Energy and place
For this project we studied the different kinds of energy, the uses and benefits of each, and why we support or oppose each kind of energy. We also studied environmental ethic and came to a conclusion about our own personal environmental ethics. In honors humanities we read the book The Monkey Wrench Gang, by Edward Abbey. This book was about a group of eco terrorists who destroyed bridges and coal plants to protest the physical alteration of the Southwest wilderness. Between this book and some articles and excerpts we read, Edward Abbey's personal environmental ethic comes through. We learned how to write paper's using grand style, showing our environmental ethic, and reflecting a style of writing called nature writing. Then we wrote Sense of Place essays, about somewhere that's important to us and could reflect our personal environmental ethic. I wrote my essay about my internship at the National Tiger Sanctuary and my journey getting there.
Essential Questions:
[1] In defining “impact” you can think about it in terms of the impact on the culture, the health of individuals, the land, the economy, technology and scientific progress, future generations, and/or the sustainability of the resources of a specific location or the planet as a whole.
[2] **“Sense of Place” is a concept that describes the quality of people’s relationship with a place. However, you will develop a definition of sense of place that most resonates with you. Some questions you may consider include: Does sense of place include a connection to the natural world separate from people? Does it include people? Does it include a local sense of place or global? Do you define your sense of place as one of economic positioning, social class, geographic location, and/or connection to community and people? Do you define it as very particular spot that holds special meaning to you? Does your connection to land shape your identity? Do you feel rootless or disconnected from community and/or place?
- How does energy production impact[1] place?
- How do your sense of place[2], your environmental ethic, and your understanding of our energy needs influence your perception of man’s use of Earth’s resources and your own lifestyle decisions?
[1] In defining “impact” you can think about it in terms of the impact on the culture, the health of individuals, the land, the economy, technology and scientific progress, future generations, and/or the sustainability of the resources of a specific location or the planet as a whole.
[2] **“Sense of Place” is a concept that describes the quality of people’s relationship with a place. However, you will develop a definition of sense of place that most resonates with you. Some questions you may consider include: Does sense of place include a connection to the natural world separate from people? Does it include people? Does it include a local sense of place or global? Do you define your sense of place as one of economic positioning, social class, geographic location, and/or connection to community and people? Do you define it as very particular spot that holds special meaning to you? Does your connection to land shape your identity? Do you feel rootless or disconnected from community and/or place?
There are many places I feel a connection to, or a spiritual pull. There's a spot next to the creek by my old house that always lifted my mood and left me feeling peaceful. There are many places from my adventures with the Southwest Conservation Corps this past summer. I love Yosemite and Grand Canyon. Both are very special and important to me. Then there's also the ocean. I feel a very strong pull to the ocean, and a need to be near it. I was struggling to decide which place to choose, because all of them are significant in my life. I considered crafting a piece that incorporated all of them and explained how they made me who I am and why each one is important. But that didn't feel right somehow. I did my internship at the National Tiger Sanctuary in Missouri, and ever since I came back to Durango I can't stop thinking about and missing it. That was what helped me realized that was my place for the Sense of Place essay. This essay quickly became very personal, and I really struggled to express these personal emotions through my writing. After going through several "eh" drafts, I made the choice to make my essay be the journey I went through to find my place, and this was where it got personal. I spent the evening essentially reliving these very real and very upsetting emotions as I wrote about my journey. I wrote the essay while sobbing, and I still can't read parts without getting teary eyed. I feel that writing this piece and exploring my emotional journey was something I needed to do, and that just writing it has helped me to grow as a person. This essay was definitely the most personal thing I've written for school, especially with the expectations that many people will be reading it.
In my Sense of Place essay I think I'm most proud of how personal I was able to make my writing. I didn't realize this was an issue until I started to write my essay, but I really struggle with writing personal things and giving my writing the emotions it needs to be good. I know I could have done a much better job because it still doesn't feel very personal when I read it, but for my first attempt I think I did fairly well. These are some lines from my essay I'm particularly proud of, or that I feel communicate emotion. "It felt like a piece of my heart and soul was slowly pried from my chest and placed in the hills of Missouri. A little left with each animal I got to know, and each person who touched my spirit." This excerpt is about how hard it was for me to leave. "To have everything fall apart, all of a sudden, it was like something had looked deep inside me, and found the very thing I wanted most, and grabbed it. Twisted it, choked it, wrenched it from inside me, and deposited it in the dumpster." In these lines I was reflecting on the pain I endured when a previous internship fell through.
Completing these projects have given me perspective and a deeper understanding of how and why Earth's resources need to be protected. At the beginning of this project I wasn't really able to draw the connection between a sense of place and Earth's resources, but now I understand what is happening to my place when our energy and resources needs increase at alarming rates.