wandasperspectiveonenvthought

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*scroll to the end of the page to read from the first post.

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My Final Story Map <3

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Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax [Retrieved from Pinterest]

He sounds a lot like a stumpy orange Hardin doesn’t he? Lol.

11|12|2020

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Module 12: Music & the Environment

t h o u g h t s ?

I found it fitting that this was the topic I chose for my final project and it was also the topic of discussion for our final class. My knowledge of environmental music was significantly more limited before learning about songs from my classmates and doing research for my story map. My favorite eye-opener from this topic was my discovery of heavy metal environmental music. My idea of environmental music was pretty much limited to Earth Song by Michael Jackson and a couple of songs my preparatory school music teacher composed (which were actually pretty good, by the way), so when a classmate mentioned Gojira and I gave it a listen, I was pleasantly baffled. Not only did I know that environmental music was prominent enough to be referred to as such in its own little sub-sub-genre, but the range was astounding.

We also talked about non-musical celebrities that support the environmental movement. I follow a few artistes on social media who I know will speak out on environmental issues and spearhead funding efforts but do not sing about the issues in their music. It does make me wonder if some of the artistes that include environmentalism in their music (not entire dedicated albums like Guthrie and Seeger, but one or two hits) are doing it for the trend of environmentalism rather than for the movement.

If I could call music my favorite form of media, movies would be my second. I always loved to see gorgeous natural scenery incorporated in a movie, as I believe it positively highlights these areas and subconsciously reminds people of the aesthetic value or nature - which is definitely not all there is, but it’s a start. I was so happy to see one of my classmates mention my all-time favorite environmental film, The Lorax. Once again (even though its animation), it opens up the idea of children making a difference.

11|12|2020

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[Retrieved from peepaltreepress.com]

It’s only right that I recognize an award-winning Jamaican environmentalist and writer.

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A classmate shared this link in class, and as a woman and a Black woman, I found it so inspirational that this exists.

11|05|2020

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Module 11: Women In Conservation and Environmental Movements

t h o u g h t s ?

We had started looking at a few of these women in a previous module, and I continue to be in awe. The way Marjorie Rawlings brought attention to the beauty of the rural Florida environment simply through her fictional writing, leaving room for hard-hitters like Carson and Douglas to come through with more ecologically heavy non-fiction to educate the masses.

I was especially excited to see to see more diversity among the women noted, as it is known that it has been a struggle for women of color to have much of a voice in environmental issues for a long time. This was my first time hearing about Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Simply amazing. Even more wonderful is the fact that her daughter, Manjira Matahai, continues to be an advocate for the environment as well. I have previously read about Vanda Shiva and her efforts toward gender equality as it regards to environmentalism, as well as sustainable agriculture.

Greta Thunberg’s recognition is especially important to me because of the generational representation. It is often that we notice the lack of racial and cultural diversity within a movement, however, how often does someone look at environmental writers, activists, politicians and say, “Where are the kids?” She is a representation of every child around the world who, like me, felt like they were too small and too young to make a difference in the issues that we were suddenly made aware of and wanted to put an end to so, so badly. She is a representation of Gen Z who was already believed to be the generation of massive shifts in societal constructs. It is important for different people worldwide to see their representation in the issues that matter to them, in order to be reminded that they do have a voice.

11|05|2020

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The vertical forest, “Bosco Verticale” [retrieved from usnews.com]

Having about 25 thousand trees between the two buildings, this architecture is believed to be Milan’s way of compensating for being named the most polluted European territory in 2008. I remembered seeing a picture somewhere and was inspired to go looking for it.

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Module 10: Environment and Ownership and Importance of Urban Nature

t h o u g h t s ?

In previous readings we established the benefits of nature, how solely being in its presence can make us happier and healthier, so there is no question as to whether or not urban environments are vital. In my opinion, it is one of the places where green spaces are most needed, because they are not as common and an absence of nature can have opposite effects. 

One of my classmates made a good point that I have been observing myself since I moved here- Tampa is a city that is almost always under construction. It took me a while to realize that it was frequent, and I attribute it to the constant inflow of students due to the location of the university as well as retired migrants from the North as Florida is popularly known to get because of the warmer temperatures. Tampa is home to species that need an abundance of uninterrupted greenery, such as the black bear and white-tailed deer, who are affected by the fragmentation cause by these new developments.

Another classmate mentioned a couple cases where infrastructure was being created that facilitates the passing through of animals that inhabit area. I think that more pressure could be applied in the fight for conservation of vital habitat areas (even though the big money corporations always have an edge), but if not, that is an excellent compromise.

10|29|2020

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[retrieved from quotefancy.com]

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Module 9: The Tragedy of the Commons

t h o u g h t s ?

If everyone thinks someone will do it, then no one will.

Diffusion of responsibility is the first thing that comes to mind whenever I think of the term “tragedy of the commons”. They are two different but very similar concepts, the first being the phenomenon in which a person is less likely to take responsibility for something when others are present, and the latter being acting in one’s own self-interest with total disregard for anyone else. In other words, tragedy of the commons can be said to be diffusion of responsibility with an extra sense of self-preservation. Food for thought.

It is funny to think that this tragedy could be resolved if people collectively decided to just... start caring. Start caring about something bigger than themselves. The selfishness is causing people to exploit the freedoms they have been given, calling for the placement of more and more restrictions. A change won’t be seen without restrictions such as the ones suggested by Hardin, or even the conditions presented by Ostrom.

10|22|2020

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Module 8: Indigenous Knowledge

t h o u g h t s ?

When I think about indigenous people, I think about how important it is for them to preserve their culture. They contribute greatly to the world’s cultural diversity by maintaining local knowledge of their languages, rituals, systems and practices. However, it is common and wrong to lump them all together under one stereotype, “the uncivilized spiritual Indian dedicated to the protection of the sacred land” otherwise called the “ecologically noble savage”. The truth is, as discussed, some indigenous people are into conservation while others are not, just like people of any cultural group. Each human being has their own thoughts and beliefs, and it is important that people remember this and not overlay their individual truths with assumptions.

10|15|2020

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One of the plants we grow at home; we dry the leaves, crush it into a powder and use it as seasoning. It is very nutrient rich.

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Module 7: Economies and the Environment

t h o u g h t s ?

I took a Public Health GIS course during the summer that had me choose a  project topic to work on as a final exam grade. I still wanted to do something environment related so I looked at the positive impacts of COVID-19 related lockdowns on air quality in Los Angeles, and the possibility of using lockdowns as a method of air pollution control. Of course, I knew this would only be taken into consideration in a utopian dimension of this world. Corporations wouldn’t dare agree to halt production for however long for the sake of the environment, because at the end of the day, it’s all about what is going to make them money. My research did show peaks in air pollution immediately following the lockdowns, which I suppose is what happens when you tell people they can’t go anywhere- as soon as they get the chance, they want to go everywhere.

These big corporations hold a lot more power than they should, and use it to buy poor and underdeveloped territories out of their resources, leaving them with little to nothing to live off of. Environmental injustice at its best.

Everyone on my street in my hometown fenced off a portion of the unclaimed land behind our houses to grow fruits and vegetables. About a decade or so ago, we were all told that a company was willing to buy that land from all of us in order to build a factory or warehouse of some sort (we lived close to a sugar factory). We all knew that that money that would disappear through bills or whatever else was not the same as running out of food in the pantry and knowing you can go and cook something from the backyard. Needless to say we all came together and everyone still has their little farmlands today.

10|08|2020

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Midnight <3

I adopted her mid-August, so I did not have her for majority of the pandemic chaos, however, I was cat-sitting for a friend, her orange tabby named Marley. He was hyperactive, but he was my company and my comfort during a very depressing period.

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Module 6: Human & Animal Relations

t h o u g h t s ?

One common idea that most Caribbean people have about Americans is that they care about their animals more than their humans (lol). We know that it is not completely and totally true, but in comparison to the way the average Caribbean person cares for their pets, it’s no surprise that most of us think the animals here are living in luxury. Don’t get me wrong, we are not animal haters or abusers, we just do not attach as much human characteristics to our pets as the average American does. They stay outside, they eat a special combination of all or meal scraps that we collect and save just for them, and they are moST DEFinitely NOT allowed on our beds, but we give them love and accept the love they give to us. *shrugs* It’s the Caribbean way.

Safe to say I now have two cats who are “living the American life”. 

The paper on biophilia definitely resonated with me. I grew up with a ton of animals and plants around the house and just being outside among it all made me feel 100x happier than doing anything inside the house. Visiting the ocean gave me a sense of release that I could not explain; so much so that when I moved here and found myself unable to visit as often, a visit after a long time away would cause me to burst into tears.

I believe that biophilia is mostly experiential, but can be learned. My love of nature was shaped by the benefits I reaped from it growing up, but I definitely have friends who prefer indoors because of negative childhood experiences with a certain bug or animal. I also have a friend that did not grow up around beaches, yet she’s come to appreciate their beauty... but she can’t stand the sand.

10|01|2020

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A couple of cabins at Hollywell Park, Jamaica [retrieved from adventuresfrommelle.com]