Green Env't

This blog was origionally meant for an environmental communication class I once had. I'm going to try to do something with this blog later. I will just post whatever I feel like fits or if anyone who comes across might like. Ask box should be open.

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Doing more by making less

One of my environmental priorities is to reduce the amount of waste I make and to help others do the same. I want to do this for several reasons, for sustainability, for the environment (make it nicer), and conservation. Primarily I am focusing on a reduction of plastic use and reuse of products.

According to National Geographic (https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/07/plastic-produced-recycling-waste-ocean-trash-debris-environment/) only around 9% of plastic produced is recycled. This is due to not only a lack of people but its due to the lack of facilities to recycle certain types of plastics, and contamination of plastics that keep places from recycling many plastics. On average 138 million metric tons of plastic is produced per year. We have used more and more plastic affecting this average as it has been growing since 1950. We have known of the harm these plastics cause to the environment, to animals and even to other people. Plastics take centuries to degrade as they are not biodegradable. Fish and other marine animals are often the most commonly referred to when we talk about animals suffering for our waste. Many if not all of us know that plastic ends up in our oceans and that many of the animals would get stuck in plastic or will try to eat plastic and end up choking to death. Sea turtles, more in particular the leatherback sea turtle, are known to eat jellyfish as an essential part of their diet. When plastic bags (which are not recyclable under normal means since they clog up the machines, forcing the recycle process slow down to unclog machines) are disposed of they will often get picked up by the wind and be carried off to an unknown location, most of the time stopping once they reach water. In the water, they look somewhat like jellyfish so are then eaten by sea turtles only to kill them.

 I am looking into ways to recycle, upcycle, or Terracycling (https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/) some of my waste. For my larger containers, I can use them for storage of things that need to be kept fresh since many are fairly airtight (such as storage of tea, art supplies, or even upcycling them into pots for plants or a home garden. As for plastic bags, so far, the best idea I have come across is to upcycle the bags into yarn-like product to use in projects such as making sleeping mats, new bags, or even a hammock. You can find how to do this by looking up “plarn” or “reusing plastic bags”. However, you are still left with scraps of plastic that you are not able to use or put in the recycle bin at home. I am unsure of if these scraps are able to be reclaimed/recycled through those plastic bag deposit bin s many of us might see in grocery stores.

Another solution I have started doing is buying in bulk using a reusable bag (for things like granola or trail mix instead of excessively large plastic bags. Now, this is still a grey area in my opinion as on average a canvas, or fabric bag takes a lot more energy to make. To make up the difference per use compared to plastic bags, the reusable bag needs to be used around 170 times before balancing out [https://www.opb.org/news/blog/ecotrope/reusable-bags-only-superior-to-plastic-if-you-reuse-them-a-lot/]. If we shop once every 3 weeks and we always use the reusable bags it can take around 10 and a half years to make the 170-use mark. If anyone has massive amounts of plastic bags in our house, I say we should make plarn then knit a new bag instead as long as it does not use over 170 bags to make.

Hopefully, within a year I can at least reduce my plastic waste by 20% and overall waste by half. I want to do this mostly because I want to help protect our environment. I know to make an impact I will need to keep at it for a long time (around 5 years), but I am willing and excited about making the change, living healthier, and helping protect the animals we live along side.

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Sound of silence

I spent some time outside earlier in the week for about around 20 minutes. I spent that time walking around some of the more forested and green areas of campus. At first, I only saw trees and grass but near a small spot with a bench that look towards the street and my dorm building I saw a squirrel. I tried to take a picture realizing that there were 2 rock squirrels and not just one. I didn’t have a camera, so I tried to use my phone to get the photo, but I ended up scaring them off by mistake. I walked too close. There wasn’t much else around me, trees, grass, road, birds, and a couple of flowering plants. Yellow flowers (tulips, I think), looked like they were in a good place to grow, flowers were a vibrant yellow, leaves a smooth green. Couldn’t smell them because I am suffering through allergies of pollen. A little farther down the walk, I began to walk further into the forested or wooded area by my building, the area began to feel a little further from people, even though I could still hear the cars on the street down the hill. It was relaxing to feel somewhat isolated from other people, no stress from homework, no upcoming tests, no classes, no loud noises. I found a spot I might come back to later to set up a hammock, I got one over Christmas and I haven’t had a chance to set it up yet. After a little time I went back to my room since I had a lot of work to do, but it felt nice to reset after being stressed for so long.

After reading some of the stories from An Unspoken Hunger by Terry Tempest Williams, I came to realize something. A lot of people have an experience with nature, having a moment that ties them to part of Earth. Whether this is from having an experience that they hold dear when outside, someone close to them, or someone they admire, they have stories. I guess I should write a story of my own.

A few years back I was out on a camping trip with some people from a church group (Chi Alpha). We spent 3 days and two night out by Lake Mary with little access to electricity (some people charged devices in their cars and someone brought a solar powered Bluetooth speaker) and less access to internet. On the first night, a lot of the guys went out to the lake and it was one of the most surreal things I have seen. The moon was bright enough to make a reflection on the water, we could hear the elk or maybe deer. No one could see them as they were too far off. The whole area around the lake felt isolated, and untouched by people, even knowing the area had many camp spots and there was a highway in sight at the far end of the lake. I loved it. If there is anything I think a person should experience it is something like this, the feeling of absolute wilderness, being away from any sense of human civilization, and the beautiful quiet music of nature.

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Hungry Like A Wolf

Throughout history, animals have taken a critical role in myths, folklore, and even into modern children's stories. The animals are often given a human-like persona, almost like they are people in costumes like Bearenstien Bears, Bugs Bunny, etc. But while the animals are given human characteristics, they keep some of the more “animalistic” characteristics. Because of this, we have come to associate an animal with some more human characteristics (Stubborn as a mule or wise as an owl are a few examples). According to Corbett in Communicating Nature they say “Today, animals remain a fundamental part of our emotional lives and everyday existence” (p 179). The tie between animals and human characteristics has made these animals into basically a form of symbolism in stories. Wolves have become dark, conniving, and even evil. The coyote appears to be a hungry, and mischievous trickster, and the owl is often a wise guide who will know about just about anything. These ideas and anthropomorphized animals have managed to survive onto today even under the limitations and beliefs of what humans believe to be a good thing, somewhat affecting the idea of wild and tame animals. People have come to think of lions as these large ferocious animals, but when they see these animals in the zoo, they are somewhat tame from being around people so much, but they are incredibly dangerous in the wild and people will not often realize this and will get hurt or worse. For example there was recently a woman who ignored the ropes around the jaguar exhibit at the Phoenix zoo to get a selfie, only for the animal to latch onto her arm and lacerate it enough for paramedics to be called and get stitches and possibly a visit to the hospital (https://www.azfamily.com/news/woman-attacked-by-jaguar-at-wildlife-world-zoo/article_9a5b36fc-42db-11e9-9890-e793d68f03e9.html). Now she did later admit that the incident was her fault, but this is not the first time someone thinks animals are tamer than they really are. There are people who will believe that the way they see an animal in real life for the first time is the way every animal of the species is in real life. People have had 8 general values towards animals or views of them (Humanistic, naturalistic, Moralistic, Utilitarian, Naturalistic, Ecologic, Dominionistic, and Scientific). I, myself, have taken each of these approaches to look at animals in different situations. Sometimes I’ll look at a dog or cat (or another pet) in Humanistic and/or Dominionistic along with Scientific (I want to be a veterinarian in the future). Each of these has a part in the way people treat animals and what they value in the existence of the animals. This is seen in the difference between larger animals and smaller animals (normally invertebrates). I am guilty of this train of thought as well- some people will often have a larger preference towards larger domesticated animals (Dogs or horses) over bugs or pests (rats or cockroaches) (Corbett 193). This is one of the main points of animal rights activists (Is one animals life worth more than another – ours? ). I do not think that every animal has more worth than another, every animal should live a good life, however, I will still believe that some animals have an acceptable purpose for people (cows, pigs, sheep being meat and cats/dogs being companions) this is not to say that any animal cannot be a companion/pet but there are some that are more harmful to keep as a pet than others (For the animal or “owner)

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The environment of Media

Most of how we as a society choose the products we use or the info we find are found through the media (News channels or advertisements). Advertisements are one of the main sources of media that we use to find products, feel the impulse to buy, and how to buy the products. Throughout the day we are actually only exposed to a small portion of the advertisements aired through, radios, internet, and the television. To get us to buy something a company might often decide to use the environment in some way shape or form. Corbett, The author of Communication Nature, stated that there were four primary ways that advertisements or companies use the environment for marketing. A company is likely to use the environment as a backdrop for advertisements (Allergy medicine commercials), To “brag” about how a product or service is good for the environment ( “green” paper towels that use recycled paper), by portraying the company as in support of the environment (“we support this message”), or through a advocacy campaign. I think that as these methods are good for those who are wanting to do better in terms of their carbon footprint, making less waste or by being a smart consumer, these methods do have their drawbacks. An advertisement can inadvertently come across as better for the environment then it actually is. This means that is something says is made from reused recycled products (paper, cardboard, metal, etc. ) it is not normally stated where these recycled products come from, or how much waste is made converting the recycled stuff into the final product.

Another issue is where and what news we receive throughout our day. A lot of the news we see/ hear is what the news center wants to get out, what they believe to be newsworthy, and what they think will keep our hold the longest. This affects what news we are able to access, and what info we can get. This issue is can be influenced by even companies when they want to appear to be good or better. If a news center (Channel, newspaper, or some other news network) is benefited by a company they may portray the company in a better light by embellishing on facts or by omitting others. I don’t really enjoy this thought especially as it can influence what citizens think is good for the environment, ignoring scientific facts. This can be seen with Global warming or for climate change. A newsroom might not release information or findings that would harm a benefactor or even have any mention on the topic. Just look at news channels and you might see this. I don’t often use news channels to get my news, if it is something that I might not see in the newspaper, I would take a look online and see if I can find something with minimal bias in the writing. This can be difficult as there are many biased, and false news sites on the internet, and many people often just turn to the first site to appear and not look for multiple, credible sources. Please try to not take something at its looks.

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What is Nature and Why Tourism

In our lives we see “nature” as any environment that is not affected by people, or anywhere that has plant and animals dominating an area. Nature is able to be seen even in small places if people are willing to broaden their definition of “nature”, it can be seen in parks, small ponds, or in around towns. Our time in nature has also been altered by companies attempting to commercialize on how we spend our free time. According to Corbett, companies are able to make massive amounts of profit by having people believe that they are more likely to have a more successful and enjoyable time if they do an outdoors activity that requires them to spend a lot of money on material goods. Sometimes people will work more at a job they don’t like so that they can spend more money and time on their leisure time activities. These people will be likely to do some more intensive outdoors activities, like timing themselves on a hike, trail running or mountain biking. Cities and towns may turn to tourism to bring people to their city/town to increase the capital of an area by offering people the opportunity to see nature as they would not normally see back where they are originally from or buy offering something they wouldn’t get back home. Tourism can become a problem for residents or people in the city. Tourist can and will often leave places a mess or leave trash around the area.

With tourism or any form of large business that offers a desired service that cant be found in another place, such as Disney Land/World, Waterparks, or even large events such as State Fairs, I find that people believe that They don’t need to worry about what they do as long as they have fun. I have seen that this results in a large amount of trash laying around on the ground or left behind outside of trash cans and a lot of pollution. If the tourism occurs near homes, this can often drastically increase the property value in the area. As this is good for businesses and some people, for others (more for the lower-income and middle-class households) this can cause them to suffer from increased mortgages and even more traffic in day to day life. Also, this can heavily influence as what we see as nature. Most people will be more likely to go to a forest or nation park to see nature than they would to go to a park that might be right around the corner for them, which is not only closer by but almost always free for people to use and play at. I think that we need to start seeing the environment as having more nature than we originally think is there, and being more willing to just step outside and enjoy nature around us more than to spend massive amounts of money just to go see another environment or to take part in activities that take up a majority of our leisure time.

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Newest and greatest

We have so many things that we enjoy in our lives: new clothes, new cars, new electronics. As a society, we have started to buy things more and more often, to have the most advanced and the most desired product. According to Communicating Nature by Julia B. Corbett: in the USA, the population is a mere 5% of what is on earth, but we consume around 20% of the world's resources and 25% of the world energy. We want the newest and best which makes us need to buy them even while the current item (the clothes, phones, computers, etc.) are still in good condition or are basically new from such little use. This need to buy has generated a “buyosphere” according to the author of I Want That!. This means that we are in a cycle of sorts where we try to reduce our costs while keeping our profits and enjoyability. The video “Electronics” on the website storyofstuff.org goes over how this has come about. In our current trend of advancing technology, our processors in our electronics become twice as powerful every 18 months or so. Having something so much more advance makes people feel like their technology begins to feel slower, or obsolete when they compare it to the newest version. The companies who know of this trend will cut costs to make their product in the form of the destruction of the environment and/or the health of their employees. These products become more and more fragile and less and less durable. This makes our products “designed for the dump” as the video stated it. These products, even when recycled end up contaminating the environment (a places drinking water, the air of where the products are burned, and even the soil where the waste seems to still remain). The products are broken into for the valuable materials and the rest is thrown away.

We need to find a way to reduce the effects of our purchases and what we sell. One way according to the video is to make our electronics modular, so we can replace a single piece instead of needing to throw away the entire piece of technology or to have the producer buy back broken pieces to reduce the waste and properly dispose of the product they designed and sell. Even if we do these things, technology will continue to grow more and more advanced, and people will continue to want to buy the newest and most advanced. We can fight this, even in a minor degree, if our products are made more durable, and produce less waste by being recycled where ever possible. I have had the same computer for 8 years and phone for around 3 years. They still work pretty well but do see times where they act up or don’t work the way that they are supposed to. I do think that I need an upgrade, but mostly because these devices are growing obsolete and wear out to the point where they do not perform the way that is expected of them. I say we need to look for more environmentally friendly options in developing technology and more ways to not destroy our planet.

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Less waste is more

For the last week I have been trying to see how much waste I make and how I can reduce it.

Day 1: Trash made: Tin foil from a burrito                                   1x box of cheez-its                                    3x wrappers from cookies (Chips-ahoy 2x and Oreos 1x)                                   1x box of instant oatmeal and 2x packs of oatmeal             Thoughts of experiment: So far not much trash has been made, and since the largest pieces of trash (Boxes) is recyclable, there seems to be even less trash. The wrappers from the cookies include the outside wrapper and the paper support from inside the wrapper.

Day 2: Trash made: 1x square of paper towel                                  3x wrappers of mixed fruit fruit snacks                                  1x foam cup used for coffee                                  1x soda can from ginger ale              Thoughts of experiment: I should probably hold onto my trash to help me realize how much trash I make, what trash I have made in the day and how much space the trash takes up. I haven't made much trash in the last two days but maybe because I haven't been going to many places that produce trash

Day 3: Trash made: 1X tea bag + 1x paper wrapper from bag                                  1x wrapper from a Gatorade                                   1x Styrofoam container from 1 dozen eggs                                  1x packaging for mechanical pencils (paper mate 0.7mm                                           sharp writer pack of 6)             Thoughts of experiment: I have been keeping the trash through out the day in the cheez-it box from earlier (I had it in the recycle bin at the time). Still not much trash - I am able to fit the trash in my hand when crushed together.

Day 4: Trash made: 1x pudding cup                                  1x Paper towel                                  1x Wrapper from Chips-ahoy cookies                                  1x backing to scotch tape                                  1x box from a personal pan pizza from pizza hut                                  1x Pepsi cup from Sodexo             Thoughts of experiment: The trash from the day could all be put inside of the pudding cup . Again not much trash in the experiment has been made so far and all collected trash has been able to fit inside of the chees-it box. I am beginning to see how much trash I make as the cheez-it box is getting fairly full maybe with enough room for one more day. Instead of using paper towels I have used a hand towel that I can wash later.

Day 5: Trash made:1x bag from bagels                                 1x teabag with the paper wrapper                                 1x container from microwave macaroni and cheese                                 1x Pepsi cup from Sodexo                                 1x wrapper from a 6 inch subway sandwich              Thoughts of experiment: Trash can no longer fit in the cheez-it box and a paper towel was used to clean up some spilt egg and excessive grease from breakfast (I made a bagel sandwich with a sausage patty, eggs and cheese.

Day 6: Trash made: 1x regular bowl from Flame Broiler                                  1x plastic fork                                   ^^^ I forgot to hold on to these pieces of trash^^^                                  1x wrapper for Chips-ahoy cookies                                  1x wrapper from fruit snacks                                  1x paper box from an elastic bandage                                  1x cardboard support for a thermal undershirt and the paper                                       packaging                                  1x gum wrapper from a stick of gum and the packaging                                             (Packaging thrown away by roommate who I shared the                                       gum with)                                  1x 3/4 sheet paper used to print a picture that took up                                                 around 1/6-1/4 of the page             Thoughts of experiment: This obviously does not seem to be much trash                                                     but as I now look at the amount of trash from                                                         the last 4 days, I am beginning to see that the                                                       amount of trash I make could accumulate to a                                                       substantial amount over an extended span of                                                         time. In order to reduce the amount of waste I                                                       make I will be buying more in bulk, using more                                                       of my own reusable containers. 

Day 7: Trash made: 1x paper wrapper for wood chopsticks                                  2x wood chopsticks                                  1x plastic bowl from Sodexo                                  ^^^ Forgot to keep as I was in the union and did as I would                                          normally do after I finish eating in the union^^^^^^^^^^                                   1x wrapper from fruit snacks             Thoughts of experiment: I have made quite a bit of trash and have been                                                       able to place all of the recyclable waste into the                                                     cheez-it and the non-recyclable trash was able                                                        to be fit in the bag from the bagels.

Thoughts of the experiment: This experiment as helped me understand how                                                      much trash I make over time and in which ways I                                                  can produce less waste. I am going to try to eat                                                      more foods with less waste, such as those a                                                          person can by in bulk. Less pre-packaged foods                                                    will produce less waste and will likely be healthier                                                  option then canned or premade food.

^^^ The trash collected from the experiment ^^^ 

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Our nature is ours to keep

In my life I gind that I am closer to being closer in ideal to being a preservationist over any other ideal. I think that people need to protect the environment for the sake of having nature to admire and that we shouldn’t have the right to destroy our planet. I understand that there are animals that can devastate a landscape if they are allowed to run wild or unchecked. This can be fixed by introduction of animals or through hunting. In the idea of hunting, I'm against the hunting or harming of animals that are in danger of being lost as a species, but in favor of hunting animals if they are capable of permanently damaging the area but only to the point of keeping them in check. I think we also need to be more conservative of our resources in order not to eliminate our resources for future use.

In my life I always admired and loved being out doors, under the trees. I grew up in the Pheonix,Az area and there were not many green leafy plants in the area and when there were it just made me feel more comfortable. I understand that the desert is nature, but I didn’t have much of a chance to explore the wilderness as the neighborhood was very rural and would be end to end with houses basically. Seeing birds and lizards as a kid also made me feel a little more in touch with nature. I remember seeing small geckos, small little brown birds, crows, pigeons, and a few other urban wildlife. In my grandparents yard there was grass to run on, trees to climb, and even was fruit to eat-they had a orange tree, a lemon tree, and a plum tree. I couldn’t go out much since I had bad asthma and was allergic to pollen, but I still liked being outside.

In high school , I started to get more I interested about taking care of animals and the environment. I would read books about the world and the environment issues they face, and think of ways to live better while still having nature to love. I would take time to go outside on a good day when I could and just relax in the sun. I would spring at the chance to go to a zoo, or the aquarium.

I grew up as a Christian , and commonly among Christians we see our world as a gift that is given to us so we need to take care of it lest we want to lose it. I see it to be the same way, we need to care for the environment because it is not truly ours for the taking, it is given to us. I don’t I intentionally do things that would hurt the environment- even though I slip up from time to time-, I’ll pick up trash as I see it and try to recycle when I can (using less waste). I want to take care of the environment so that others can as well.

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Do we really care for our environment?

When it comes to looking at the environment there is a unique spectrum of where we find ourselves as humans on a possible hierarchy. At one end of the spectrum, there is the anthropocentric viewpoint. For this point of view, a person thinks that “humans are superior to and dominate the rest of creation, and the natural world is ranked hierarchically with humans at the top” (Corbett 27). At the other end of the spectrum is ecocentrism where we no longer see a hierarchy. At this point of view, we see “a nonhierarchical mix of interdependent relationships or a web of all life” (Corbett 27). Throughout the spectrum, we find other ideas of how we can see our environment and how we use it.  These ideas range from having unlimited access and use to everything on the planet to giving every living thing “rights”. Some people can also see themselves as preservationists, maintaining the state of the environment, or conservationists, keeping the environment safe from harm. Some people have opted to move towards solar power to reduce their carbon footprint and this idea is becoming popular in Arizona. “In Arizona, a similar trend might be emerging. There, the state's largest electric provider is attempting to charge fees to consumers who install solar panels on their homes. Who's leading the fight in favor of solar power? None other than Barry Goldwater Jr., whose name, Shulman points out, "is practically synonymous with conservatism in America.’” (Abrams Salon.com). Another problem in our environment is plastics. Micro-plastics have been found in cheaper products even in our food and drinks. When people use these plastics – even if we recycle – it will sometimes end up just being burned. Everywhere across the life of a plastic bottle, people are negatively affected, become ill, destroying clean air, and even causing cancer. In a TED Talk, Van Jones talked about how we as people are out of disposable items and we need to take care of our planet and not just our own immediate environment.

In my opinion, I see myself as possible a preservationist according to the definition of preservationism. I would like for the environment to be in a maintained state and to be better-taken care of - but I also think humans should wisely use the resources from the environment- so that we will not lose or permanently damage our planet (more than it has been). I’m all for people moving to solar power. As long as it doesn’t make an area a solar oven from there being too many solar panels. And when it comes to helping clean our world, it becomes a political issue. Anyone can take care of their immediate environment, but when taking care of our world we need to take a look at our imports. In America, if we were to use and demand fewer plastics, we might be able to push other countries into using fewer plastics and producing less waste. This is difficult because humans are lazy when it comes to our actions. Many people want to ban plastic bags from shopping centers and grocery stores, while others want the opposite. They think that it is more convenient to have everything in a plastic bag and to just throw them away when they are done using them then it is to bring a bag from home or to recycle a plastic bag. These plastic bags become landfill and waste and pollution. To help clean up our world we need to start with our own actions and purchases. We should not think of ourselves above nature and above our consequences.

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How do we come to look at our surroundings?

Blog #1

In the first chapter of Communicating Nature: How We Create and Understand Environmental Messages by Julia B Corbett, the author goes over how we come to think about our environment. In summary, the people around us are capable of influencing our thoughts and beliefs of the environment. When we are kids, we look at our environment and learn each piece of our areas by first hand experience and we begin to develop our ideas of the environment and what the definition of environment includes. Another way to develop our ideas is through indirect experiences of the natural world, not influenced by people. This means that people need a natural an “wild” environment to grow in to develop a sense of responsibility for their environment. An indirect experience can also help people grow to care for the environment. These kinds of experiences “involve physical contact with nature but in more restricted, programmed, and managed contexts” (Corbett 15). Indirect experiences include trips to any place that displays or educated others with live animals like zoos or aquariums, and even owning a pet. The third and final kind or experience is a vicarious or symbolic experience; where a child views a place through representations such as television, literature, or movies (Corbett 16).

Another thing that can influence and shape the thoughts and beliefs of our environment is our “sense of place”. This is where we feel at home, a place where a person feels safe and free to forget their troubles or to find themselves. People will often develop a strong attachment to these places and will let these places influence their personalities. For example, a person who lives in a city might find camping out to be too quiet at the same time someone from the country side might find camping more enjoyable and relaxing. These places allow for a person to develop more self-confidence when they need it, security when they are scared or even a place of peace when things become too overwhelming.

According to the chapter of the reading in the section titled “Historical and cultural context” how the people older than us can influence the environment and our environment. Before Cristopher Columbus came, the Native Americans lived by taking care of the land and not just taking the resources without thought as the Europeans did. During the colonization of America, a lot of people took advantage of the resources and many animals also became endangered or extinct by the people – commonly the Europeans – who hunted them for food or furs.

After reading this chapter I found that I was agreeing with a lot of what the author was talking about. Children need time outside to come to enjoy and care for it. Even if the time they spend is at the zoo or the park or even just walking around the neighborhood, this time outside is important in developing their thoughts and beliefs on the environment. As a child I would often read about the jungles and forests that are around the world, they always seemed to fascinate me. As I grew older, I found that I wanted more and more to visit these places and to take care of the animals there. I would always jump at the chance to go see animals and I still find myself – as a 20-year-old adult – stopping while on my way to class to look at a bird or squirrel or deer. It seems as though the author was saying that the people around us and how much time we spend looking at nature positively can influence how we see our surroundings. 

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