Remember the Good Ol' Days Outside Hewing?!

Here's a picture from November to remind us of the great times spent outdoors before snow came along this winter! Nice hard work and great smiles, ladies!

Politics

Politics. Its the word that everyone tells you to steer clear of if you’re looking to have a nice conversation. It’s the problem that never seems to have a solution. Politics will most likely never be an easy subject that everyone agrees on. Andy Kroll discusses his political opinions in his article “Politics For The People.” His opinions are valid, and most of his arguments would be supported by the “99%,” it is just how to reach those solutions that cause disagreement.

Tonight was the last of the political debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. The twitter feed was buzzing as everyone voiced their opinions. Some comments were full of concern and worry for the nation, while others had tuned in for the first time and wanted to join in on the excitement. Reading these tweets can be intriguing, exciting, startling and concerning. In the past politics never seemed to grab my attention as it has for this election. I miss the deadline to vote by four months, which makes it incredibly hard to watch these debates and form opinions that don’t matter in the long run because I won’t have a voice in this election. Sometimes I wonder how much of a voice anyone has in these elections. Wall Street and big corporate companies invest millions of dollars into these candidates, who have no choice but to be biased towards these companies if they want the funding to continue. Kroll says that “A politics for the people reconnects elected officials with the citizens they govern. It eliminates the all-consuming need to woo donors, the sprint from one fundraiser to the next, and instead demands that politicians worry first and foremost about what their constituents need and believe.” Does this describe the government we have right now? No. So instead we Americans are forced to deal with what we have, and choose the candidate who we think will do the least amount of damage.

This year over half of my courses focus on the current environmental issues that our country and world are facing. In this current political race one would think that this would be a hot topic. Yet the twitter feeds were filled with the “#climatesilence” because for the first time since 1984 the topic of climate change was completely ignored in all the political debates. If neither candidate is fighting for climate change that what can I expect for my future.  As I spend time working on my project for this class I am made aware of the startling realities that this country faces in regards to environmental concerns, and while part of the requirement for this project is to share what we learn with our local communities, that is something I would feel compelled to do anyways. The world should be made aware of environmental problems just as much as they are with warfare, and the hot-topic of abortion. So while not being able to vote makes me feel hopeless, the fact that environmental change isn’t a main concern for either candidate makes feel completely powerless and worried for the future of our country.

Gasland

I’ve found Gasland to be an informative and very interesting movie so far. Last week in my APES class we watched a movie on Mountaintop mining and coal removal. Between these two videos I feel as though natural gases/fuel/energy is truly the only safe way to go.  I think that this guys idea is great and his intentions are good. He is not worried about the response of the industry because his priority is to save his land, health and community from enduring what many are already dealing with. I was surprised to learn that the hydraulic fracking is occurring in Colorado since I consider it a “green” state. I have applied to two colleges in Colorado because of the “green” status but after watching this documentary I have been inspired to research the location of the fracking systems and if I would be affected. In addition I have an aunt who lives in Colorado with her family, her kids are constantly sick so I want to show her this movie and see if she is aware of the fracking and if she is near any sites.

Though I have complete sympathy for those suffering with health problems due to the privileges that these fracking companies have been given, the thing that concerns me is that these people sold their land to these companies with at least some idea of what would be happening. This isn’t to say that any of these people have brought unjust living conditions upon themselves, but I am curious how aware they were of what would happen to their land and why they would sell it to these companies in the first place? Were they given the wrong impression when they sold? Were they forced to sell? I imagine there are many possible ways that these fracking companies acquired the land but I have yet to hear anyone mention it.

As I mentioned before I hope that this video is as awakening to others as it was to me. I strongly recommend people to view the video on mountain mining as well because so many people are not aware of where their energy/electricity comes from and the sacrifice that comes with it. With two classes centered around environmental change, problems and sustainability I can’t help but feel that I need to do my part in making sure that as a town, a state, a country and as a world do our part to preserve the earth to the best of our ability rather than tearing it apart and destroying lives in the process.

"Compassion"

Compassion


I believe that one of the greatest problems we face on our world today is a lack of sympathy, empathy and personal connections. Many people today are desensitized and there is a disconnect between the impacts of one's decision on another person. Compassion by Marc Bekoff is one of my favorite readings in The Thirty Year Plan. I have heard before how elephants have human-like qualities of compassion towards others in their herd. They mourn deaths of other elephants and help those that are crippled. Many people think animals have no sense of emotion; although, it seems to me that elephants are more emotional and compassionate than us. I feel that the world would be an entirely different place if people made decisions based on how it would affect others and had compassion for not only other human beings, but all living objects. From people with different ethnicities to the environment, humanity needs to act with more compassion. As Bekoff states, acting with “empathy and sympathy, will help us cross the boundaries we have created.” We must change our mindset to one with a more sensitive, global outlook. It is heard many times that technology has lead to “desensitizing” people. People communicate through computer screens, with no physical or even face to face contact. It can be hard to feel sympathy for someone or something you have never seen or met before, although it is a crucial part of communication. We must step out from behind technology to face our problems. Personal relations and contact will help us to form compassion for one another. “Compassion will help us overcome our alienation from nature.” The example of the elephants shows us that humans need to step back from technology and learn from animals and nature. Sympathy for things on earth will help many of the problems we face today. “As we heal animal and ecosystems, we will increasingly find that we are also healing ourselves.”

"Senior English Elective"

Senior English Elective

I must say, initially signing up for my senior English class, I didn't not envision myself chopping trees down in the woods everyday. English has always been a subject I do not enjoy or do not look forward to. Although, this class has changed my perception of the department entirely. Even though it isn't a tradition English course, it is my ideal class. After reading Last Child In The Woods, this summer for environmental club, I am even more aware of the lack of time spent in the outdoors by all people, especially youth. I am happiest when I am outside and being active, so I am very glad I get to experience this with 15 other kids for almost an hour a day. From an environmental aspect, the class incorporates so many interesting and necessary topics for the future. I am so happy we have a very holistic, innovative approach to the class because I completely believe that we will be better off in the future having a foundation about a wide variety of topics that we will be facing in our lifetime. This year, English has easily switched from one of my least favorite classes, to one favorites. All thanks to Thoreau (and Jay.)

A Journal Entry

I read a section of the Thirty Year Plan called, Compassion by Marc Bekoff.  This section starts out by describing a situation in which a disabled elephant was cared for by her friends, instead of just abandoning her.  I think that as humans, we have lost our touch of compassion.  It seems like with the advancement of technology, our ability to stay in touch with our feelings, personalities, and judgment of what is right has diminished.  We have become so dependent on technology that we are no longer focused on helping others, having face to face relationships with others, or caring for others.  This section also talks about how our impact on the environment has been so great partly due to the fact that we have lost compassion.  We are so focused on ourselves and our ability to survive and live the most advanced lives, that not only have we lost compassion for others, but we have lost compassion for animals and the environment.  We are a little bit selfish to just invade their habitats to better lives for ourselves.  We are the most powerful species on the Earth, and to take advantage of all of the other living things is unfair.  It is as if we believe that we can survive without anything else.  This is completely false, though.  In ecology class, we learned that the balance and functionality of the Earth depends on everything and everyone.  If one species is in excess or there are too few of a specific species, the balance of the whole Earth is affected.  We need to realize that we are not the only living things on Earth, but if we continue in the way that we are, then we will be the only living things on Earth.  And in that case, we will not be able to survive because, as I said before, we depend (more than we realize), on other species in order to live.  We are driving the planet to extinction.   

Journal Entry

  As expressed by Gustave Speth; our country is wonderful and full of energy.

     Today, was raw and wet, the curious leaves were crisp in the autumn fresh air.  As I gripped on the axe,  I attempted to break the log in half.  This attempt was good yet not facile without my classmates' help and guidance.  They were all energized and excited to chop away!

     The beautiful nature around me had a voice of its own, whether the wind was blowing or raindrops dwindling down from the heavens above.
  
     My skin looks as cracked as a crocodile's and I am numb from the cold air that makes me shiver as my teeth chatter just as a clock ticks when there is silence in a single room.