Douglas Reflection

Mary Knox Merrill / The Christian Science Monitor / Getty

 http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1652000,00.html#ixzz2rvT7Qalf

This weeks’ reading on The Nature of the Everglades delved into one of the many reasons Florida is so popular. Millions of people travel from all over the world just to visit the Everglades to see what it is about. I personally have never thought much of what is out there and how it came about. Douglas put it in perspective and what it seems to me, she really has a true love for this special place.  I found the reading somewhat long, but I was able to grasp the reading because I have actually seen the Everglades and was able to mentally take myself there and not try to imagine what it would be like.

Douglas broke down the description of the Everglades into different parts. She talks about the grass, the water, the rock, the river of time, and life on the rock. She allows one to see how the Everglades came about, where it started and how it would not be complete without all of these things. One quote form Douglas that I found meaningful was, “Where the grass and the water are there is the heart, the current, the meaning of the Everglades” (108).  She makes perfect sense as to what the environment requires to sustain life. There is a purpose as to why things only grow in certain climates, why there are different species and how they are able to survive in such places as the Everglades.  In the chapter The Water, Douglas mentions, “Here the rain water is everything” (112). This is the truest statement that anyone could say in regards to Florida, especially more in the south.  Florida does not experience the seasons as many others do in different States, as Douglas puts it, there are only “two seasons, the wet and the dry” (112). My understanding of the Everglades is that it depends on the water from Lake Okeechobee and rain water is needed to thrive. If there is a drought season, this means majority of the Everglades will dry up, meaning that all life in the Everglades will need to migrate elsewhere. In the last chapter “Life on the Rock”, I was able to put the previous chapters in place. She mentions, “The saw grass in its essential harshness supports little life” (134). This may be a place that many individuals would find uninhabitable, although, it is a place that has been able to survive many changes throughout lifetimes and continues to thrive. She also mentions “Diversity of life lives upon the rock that holds it” (134). This allowed me to understand that the Everglades needs the water, saw grass, lime stone, alligators, birds and trees to survive, and as do these species need the Everglades. They all have a specific purpose. The Everglades is a special place, and has much history in tow. I know that the next time I am driving through the Everglades, I will take a second look out the window and appreciate the scenery.  

Leopold Reflection

 

http://www.tzuchi.org.ph/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=787:environmental-protection&catid=environmental-protection&Itemid=492

The reading form Aldo Leopold, The Land Ethic, explained the very issues that the world is currently experiencing on a more extreme level. Such as, animal species going extinct, more land is being cleared without completion, and land is also being overused agriculturally. I understand that accommodations are required for a growing population, but we need to start thinking outside the box and looking at the whole picture.

Leopold mentions, “There is as yet no ethic dealing with man’s relation to land and to the animals and plants which grow upon it” (59). Because, individuals are not ethically involved with the environment, there is no appreciation for it. This is an undoubted flaw of a human being. It is as if there is no benefit to taking action, why take any at all? Another quote mentioned in the reading states, “The land-relation is still strictly economic, entailing privileges but not obligations” (59). We live everyday wanting to know what is going to make us the next dollar. This is how we view the world around us, and this can include land. When the big boom was on the rise, many people bought land to develop strip malls, or housing, but once everything began to fall, these projects were in a standstill. Majority of these places are not complete to this day and may never be. All of this was only to provide an economic growth for the community (meaning people), not the community as a whole, including animals and trees. Leopold writes that a land ethic can allow one to view roles differently. It changes the role of “Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it” (60). This reminds me of Indians. There was much respect for the land and other species that shared the land with them. They grew what was needed, and hunted what was needed, never taking too much. If we had a land ethic, I believe that many individuals would have more respect of what is around them.

Leopold was onto something when he wrote this in his book. We need to start having a relationship with the land we have. . We need to have “Love, respect and admiration, and high regard for its value” (76). We need do our best to conserve it and hope that in doing so, we can save our land.

Louv Reflection

http://www.yourdictionary.com/environment

The reading on Richard Louv was eye-opening and intriguing. It made me think of people that I have encountered on the few trips I have made out of the country, most of them being in tropical climates. The individuals that live on these islands always have a smile on their face and from my observation, seem happy, although, they are not living in the biggest homes or drive the nicest cars. Could this be the lush environment that surrounds them? I would like to believe that this is true.

            Louv describes an important topic in regards to children who have been diagnosed with ADHD. He mentions that studies have shown an improvement in the behavior of these children once they had been exposed to greener environments. I cannot help but to agree with this concept. This is a great way to either eliminate the older therapies used, such as medication or as mentioned to use this type of therapy in combination. In our current society individuals have goals to try and live “greener” than in past times. Being in nature is a way to grasp this way of life. I personally enjoy being outdoors, and living in Ft. Myers having this access so close is a blessing.

            When reading through this excerpt from Louv, I came across some interesting quotes that may explain why some children do not express much interest in their studies. In the beginning of the reading Louv mentions a statistic “40 percent of American elementary schools either eliminated or considered eliminating recess.” This is very alarming to me, I can remember being in school as a child and waiting anxiously for recess time. It was a time that you could relax, talk to your peers and actually unwind. Why would the school system want to eliminate this? My thought on this idea, is that it will lessen the desire to learn and be able to grasp the many subjects they are being taught. I have learned that in my own personal studies, taking a break in between more than once allows me to grasp the content. Another example is the difference between children now and in past generations, “many children directed their energy and physicality in constructive ways.” Our society has conformed in a technological way, which has made great improvements, but has also made our society very lazy, especially children in the new age. It seems as if they have forgotten what being outside actually feels like. Their concern is more on watching television or communicating via the internet. The teenagers that Louv describes in the final reading moved me. Although some of these teens are dealing with ADHD, some did not have the supporting family at home. In particular the young girl returning to an empty home, “I looked out at the tress and thought of Kake.” This is a perfect example of what nature can instill in us as individuals. She knew the feelings that she felt while there, and tried to bring those feelings back by reminiscing.

            So, can being in nature open our minds? This is a question that we can all answer, we just have to take a step outside and listen to nature.