2nd Entry- Week 2- Realisations in Nature Journal

It is around noon-lunchtime for me. I have a short break and then I have to go back inside the building. This means it’s also recess for the kids here, I can hear them at the playground. For some reason I feel nostalgic of my childhood back home. I took things for granted. I had a creek to play in, trees to climb, grassy hills to roll down and fields to run in with my friends. Here in El Paso my childhood would have been very different. This makes me wonder how much these kids know about the environment. They’ve learned about it in Science and they’ve seen movies-but have they ever been in a forest, or swam in a pond? I think city living and country living is very different in this regard. It seems to be one of those “you never know what you have until it’s gone” phenomena. Coming from a place that is rich in nature, and agriculture to a place that is barren and arid can be very shocking to a person.

If you’re viewing this on a computer you’ll be able to see some pictures from back home underneath this.



I suppose this week I’ve dwelled on that the most. Of course I miss home because of my family and friends, but I also miss it because of the natural landscapes and and farms in my area. Although we can be just as wasteful, there is a deeper connection to the land and animals there. Surprisingly, I think small towns are even worse with recycling and being environmentally friendly. In cities you can really see the build-up. Thousands of people clearly make more waste than mere hundreds, but that isn’t always the case. There are more campaigns in cities. More universities and schools that have programs geared towards change, more options in the supermarkets with recyclable materials, and a more wide-spread ‘call to action’.

After reading many of the articles and watching the short videos, I made many connections with my life. The two that I felt inspired me the most was the short article on coal in New Zealand from 1912 (“Newspaper clipping from 1912 mentions link
between burning coal and warmer planet”), and the short video titled, “The Man in the Maze”.
Coming from rural Pennsylvania, it’s no surprise that our State ran on coal. Both as an energy source and as an industry.

To see that an article published in 1912 in New Zealand calls out coal as a harmful resource to use in regards to Global Warming was shocking. Over 100 years ago Scientists knew about the harm it does to the planet and yet people are still denying it and turning the other cheek.

“The Man in the Maze” short film really inspired me and at the same time saddened me to see how much food we really do waste. This is not only bad for those who live in poverty, but for the economy and environment as well. I have always been interested in composting, and where I lived in PA I could have done it. Now that I’m in El Paso in a small studio apartment it doesn’t seem feasible. This does however make me realise that I need to make it a goal to attend the Farmer’s Market we have here, and plan out my meals so that I do not waste food.

As I sit here a little longer thinking about all of the things I could do differently if I were back in my home state, I start to wonder what I can start doing in El Paso that I couldn’t do back home. This cheers me up a little bit as I realise there are opportunities here for growth as well.

Reflecting on the area I find myself in, I see new growth in some of the plants in the area. It is hotter than when I last came and I am even more thankful for the shade now. The management takes good care of this property so there is no garbage here, and no dead leaves or weeds that would take away from the ‘purity’ of these gardens. The sounds of the children playing nearby and the water trickling down the small waterfall brings me great joy. I realise that if we as a people would just take 15 minutes out of our day to sit down in nature and not think about anything else that we would all be centered and in a better state of mind.

Last updated September 05, 2018