ENVR 2000 Blog

Hensley, L. (2015, July 09). [Residential School Classroom]. Retrieved from  http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/residential-school-system-was-cultural-genocide-most-canadians-believe-according-to-poll "I think all Canadians need to stop and take a look and not look away. Yeah, it's embarrassing, yeah, it's an ugly part of our history. We don't want to know about it. What I want to see from the Commission is to rewrite the history books so that other generations will understand and not go through the same thing that we're going through now, like it never happened" - Daniel Elliot (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, p.13) Residential Schools were based on the "assumption that European civilization and Christian religions were superior to Aboriginal culture" (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, p.4). The United Nations has created 17 goals to achieve Sustainable Development including "Quality Education" and "

This image illustrates the forest ecosystems in Canada Sustainable Forest Management in Canada (n.d.). Canada's Forests. Retrieved from http://www.sfmcanada.org/en/canada-s-forests After watching  How Trees Talk to Each Other,  a Ted Talk by Suzanne Simard, I have more interest in trees, specifically in Canada. It was very disturbing to learn that "in the last decade[Canada] has had the highest forest disturbance rate of any country worldwide" (Simard, 2016). This fact alone made me more interested in studying and understanding the importance of forest ecosystems in Canada. I was also very intrigued by the research that Suzanne Simard had done on Birch and Fir trees. She had discovered how certain trees are able to "talk" to each other and share resources. These findings of Suzanne Simard cause me to reflect that trees are living just like humans and can communicate with each other. I think sometimes we forget that trees are living and should be treated

On January 14, 2018, I bundled up and spent one hour outside in silence. I took one hour to appreciate the beauty of nature around me without using the weather as an excuse to stay indoors. My time was spent outside at noon when the sun was just barely peeking through the otherwise quite gloomy clouds. I sat on a bench overlooking a frozen Dorothy Lake in the Whiteshell. I was surrounded by snow that no people had stepped on since the last snowfall. Thus, I was able to admire the tiny tracks from squirrels and the seemingly perfect, untouched snow on the lake. In the silence I was able to appreciate the slight rustle of the wind through the trees and the smell of fresh pure snow. During this hour, I saw a few squirrels running through trees. I also saw evidence of other wildlife, including animal tracks and droppings. I spend a lot of time outside at Dorothy Lake but never just sitting completely unplugged in silence. This time not only made me feel more relaxed, but it also allowed m

This is a photo I took while watching the sun rise in Playa Del Carman  Since humans developed and evolved in nature, I believe we are all born with an inherent connection to nature. Despite this, people often become distracted by electronics and other material objects and grow apart from their connection with nature. One way to promote human connection to nature is educating children. Examples include children's books that contain messages about appreciating nature, outdoor education in school and parents encouraging their children to play outside. Another way to promote the connection between humans and nature is to surround oneself with nature. Visiting forests, provincial parks and national parks is a great way to enjoy and establish a connection with nature. Becoming disconnected from nature can be a serious problem. Currently, one of the primary reasons humans have become disconnected from nature relates to technology. With the constant development of new technologies

My environmental ethics lie more towards ecocentric rather than biocentric or anthropocentric. An ecocentric person believes in the integrity of the whole ecological system and believes the system is more important than any individual. I believe every part of the ecosystem should be valued equally because the overall health of the ecosystem is most important. All living and non-living components play a vital role in an ecosystem. Without non-living components of an ecosystem, shelter and food for living organisms would be compromised.Without  the non-living components of an ecosystem, the ecosystem would not have important essential gases, which would negatively affect the l iving organisms. E very living organism plays an important role in population regulation in an ecosystem.  It is common for humans to believe they are superior in an ecosystem. However, I believe it is very important to take every living and non-living component into account, so the ecosystem can be as healthy and

A photo of a polar bear cub in Wapusk National Park Polar Bear Cub [Digital Image]. (n.d). Retrieved from  http://www.tripadvisor.ca/locationphotodirectlink-g154952-d619156-il84375012-Wapusk_National_Park-Churchill_Manitoba.html I believe parks can meet a dual mandate, where in humans are able to access parks and the ecosystem is properly protected. It is important that humans are able to enjoy and experience nature in provincial and national parks. However, protection of these parks is also extremely important for continued ecological viability.One way that parks can meet its dual mandate is to only allow humans into certain areas of the parks. By allowing human access to only some parts of parks, we can ensure wildlife habitats remain untouched in certain other areas. It is also important to ensure that there are rules and regulation that limit human activity in parks. Regulations must exist so is to prevent business development and mining, limit boat traffic and limiting bui