My view point of the environment has changed since I have started this class. As a child, I grew up in the wilderness interacting with the environment on a daily basis. To this day I still live in the woods on Nevada County. It was my playground and my get away form real life. I was able to imagine manzanita boshes as forts and where rocks would my telephone to communicate with the outside world. My parents always had me out camping, backpacking, and hiking throughout my entire life. I learned the values of how to care for the environment when I am “visiting” it as my dad would say. However, I never really knew how much our species depends on the earth. My father has always very utilitarian and has been an activist for the environment since I was born but I never seemed to care or listen to what he had to say. He is a person that will be able to sustain himself if the world resources came to an end.
Now when it comes down to my teachers, there were very few and far between that took us outside to interact. Most of them, I think, believe that outside time is for recess. It was not until college that our teacher would say “hey it’s a beautiful day outside. Let’s do class there today.” But still growing up with a father like mine was one of the best things ever. At age 12 I climbed up half Dome in Yosemite Park. That was one of the most amazing sites I’ve ever seen. When my father turned forty he decided to challenge himself by climbing fourteen hundred feet mountains as a hobby. As he still continues today, it’s sad to say that he finds more and litter along the trails that he picks up. A month ago I would have to say that I needed to change my viewpoint but honestly from the beginning of the class my view has alerted 180 degrees. I will no longer walk by a piece of trash on the sidewalk and let it go untouched. I will do as much as I can little by little, due to expenses, to become a greener friendly person. I can only do my part but can also open more people’s eyes to their viewpoint. No one really notices how much they impact our nature. Millions of people through their cigarette butts out the window and don’t even blink an eye. Sadly I was one of them. But one person quitting is a start.
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Kim, I too am happy for you that you have a father that emphasizes the outdoors so much! i think this is a key element to education and growing up in a world like ours. I too went camping with my parents to Yosemite and although i was very young the beautiful scenery stuck in my mind and helped shape my viewpoint today. I think its awesome that you pick up trash along your path, this is very important with the pollution of so many individuals in our culture today and cigarette butts are are huge and key part of that massive amount of polllution!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post, and it is so true that little by little we can make a difference. Like you said with the cigarette butts out the window, one person not doing that can make a difference. It is the little things and changes in your life style that really makes a difference. Even if we had millions of dollars, we could do larger projects and things but I think it is more important to change your live style then to do 1 big project. I think it is awesome that your dad is so environmentally friendly and conscious which I am sure has taught you a lot more than you realize. I am just now really learning and realizing the importance of our earth.
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