Earth Charter

"The protection of Earth's vitality, diversity, and beauty is a sacred trust." (Earth Charter, Preamble, Earth Our Home)

Our Beautiful Home : SOURCE

Earth's biodiversity is what helps to support all different ecosystems and environments.  Our planet is full of rich environments, amazing animals, and perfect scenery. However it is also full of overpopulated countries, polluted water, and endangered species. Earth's vitality, diversity, and beauty is a sacred trust and is in our hands. As a population, we must chose to make a step in the right direction. We can make small conscious decisions which can lead to bigger change. All it takes is one spark to start a fire. 

"Transmit to future generations values, traditions, and institutions that support the long-term flourishing of Earth's human and ecological communities." (Earth Charter, Principles I 4b)

Children Learning in Nature : SOURCE

I felt drawn to this quote because I can easily make a connection to this class, the earth charter, and my major. University Colloquium transmits to it's students values and traditions which can support the long term flourishing of earth's human and ecological communities by giving them a sense of place in the environment. As a Secondary Education major I could instill these same values to my students which will help support future generations and sustain the environment. 

"Integrate into formal education and life-long learning the knowledge, values, and skills needed for a sustainable way of life." ( Earth Charter, Principles IV 14)

FGCU Campus SOURCE

When I first read this quote I thought of the University Colloquium course goals, "The University Colloquium is an interdisciplinary environmental education course designed to explore the concept of sustainability as it relates to a variety of considerations and forces in the environment." University Colloquium instills the values of biophilia in its students. It brings students together from every field of study for the same reason: to demonstrate a practical understanding of sustainability, sense of place, and ecological literacy. I feel that the Colloquium course goals relate to the earth charter in many ways. They both show us that our planet and it's resources are a gift and it is our responsibility to take care of it and preserve it for future generations. I feel special to be a part of a university that gives its students the gift of lifelong knowledge and appreciation of the environment.

 

Goodall- Healing Earth's Scars & Why Save Endangered Species

Healing Earth's Scars

"Tropical and old-growth forests, woodlands and wetlands, prairies and grasslands, moorlands and deserts -- all landscapes -- are disappearing at a terrifying rate" (Goodall, Hudson, Maynard 161).

Natural Florida Landscape Source

Although all of these traits are not aspects of the natural Florida environment, I immediately thought of a Land Remembered. The MacIveys experienced life in many of these ecosystems including woodlands, wetlands, prairies, and grasslands. As Goodall (161) stated, " all landscapes -- are disappearing at a terrifying rate". Just as the MacIvey's relationship with the land changed, so is ours. The land is disappearing because we are exploiting it for commercial use. No one chooses to look into the future to see the long term effects of conservation or sustainability because people want instant gratification and money; in turn our planet suffers.

"My four reasons for hope, about which I have written and spoken extensively, are simple -- naive perhaps, but they work for me: our quite extraordinary intellect, the resilience of nature, the energy and commitment of informed young people who are empowered to act, and the indomitable human spirit"(Goodall, Hudson, Maynard 161).

Young Jane Goodall Source

I found this quote to be touching! Ive always admired Goodall for her primatology work, and reading this excerpt I was really inspired, which is exactly what she wanted to do. I feel like this Colloquium class fulfills the meaning of this statement, " Commitment of informed young people who are empowered to act". Before taking this class I was naive to the condition the environment is in . I did not know what effects my habits had on the environment, and more importantly I didn't care because I wasn't informed.  If you think about that on a large scale, I'm sure there's a lot of people like me in other universities, or even in their carers that are oblivious to the fact that our planet is dying. If more people become informed and empowered to act we can use talents and intelligence from various fields and studies, like Colloquium class, to change the world!

  

Why Save Endangered Species?

“If we allow extinctions to happen through ignorance or greed, then with the loss of each endangered species and unique population, our world becomes less diverse and strikingly less beautiful and mysterious”(Goodall, Hudson, Maynard 181).

Endangered Species Source

Saving an endangered species means protecting biodiversity. Saving these species from becoming extinct and protecting their natural habitats is vital for our health and the health of future generations. When I think of endangered species, I automatically think of animals, however this applies to so much more! Plants and animals are vital  to the health of our environment. As species are lost so is biodiversity. The impacts of biodiversity are huge. Imagine if mangroves were endangered and then later went extinct. In Florida, we would be more vulnerable to natural disasters. Many animals that depend on this tree would start to die out. Loss of biodiversity and extinction of plants and animals would also cause greater effects of global warming.  

Carson- A Fable for Tomorrow & the Obligation to Endure

“No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it themselves.” (Carson 151) 

A Fable for Tomorrow By Alexis Rockman Source

 A Fable for Tomorrow, was a short read that I really enjoyed. I really liked how Carson creates this fable to prove a point. Even though this is a work of fantasy, it represents the path we are on and the suffering we will face if we don’t act quick. We are so infatuated with money and business that we are exploiting the land. We can’t see the consequences that the future holds because we always want instant gratification.  Carson paints a vivid picture of what the world will be like if we continue to live like this. 

“The most alarming of all man’s assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal material.” (Carson 153)

Polluted Los Angeles River Source

Carson continues to say that this damage is irrecoverable. With the population continuously growing, we are adding more and more waste to landfills, using large amounts of nonrenewable resources, and polluting the air and water we need to live. This brings me back to one of Orr’s readings. Even if a specific person, group, state, or country works hard to preserve or conserve the planet, there will still be free loaders who are breathing the air, or using the water that these individuals have fought to protect. 

"Can anyone believe it is possible to lay down such a barrage of poisons on the surface of the earth without making unfit for all life? They should not be called "insecticides," but "biocides"(Carson, 155)

Pesticide Sprayers on a Farm Source

Here Carson is referring to the sprays, dusts, and aerosols, which are now applied universally to most farms, gardens, forests, and homes. These are extremely powerful, but selective chemicals, which have the power to kill every insect, but still let the crops thrive. These chemicals also destroy the good pests. If these insecticides, for example, harmed a bee population, then crops couldn’t get pollinated and therefor people would not have food. This is how insecticides turn into biocides.

 

Shiva- Biodiversity

"Biodiversity is the very fabric of life." (Shiva, 38) 

Biodiversity is life Source

This is an expressive way to start the passage. It is very intense – but true. In this simple statement, Shiva explains the importance and meaning of biodiversity. From this, I understand that biodiversity is extremely important in today’s world, just as it was in the past. Humans have interrupted the natural processes of the world, which has lead to additional problems, and in turn we end up destroying more of the environment to compensate for. Many creatures that once lived on this planet are now extinct because of our careless nature. One thing humans need to do is coexist with animals instead of destroying them and their habitats.  Without biodiversity, ecosystems would collapse. Biodiversity increases ecosystem productivity where every organism matters. Shiva (43) also says, “The smallest microbe plays a critical role in maintaining the ecological processes that create the conditions of life for all species, including, of course, our own." Every organism has an essential role in the ecosystem. The extinction of one species often leads to others. We need to be aware of our choices towards the environment.

“Humankind is one among millions of other species. It does not have a right to push other species to extinction, or to manipulate them for greed, profit and power without concern for their well being.” (Shiva 40)

Dr. Galdikas With an Orangutan: Source

 This is such a powerful statement and it evokes an emotional response in me. As humans we have the intelligence, the power, and the resources to protect animals and the environment. Unlike the Native Americans, who think of animals as their brothers and sisters, we like to manipulate them for greed, profit, and power, without a concern for the creature’s well being. I am very drawn to this quote because I believe in animal rights. Among many others, I believe that palm oil plantations are a major evil and are driving orangutan populations to extinction. The orangutan’s forest home is being destroyed and transformed into palm oil plantations on a substantial scale. Greedy businessmen and plantation workers are destroying the orangutan’s home. Poaching and pet trade of these beautiful animals is becoming more widespread. Forest fires are purposely set to clear land, however by doing so many of these animals are killed. Mothers are separated from their young only to await the same fate. The film “Born to be Wild” first showed me the evils of Palm oil plantations. I fell in love with Dr Birute Mary Galdikas and her passion for these creatures. As a result, Ive tried to cut out sources of palm oil whenever I see it, in hopes not to support this killing of my favorite animals, but its harder than it sounds. Restating Shiva’s quote, I wish that people would stop pushing species to extinction, or manipulating them for greed, profit and power without concern for their well being.

Here's a link to products that contain palm oil: Palm Oil Shopping Guide

“The lesson from biodiversity is co-operation, not competition. It is that the big depends on the small, and cannot survive by exterminating the small.” (Shiva 44)

Biodiversity Source

It’s essential that we learn how to coexist with all creatures on the planet, no matter how small. For example, earthworms and various other decomposers, we may think that they are useless or pests, however they are the base of the food pyramid. If they suddenly disappeared the plants would suffer and in turn, so would the primary producers and so on.

Diamond - A Tale of Two Farms

“The past offers us a rich database from which we can learn, in order that we may keep on succeeding (Diamond 17).”

Lion King Source

I really like this quote. As individuals or as a society we know that history often repeats itself. I think we can learn from the earth’s past and be able to take a look into our future. Many civilizations in the past that had been exposed to overpopulation and had to create new ways to deal with more people to feed and more places to live which caused the destruction of habits. Many of these past civilizations collapsed, and the ones who understood the importance of nature, and working with the planet instead of exploiting it, are still around today. If we don’t take action fast to change our attitudes about conservation, protection, and stewardship, we’ll have a dark future.

“Suspicion of unintended ecological suicide – ecocide- has been confirmed by discoveries made in recent decades…..” (Diamond 20) 

Ecocide Source

I found this to be very interesting. I’ve been to ancient Aztec ruins and marveled at the beauty of it, just how Diamond describes people often do. It’s crazy to think about how there was an entire civilization living there and then it collapsed. Ecocide is an interesting idea that civilizations are inadvertently destroying their environmental resources. As a civilization, its clear that we do not mean to destroy these resources, however we are trying to support a rapidly growing population. We are trying to find ways to create a better place for future generations, but it seems that we are doing the opposite, which leads me into my next quote. 

“The processes through which past societies have undermined themselves by damaging their environments fall into eight categories…deforestation and habitat destruction, soil problems…., water management problems, overhunting, overfishing, effects of introduced species on native species, human population growth, and increased per-capita impact of people.” (Diamond 21)

Future Earth in Ruins Source

These eight processes are just as relevant today as they were centuries ago, which ties this together with my first quote. I feel that many of these processes go hand in hand. For example, if population is booming more food will need to be produced which can lead to overhunting and overfishing. Higher populations mean that more people will need a place to live, which can destroy forests and natural habitats. All of these new people will need clean water to drink, and as a result water management problems can arise. If we don’t do something soon then our civilization will collapsed just as all others before us.

Brown - Plan B 4.0 ch 1-3 & 10

"If we cannot get the brakes on population growth, we may not be able to eradicate hunger. (Brown 5)"

End World Hunger: Source

Population is booming!  All over the world, people are trying to find new ways to accommodate this rapid growth. As the text stated, the issue is the location of this population growth. The majority of population growth is happening in areas that already have too many people living there, and has low or depleting water & food supplies. This mass of people living in one spot causes resources to deplete because we are using them quicker than the earth can replace them. Advances in medicine and lack of birth control in poor countries also contribute to population growth. 

Here is a link to an interactive world population map!  

“With each passing year the chorus of urgency from the 

 scientific community intensifies. Each new report indicates that we are running out of time.” (Brown 38)

We are running out of time Source

I strongly agree with this statement. Each year new studies come out and result in depleting resources and a dying planet. Plan B speaks about how dangerous climate change actually. It highlights what we are doing wrong and possible outcomes to fix it. In present day, I feel like people always want to see immediate results and that it is hard to focus on the bigger picture. As with all good things, restoring nature and our planet takes time – a lot of it! Many people are concerned with technology and exploiting the environment for their own profit. Technology plays such a big role in our daily lives. Why can’t we use it to better the environment instead of ignoring it? 

"Ever since civilization began each generation has left the next a planet similar to the one it inherited. Our generation may be the first to abandon that tradition. (Brown 55)"

Example of a destroyed forest Source

I also strongly agree with this statement. In previous generations, like in A Land Remembered, people only took what they needed from the land like the first generation MacIveys. But by the time it got to Sol, the third generation, the land was exploited. Early civilizations and settlers did not have the need to take extra from the land. They took only what they needed to survive. In recent times, people are always concerned about a profit rather than preservation or conservation. People don’t realize the consequences of their actions until its too late.

“The choice will be made by our generation, but it will affect life on earth for all generations to come.” (Brown 268)

Wall-E can change the world! Source

This is such a powerful quote. It made me realize that the choices we make towards the environment today will not only affect local areas, but the state, country, even the world. Our generation is cleaning up a mess made by previous generations and the next generation will have to clean up ours. This will never end.  Change can start with just one small thing. Anyone can help create a brighter future. 

The video below is from the movie Wall-E's end credits. It shows future humans rebuilding the earth from one plant! Everyone can make a difference. 

 

Patrick Smith - A Land Remembered

A Land Remembered: Focus on Solomon MacIvey

 

A Land Remembered

The novel A Land Remembered, is full of incredible characters. A Land Remembered focuses on three generations of the MacIvey family who migrated to Florida during the 19^th century. At first there are many struggles that the family has to deal with. They soon adapt to live off the land and start a cattle & citrus business. The character that I thought went through a transformation in the novel was Solomon MacIvey.  

Solomon MacIvey, or Sol, is a third generation MacIvey, who likes to call himself “the least of the MacIveys”. He was born into the cattle business and taught by his father Zech and his grandfather Tobias. After his father dies he decides to leave the wilderness for a new life. This new life was a miserable one because he soon became power hungry, selfish, and obsessed with big business. He uses some of his father’s land to start a business. At first he is saddened by the real estate boom and buildings popping up on either side of his family’s land, however he couldn’t resist the temptation of a profit and soon gave into real estate and created the MacIvey Real Estate and Development Company. Sol soon falls in love with a girl named Bonnie who helps change him. It wasn’t until after her death during a hurricane that he realizes the monster he’s become.
         Sol’s character relates to the environment in two ways: in a positive way before his father’s death, but a negative way after he passes. He realizes he made a mistake of building on the land his father wanted to preserve. I feel that Solomon feels a sense of place in nature, back at Punta Rassa. I believe he has a strong attachment to this place because after he realizes he was utilizing the land wrong, he gives away some of his possessions and returns there as his final resting place.  

  Sadly, Solomon only left behind a physical legacy because he created many buildings and businesses with his family’s name. He realized that he had exploited the land after the damage had already been done, and progress isn’t reversible.

Although Solomon lived a painful life, I choose him because I can feel for him. I feel that he made decisions to misuse the land rather than preserve it because he did not have to go through as many hardships as previous generations had to establish themselves. His parents and grandparents had to create a new life for themselves in the scrub of the Florida wilderness. When Solomon was born he was just taught what they had worked for. He experienced tragedies in his life and using his family’s land for a profit seemed like a good solution. I don’t blame Sol for the choices he made in the novel because I understand his point of view. Like Sol, I am a third generation in America where things come easier for me than they did for my parents or grandparents. My grandparents came from Italy and made a living for themselves. They worked hard and appreciate things differently than I do.

  Overall I enjoyed the book. I thought Patrick Smith did a really awesome job at illustrating early Florida and the hardships that the MacIveys went through.