A Land Ethic

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      In this excerpt, Leopold discusses the real meaning of land ethic versus what we believe the meaning to be. He discusses the concept of community, an ecological conscience, the land pyramid, land health, and our outlook, which all tie into the overall topic of the land ethic. He connects the use of land to the way girls used to be property in Greece many, many years ago, stating “the disposal of property was then, as now, a matter of expediency, not right and wrong” (Leopold 58). Back then in Greece the property of the matter was women who were hung for infidelity, or in other words gotten rid of, without question. Today, land is the property that we use and dispose of without question. For the most part, there is no hesitation to continue building our modern structures at the expense of the land that is destroyed. We claim to love our land of the free; however, Leopold questions whom we love and answers “certainly not the soil, which we are sending helter-skelter downriver…certainly not the waters, which we assume have no function except to turn turbines, float barges, and carry off sewage” (Leopold 60). We pride ourselves on loving our land and having this new focus on conservation and sustainability but have mostly just been preaching the words instead of committing ourselves to the ideals. 

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We are an advancing society, and through building and creating new technologies, we keep moving forward. Since the past, our society has been based on communities and sustaining them. We have a certain ethic when it comes to the concept of community, and the “land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land” (Leopold 60). We claim to have this land ethic, but only when it is profitable to us. The movement of conservation has been around for nearly a century, yet it “still proceeds at a snail’s pace…with two steps backward for each forward stride” (Leopold 62). In this area, I think Leopold is pretty critical because we have made many efforts as a whole to conserve, reuse, and recycle. Some examples that have been set into action are recycling, more efficient vehicles, nature preserves, water conservation, and much more. The process is going to be slow moving because we have such a large country that has to remain efficient. 

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We cannot merely go back in time to a different age. With the advances we have made, there is going to be more waste created as well as more scarce resources used. It is a challenge to find more environmentally friendly alternatives, and the government and society as a whole are changing for the better. In addition, Leopold states, “land-use ethics are still governed wholly by economic self –interest” (Leopold 64). Yes, this is mostly true in today’s world; however, it is unrealistic to believe that it would not be this way. In today’s world, money is necessary to get by no matter what anyone says. It might not be ideal, but it is the way the world is driven. Only the rich are able to make environmentally conscience decisions without getting any economic benefit out of it. Others, such as farmers and lower-middle class, simply do not have the means to give so much effort to something that is not somewhat profitable. Despite all this, a true land ethic is still an important concept that we need to continue to strive towards.

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Nature Deficit Disorder

The environment that we live in and are surrounded by today has changed drastically by the “rapid move from a rural to a highly urbanized culture” (Louv 4). The modern way of life has taken over and nature has been tossed by the wayside. There has been a dramatic decrease in the amount of time that is spent away from civilization and outdoors in natural environments. Even when people do travel to parks, deserts, or woods, they never separate themselves from technology. Why would they? Instagram posts need to be made and texts need to be sent. It has become more important for people to show the world the wonderful places they are going than actually enjoying those places without technological distractions. 

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Every aspect of our lives has been affected by this change, including the school systems. More time is focused on academics so that modern society can continue to be maintained and improved. Since school has increased the time for testing, there is “no time for physical education, let alone exploring the outdoors” (Louv 1). Recess has been eliminated from many schools, which was a break in between learning where children could freely play outside. Outdoor activity leads to a balanced, healthy life in many ways, and there is no reason that should be taken away from children. Nature definitely is calming and restorative, which is shown in many studies that Louv brings up concerning nature’s beneficial affect on children with ADHD. One example was of Ansel Adams, a boy who was so hyperactive that he was kicked out of school; however, his parents took him to a California beach and observed “nature engaged and soothed him” (Louv 5). In various other cases, “subjects reported experiencing a sense of peace and ability to think more clearly” (Louv 5) simply by being in nature. Being outdoors is a beneficial experience in many ways, but people have just lost the time and desire to spend time in nature in this new fast-paced, heavily demanding world.

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ADHD symptoms can be reduced by nature; however, contrary to what Louv suggests, I do not believe that the “real disorder is less in the child than it is in the imposed, artificial environment” (Louv 11). I agree that ADHD can be helped through nature therapy and the restorative environment that nature provides, but simply because nature helps the symptoms of ADHD does not mean that lack of exposure to nature leads to it. This line of thinking I do not agree with. ADHD has been around for too long and there are many studies and results to justify that it is a disorder in itself. Many people can focus very well even when they do not get any exposure to nature in the day. The disorder is real and nature provides beneficial treatment for it. In addition, it is natural that our way of life has developed from its rural beginnings because learning and developing is inevitable. There are many great changes that have come out of urbanization, and they should not be downplayed. Society has not taken “nature and natural play away from children” (Louv 11) because there are still many, if not more, opportunities today to travel and explore the world. It is people who choose not to take them.

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Biophilia and Biophobia: What We Need to Realize

http://elcr.org/rural-sprawl/

            David Orr believes that we humans are in great need of a biophilia revolution soon so that we do not lose nature and the wonder of it. It is necessary that we “transform how and how rapidly we use the earth’s endowment of land, minerals, water, air, wildlife and fuels” (Orr 203). Our society has been increasingly transforming and moving towards one that is completely technology driven and material-based. The increase has been even more rapid in the last 20 years, and we really need to start conserving more and using less. Rural areas are becoming few. Technology controls and drives are every day lives. Society has transformed as well as progressed but this progression has come at quite a cost for nature and communities alike. Social networks and sites have replaced the old fashioned communication of simply talking to one another face to face. All we seem to do nowadays is call, text, instant message, email and so much more. We selfishly use too many of earth’s limited resources for our own benefit. Urban sprawl has turned open areas of land and natural habitats into buildings, schools, houses, and shopping centers. Pretty soon there might not be much land or natural resources left to sustain the life that we have become to see as the norm. 

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http://peithoparenting.com/playing-outside-could-make-kids-more-spiritual/

 

Children, the most innocent and adventurous ones of our culture, have been consumed by the wonders of technology rather than the wonders of nature. This will cause a cycle of human life where nature is left by the wayside. Children increasingly choose to stay inside and play video games rather than running around outside. Christmas lists consist of the newest up to date technology instead of baseball mitts or footballs. To fix this fast trend of materialistic cravings, an “efficiency revolution that buys us some time” is needed as well as a sufficiency revolution that “transforms our ideas of what it means to live decently and how little is actually necessary for a decent life” (Orr 203). However, this revolution does not need to completely destroy the way life is lived currently. People have developed an “aversion to nature” (Orr 186) and dwell in and among their own creations more than any of the past generations. While some simply have discomfort in nature, others have “active scorn” concerning it; however, anywhere in this range, biophobia is present (Orr 187). It is easy in today’s world to be biophobic because it has almost become a built in instinct. 

 

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Technology has not only changed the way the world is run but also the way children are raised. Orr even goes as far to say that a “technological tyranny [is] now looming on the horizon” (Orr 192), and we do not see anything wrong with this because we are comfortable with what is familiar. As a society, it is necessary that we remember our sense of biophilia and love for nature. Orr believes that “people can lose the sense of biophilia” (Orr 196). I simply believe that we forget how much we love nature, but the sense always remains in us. It just gets buried under our need to conform and fit in with whatever the newest trend in the world is. The sense is not lost; it is just temporarily forgotten with the fast pace and many stresses of life. Furthermore, it is dramatic to say, “we must finally choose between life and death, between intimacy and isolation” (Orr 198). By saying this, Orr means we need to choose between nature and continuing life as it is now. I do not think that life now constitutes death or isolation. There are many aspects of life today that are intimate. For example, with faster transportation, you can easily visit relatives in other parts of the country, travel to places, and have access to many experiences with nature that would have been impossible before. A change is needed for society to remember to love and care for nature; however, the current way of life should not be shunned or abandoned completely.