I had a really hard time with this assignment because there are many times when i have had a thrilling experience with the natural world. For example just walking to school, my favorite season is fall because of the smell, colors and overall feeling. There are those perfect days when you are outside the temperature feels exactly how you want it to and everything is just making sense. So I feel a connection to the non-human world almost everyday. But there is one particular activity that i think really allows you to appreciate nature at it's finest and that is camping. My family has gone camping since i was a little girl and it is an activity that i still do today on my own. However there is one particular trip that was especially challenging and invasive in terms of experiencing the world around us. A huge group of about 10 of my family members decided to take a 4 day trip camping on the boundary waters in MN. This involved canoeing for 3 miles, hiking for 1 mile and canoeing for another mile before reaching out camp site. The canoeing was tough, the hiking was even more tough and the last mile was bliss. But all of these activity really allowed me to see the natural state of things. When i was resting in the canoe as we floated along I could lay back and look at the sky and everything in it. when we were hiking my uncle would stop us periodically and have us look at little things like beaver homes and certain birds. Also at the camp site my cousins took me to a cliff that we could jump off of into the water. It was an overall amazing experience that really allowed me to see all the advantages of having a natural area. Saving nature is definitely something we should concern ourselves with not only because it is beautiful but because it does a lot to ground an individual. People can get caught up in the busy hustle of everyday life but taking time to sit back and merely look outside can really refresh you. I think at least. However not only from a personal perspective but a survival aspect as well. Frankly we need this earth and all of the natural ecosystems, inhabitants, resources in it to keep going. I think there are hundreds of different perspectives that you could look at it and still find a reason to keep nature healthy and prosperous.

Discussion Question 7

The most enchanting experience I've had with the non-human world occurred during my trip to Machu Picchu two summers ago.  Although Machu Picchu is a remnant of a past human civilization, the Incas, it was still a moving experience in terms of the nature I was surrounded by during my time there.  I was moved by the imposing mountains that surrounded this landmark, which the Incas worshipped as gods. In fact, Machu Picchu means "old mountain," one of two mountains, the other Huayna Picchu, meaning "young mountain," that demarcate the bounds of this ancient settlement. In these mountains and the surrounding nature, the Incas found shapes of pumas, condors, and serpents, their most holy and common animals, and I imagined what this place must have been like when the Incas inhabited it.  I took many pictures of the diverse wildlife still common at Machu Picchu, including lizards, birds, and even wild chinchillas. Llamas roamed free throughout the grounds.  I took a little adventure down the side of one of the hills, enjoying the flora and fauna away from any other tourists visiting the site.  The mountainside was silent and still, and I looked out over the same earth the Incas had seen hundreds of years ago with a sense of awe.  It made me feel very small in the world, and it made the world seem so ancient and powerful.  I thought about how, after the site was abandoned hundreds of years ago, it was swallowed up by the jungle, covered in vines and greenery, its stones and terraces made a part of the earth again.  In short, there has been no experience so moving for me as my visit to Machu Picchu, a trip I recommend to all.

Huayna Picchu

Machu Picchu

The Shape of a Condor Between Two Mountains

Lizard

Llama

Wild Chinchilla

Saving nature is certainly something we should concern ourselves with.  My personal motivation is purely a love of nature.  I would hate to not be able to experience the awe of the majesties provided by the earth.  There are so many gorgeous, tranquil, moving sites I have yet to experience-- the icebergs of Patagonia, tropical rainforests including the Amazon, the Himalayan mountains, etc.  For me, it would be a tragedy for these sites to either disappear or be degraded.  But there are other, more "practical," reasons for preserving nature as well.  We need it to survive.  It provides us with so many resources, so many medical treatments.  It provides the biodiversity in ecosystems that makes this planet unique from all the others that have so far been discovered.  Our climate hangs in a delicate balance, and we need to preserve forests, icebergs, and mountain ice caps to maintain the health of the planet we wish to continue inhabiting.  Conservation, therefore, is a task well worth taking up.

Matthew's Post

The most enchanting experience I've had with the non-human world happened at a church camp that I used to go to. One of the things we did every year was sit alone in the woods and think. To be surrounded by nature, listening to the ocean, was a very unique experience. I felt separate from everybody else in my group, focused on where I was and what was I my general vicinity.

Saving nature is very important. I feel like a lot of the arguments made for preserving forests, for example, are economic. People say we need to preserve them so there will be wood to use in the future. I think differently. I think that ethically, we need to preserve Earth because it is not a planet for humans, it is a planet for all life. When we abuse the planet, we are robbing it and other plants and animals of what is theirs. Preserving nature is important because it is not ours to destroy. Rather than using the natural world, we should experience it an enjoy it.

Ariel's Blog Post

I spent a long time trying to choose the most thrilling, magical, and enchanting encounter I’ve had with the non-human world. I finally decided upon this encounter:

A few years ago, my family decided to go on a cruise to Alaska. Our trip was almost at its close, and my family was excited to have a full day at sea so we could finally sleep in late. However, the ship’s captain came over the loudspeaker at 5 AM, saying that we would enter Tracy Arm Fjord in about an hour. He was alerting us that there is a beautiful glacier there, and that it would be worth all crowding onto the ship’s deck to see it.

Reluctantly, I got dressed and went outside with my family. As we were a large cruise ship, we made a nerve-wracking trip between two mountains. Suddenly, we were in a fairly wide fjord. In front of us was a small island. A naturalist came over the loudspeaker to explain that a man lives on this island, secluded from the rest of the world. He tries to live very simply, making his way into town only twice a year to buy some needed goods. He spends the rest of his time attempting to live in a sustainable manner on this small island.

We continued on, and approached a massive glacier. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. A photograph (although below) truly does not do it justice. The naturalist again came on the loudspeaker to discuss the glacier with us. The land mass on which the glacier was located was a dark brown. However, closer to the glacier, this land mass turned light brown. The naturalist explained that this color difference was a result of the fact that the glacier is melting.

This naturally leads me into a discussion of whether or not we should concern ourselves with “saving nature.” I chose this example in part because it depicts two ends of the spectrum: this secluded, beautiful fjord and our massive cruise ship (complete with an iceberg-crusher built into its bow). This made me question whether or not it is best to be a preservationist. One the one hand, would I care about climate change if I hadn’t seen this glacier? To a certain extent, yes. On the other hand, I would not have a full appreciation of the issue. So I suppose my answer is yes. Of course I want to save nature. On the other hand, I question what exactly that means, and how we can actually empower individuals to do that in a logical manner— or at least without a massive iceberg crusher.

COWRIE

http://www.offshorewindfarms.co.uk/Pages/COWRIE/

This site explains the environmental precautions being taken with a wind farm currently being created off the coast of the United Kingdom, in several locations. The prospect of this farm is exciting to me because it will help to offset the UK's energy needs, but there is of course concern about its other impacts. The wind farm project is being monitored by COWRIE (Collaborative Offshore Windfarm Research into the Environment), taking into consideration migratory bird patterns, natural wildlife, and other environmental concerns, which is very important. I think that such a grand scale endeavor is an important step in the right direction, and that making sure it has the smallest environmental impact is crucial.

Poly face farm - Joanna

Hi Class,

When hearing about this assignment I knew right away that the place that I first wanted to recognize was polyface farm. I first heard about this place while reading Michael Pollans’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma”. This might be a farm that many of you have already heard about because this book is fairly popular, but nonetheless I would like to share it just in case you have not. First of all one really cool thing is that it is so close to us! This farm is located in the Shenandoah valley and what I like so much about it is that is it not just any farm it is a non-industrial sustainable farm! They use every animal not just for food but for their natural abilities. The cows graze in fields on grass and are not pumped with corn and other dead cows. They also clear the pasture for chickens to be able to feed in the same lot. The chickens are not cooped up in crates; they roam the fields and are able to get fresh sprouts. Natural manure is created from pigs and cows and so on. They utilize natural practices and grass fed animals as a big part of their concept. Overall I think that their farming methods are efficient, reliable, healthy and sustainable. That is why I want to take the time to not Polyface farm as my agricultural success story!

http://www.polyfacefarms.com/principles.aspx

Ariel's Blog Post

Last year, I was watching a television special that focused on the topic of interesting homes. One of the “homes” they featured was actually a tight-knit community of individuals living in New Mexico. The homes in which these individuals lived were called “earthships.” To be honest, I do not remember too much specifically about these homes. I remember that the television special discussed that these “earthships” were constructed using recycled materials, especially tires and aluminum cans. In fact, the original idea for these homes came about when the architect was looking for a way to put to use massive amounts of empty aluminum cans. In addition, these “earthships” are both self-sustaining and self-regulating. Two website links related to this topic are provided below. The first discusses seven examples of “Handmade Eco-Friendly Homes,” of which an “earthship” in New Mexico is one example. The second link specifically discusses “earthships.” I am extremely glad that the second website is now so extensive and informative. Last year when I researched the “earthship” after watching the television show mentioned above, there was quite little information online about it.

http://earthfirst.com/7-amazing-handmade-eco-friendly-homes/

http://earthship.com/begin-here