I believe that one of the most important and humanizing endeavors is to look at oneself in the mirror, recognize your faults, and do something to change. Looking back through my last synthesis blog this is exactly what I did, minus the last part about making a change. I focused on my overwhelmingly negative outlook on the human impact on nature. In my previous blogs I seemed to jump to conclusions and fail to see the ways people can repair and restore nature, but in this post I vowed to change. (My 1st Synthesis Post) For this blog I would like to focus on what changes I have made since this critical self-evaluation, consciously and unconsciously, using my most recent posts, as well as those of my classmates, for evidence and helpful insights respectively.
Starting with my first post after the synthesis blog I already began to notice a change in the tone and theme of my writing. This post was about my second visit to my reflection spot, which unfortunately for me was during a rainstorm. (Riffle Reflections Part II) However, I made a point to mention that although these may not have been the most favorable conditions for me, the stream itself, including the organisms that inhabit it, may have felt differently. While reflecting on the importance of rain to a certain habitat or ecosystem I remembered one of my favorite exhibits at the Philadelphia Zoo, where there would be artificial rainstorms pouring down on a Nile crocodile and American alligator. Whether consciously or not, I seemed to hold a tone here that was more positive about the human impact on nature. Specifically, I noted that by putting on such a show the zoo was educating the public about wildlife and nature, which fits into its overall mission to spread awareness and save the lives of endangered animals the world over. In this post I also revisited my question about the purpose of the bamboo lining the banks of the stream, and found that this plant is indeed commonly used to counter erosion. These stalks must have been planted by those involved in the the Community Stream Project of 2006, which again is a great example of how humans can do right by their environment rather than causing a negative impact.
In my next post, which was my third and final blog about my reflection spot (Riffle Reflections Part III) I continued this theme of looking for the positive, perhaps a little more consciously this time. Again I mentioned the Community Stream Project of 2006, this time in relation to how much the banks of the stream seemed to be a classic riparian zone. I reflected on how these banks must have a great beneficial effect on the stream by filtering the water coming from the houses above before it enters the stream, largely due to the efforts made by the 2006 project to plant a buffer of trees, shrubs, and groundcover along the stream. Finally, before leaving I decided to actively make a change in the human influence on the stream, something I vowed to do in my first synthesis post, by picking up trash just as C.J. did at his reflection spot. (C.J.’s post) Regretfully forgetting to bring a bag to collect the trash in I gathered as much of it as I could in my arms. Right before leaving I looked back and noticed a pink ball with the name “Meghan” written on it floating in the stream. Seeing this as a lose-lose situation (Meghan lost her ball and the stream is no place for it) I picked up the ball hoping to find a Meghan on my way back to campus. I did not find a Meghan, but rather a little Camille, which I figured was close enough. Again, this time around I decided that instead of wallowing over the negative impact of man on nature, I would look for the positive side of this relationship, and if there were negatives, to do something about them.
Finally, in my last post following my first synthesis blog, I spoke to my experience in our last community based learning project, for which I went to clean up Pony Pasture with Josh, my fellow Earth Lodger. (CBL Part 2) Although not completely self-motivated this time, this experience picking up trash and my reflections on it also indicate a change in my attitude. Instead of being depressed about all of the trash that we found, Josh and I make an effort to hunt down all of the trash we could and got excited when we found what we called the “jackpot”. We were eager to do our part in helping clean up the river, focusing on what we could do to repair the damage done, instead of on the damage itself. I also made note of the smiles and warm looks we got from fellow river-goers, indicating that there are members of the community that want to clean up their river, that the trash along its banks do not tell the whole story.
After reading back through my old posts, I was curious to see what themes my fellow earth lodgers explored in their synthesis blogs. In particular, I wanted to see if anyone else had found something they wanted to change about themselves and how they went about it. As Adrienne mentions in her first synthesis blog, she previously felt like she had to get off campus or take a break from schoolwork in order to enjoy nature. However, with the help of some Earth Lodge and outside readings, as well as our first community service project, she now feels that she can appreciate and feel connected with nature without having to remove herself from everyday life. By simply making an effort to “feel present and engaged in life” she was able to change her perspective and get more out of the little things that happen every day. I found this approach intriguing as my main strategy to change my attitude was to look inside myself, rather than going to outside sources for inspiration. Adrienne’s use of the readings we did in class, as well as those she found on her own, to give her a broader view of how to appreciate nature make me think that perhaps I could make more of an effort to adopt this strategy in my own mission to change the way I view the human influence on the environment.
Another synthesis post I found particularly intriguing and inspiring was Lucy‘s post about challenging herself mentally. Lucy found that in her academic experiences as well as personal life she tends not to ask questions, but to just “observe, accept, and understand”. I do not know if I fully agree with this statement since I have had several conversations with Lucy when she has been very inquisitive, but nonetheless I found this to be a very interesting topic. As a first step in her efforts to combat this tendency, she decided to write her blog about something that she struggles to understand, instead of that which comes easy to her. She reflected on our visit to Belle Isle and downtown Richmond and raised questions about the motives of the Confederacy during the Civil War. She asks if they fought “purely because they wanted to have slaves”, a question I have often pondered myself and never really understood the answer. Again, although she has a slightly different mission, Lucy’s response to her introspection was inspiring. I can definitely learn from her fearlessness in making an immediate change and digging into issues that she may not find to be the most comfortable.
Finally, in her first synthesis post entitled, “The Benefit of Environmental Consciousness“, Shannon does not focus on pointing out her own flaws, but rather persuades the reader that there is much to gain from becoming more environmentally conscious. I greatly enjoyed her entire post, but one line that resonated with me was when she said, “We must change in order for things to stay the same, but that process of change doesn’t have to be painful.” In fact, I liked this line so much that I stole the second half for my title of this blog. I found this line, as well as the rest of her blog, to be very motivational as it reminds the reader that it is OK to take on challenges and change the way you view the world, as this change does not have to come all at once and does not have to hurt.
Overall, I feel as though I have made a significant change in my perspective since my first synthesis post, and with the help of my fellow classmates and other outside sources, I know that I can continue to do so. I cannot express in words how much I appreciate everything the Earth Lodge and its members have done for me, and I look forward to taking the lessons I’ve learned this year and continuing to grow into the environmentally conscious, yet still optimistic person that I want to be.