitely want to incorporate more activities to be in green spaces and include some greenery in my classroom setting. My brother has ADHD and I have seen how it affects him especially when it comes to school. I have also noticed that when he is outside he is happier and just loves to spend as much time as he can outdoors. I think that spending time outdoors is something that can make anyone happier and more relaxed, but thought it was interesting that my brother out of all people love the outdoors and how it relates to this research. “To take nature and play away from children may be tantamount to withholding oxygen.” (Louv 11). I really liked this quote from the article and think that the education system really needs to become more aware of the effects of taking play and time outdoors away from children. Today’s society doesn’t value the outdoors and spending time in it as much as it should. “…at some point it becomes more parsimonious to accept the fact that nature does promote healthy child development.”  (Louv 12). All in all, I got a sense of urgency from this article; a sense of urgency towards showing the world how crucial and important it is not only to get children outdoors, but also to get adults spending some time in a green scene.