What Kind of Nature Lover Are You?
Published Wednesday, February 22, 2006 by Dan Gainsford.
This week Bob Laughton, the head of our latest sponsor, Bushtukah, said something that really gave me pause. Commenting on our project and its goal of promoting awareness about the human place in the natural world, he pointed out that there exists two kinds of environmental proponents. First, there are those who are eager to protect the environment because they know that our health and welfare is directly linked to it. Then, you have those who like nature, because it’s a venue for the activities that they love.
Do you see the difference? Or rather, the discrepancy inherent in the difference? For me, I think that to address many environmental issues, we (humans) face an uphill battle. If that is the case, those of us on the side of the environment must be strong and united in our understanding of the problems we face. However, if Bob’s comment is true, then we don’t even have that united front.
The idea that some people are only interested in nature to the extent that it can provide them with an outdoor playground, is very troubling to me. It reinforces the disconnect that has (and continues to??) become pervasive throughout North America between humans and nature. We wouldn’t be surprised to learn that a person confined to cities are disconnected from the natural world and humanity’s place in it; we would probably expect it! However, it would be shockingly ironic that people who regularly go out hiking, biking, skiing etc., could be the ones oblivious to such issues.
Granted, this difference can only exist in regions like North America where we have a standard of living that creates the separation between work and play, and where we have time and money to pursue these kinds of outdoor recreation.
Regardless, if this is the case, I now wonder who the first target of our film should be: the totally disconnected, or the mostly oblivious.
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Do you see the difference? Or rather, the discrepancy inherent in the difference? For me, I think that to address many environmental issues, we (humans) face an uphill battle. If that is the case, those of us on the side of the environment must be strong and united in our understanding of the problems we face. However, if Bob’s comment is true, then we don’t even have that united front.
The idea that some people are only interested in nature to the extent that it can provide them with an outdoor playground, is very troubling to me. It reinforces the disconnect that has (and continues to??) become pervasive throughout North America between humans and nature. We wouldn’t be surprised to learn that a person confined to cities are disconnected from the natural world and humanity’s place in it; we would probably expect it! However, it would be shockingly ironic that people who regularly go out hiking, biking, skiing etc., could be the ones oblivious to such issues.
Granted, this difference can only exist in regions like North America where we have a standard of living that creates the separation between work and play, and where we have time and money to pursue these kinds of outdoor recreation.
Regardless, if this is the case, I now wonder who the first target of our film should be: the totally disconnected, or the mostly oblivious.
f
Yet Another Urban Myth: Suburbia's Connection to Nature
Published Friday, February 17, 2006 by Dan Gainsford.
This past weekend, I had the chance to take in some of the beautiful winter weather that we've been having in Ottawa of late, and go cross-country skiing in Gatineau. One of the people I was out with, when I told him about our project, told me he had a movie that I would be interested in seeing.
The film, entitled The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream, was poignant and thought provoking. Essentially, it was a wake-up call to the present state of urban sprawl in North America, and a brief history as to how that came about.
The film asserts that in the time around the end of World War II the chemical mirracles that were possible because of cheap oil (products and materials, not to mention energy) meant that suburbia could be the slice of the "American Dream" that everyone could afford. Canada, of course, bought in to the same ideal. Only problem? As soon as the cheap oil is gone, so too is the viability of the that dream. Now, as one of the intellectuals interviewed wryly observed, we find ourselves "stuck up a cul-du-sac in a concrete SUV without a fill up."
The other point that made in the film, which i think is more pertinent to our project, was that suburbia was originally a way for workers of the city to live in the "country", close to nature, without giving up the conveniences that made the city attractive. However, this was a total delusion. How many recent suburban developments can you think of that were in any way connected with nature? Row, upon row of houses built on the once fertile fields of farmers or the beds of forests - leaving no streams babbling, no large stands of trees, and little or no wildlife. Suburbia might be about as far from real "nature" as the downtown core of a city.
Nevertheless, people bought, and still buy, into the idea that living in the suburbs is a way to get back to a simpler way of life. To me this points directly to our collective delusion that we are cognizant of our place in nature. Why? Because we think that the name of the subdivision that we live in, like Spruce Grove or Riverside Estates, equates to being part of a natural environment!
That said, I think that, if the original impetus for the move to the suburbs was in some way connected to a human desire to be part of the natural world which we left behind in the 20th century's push to for "progress", then perhaps there is hope. Hope for a concerted effort by the new generation of urban planners and desginers, and consumers to make existing suburbs into more sustainable communities. And hope that new residential areas will be built with the goal of being connected to the environment which they are a part of, not independant from.
In the end, the film did what many such documentaries are doing these days, sounding the alarm to the generally uninformed public. I want Searching for Dragons to do more than simply be a Chicken Little production, because we already know the sky is falling. Rather, I want it to provide our audience with constructive ideas about how to deal with the reality we find ourselves in. We need to re-connect with nature and re-integrate it into our busy lives, before it cuts us out of the picture for good.
For more info on the movie, check out the site http://www.endofsuburbia.com/
f
The film, entitled The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream, was poignant and thought provoking. Essentially, it was a wake-up call to the present state of urban sprawl in North America, and a brief history as to how that came about.
The film asserts that in the time around the end of World War II the chemical mirracles that were possible because of cheap oil (products and materials, not to mention energy) meant that suburbia could be the slice of the "American Dream" that everyone could afford. Canada, of course, bought in to the same ideal. Only problem? As soon as the cheap oil is gone, so too is the viability of the that dream. Now, as one of the intellectuals interviewed wryly observed, we find ourselves "stuck up a cul-du-sac in a concrete SUV without a fill up."
The other point that made in the film, which i think is more pertinent to our project, was that suburbia was originally a way for workers of the city to live in the "country", close to nature, without giving up the conveniences that made the city attractive. However, this was a total delusion. How many recent suburban developments can you think of that were in any way connected with nature? Row, upon row of houses built on the once fertile fields of farmers or the beds of forests - leaving no streams babbling, no large stands of trees, and little or no wildlife. Suburbia might be about as far from real "nature" as the downtown core of a city.
Nevertheless, people bought, and still buy, into the idea that living in the suburbs is a way to get back to a simpler way of life. To me this points directly to our collective delusion that we are cognizant of our place in nature. Why? Because we think that the name of the subdivision that we live in, like Spruce Grove or Riverside Estates, equates to being part of a natural environment!
That said, I think that, if the original impetus for the move to the suburbs was in some way connected to a human desire to be part of the natural world which we left behind in the 20th century's push to for "progress", then perhaps there is hope. Hope for a concerted effort by the new generation of urban planners and desginers, and consumers to make existing suburbs into more sustainable communities. And hope that new residential areas will be built with the goal of being connected to the environment which they are a part of, not independant from.
In the end, the film did what many such documentaries are doing these days, sounding the alarm to the generally uninformed public. I want Searching for Dragons to do more than simply be a Chicken Little production, because we already know the sky is falling. Rather, I want it to provide our audience with constructive ideas about how to deal with the reality we find ourselves in. We need to re-connect with nature and re-integrate it into our busy lives, before it cuts us out of the picture for good.
For more info on the movie, check out the site http://www.endofsuburbia.com/
f
Fuel for the Brain Fire
Published Thursday, February 09, 2006 by Dan Gainsford.
Yesterday I started reading this book, A Sacred Balance, by Dr. David Suzuki. I've really been enjoying it because it sort of parallels the concept behind Dan’s film.
Until Dan told me about the book, I felt worried that I didn’t know enough about where he was coming from. This made me nervous; it made me feel like I was somehow going to misrepresent what he wanted to communicate with the film. However, once I finish this book, I think I will have a good foundation (not to mention a good reading list taken from Dr. Suzuki’s bibliography!) on which to build my own views for the project.
Coming into my scope on the to-do list for the rest of the week is getting a mass email list set up so that we can send updates to all our faithful followers and the media. As well, we’re in the process of deciding the details about our send-off party, to be held on March 2, the day before we leave. Damn! Only 3 weeks left before we jet?! Crazy.
f
Until Dan told me about the book, I felt worried that I didn’t know enough about where he was coming from. This made me nervous; it made me feel like I was somehow going to misrepresent what he wanted to communicate with the film. However, once I finish this book, I think I will have a good foundation (not to mention a good reading list taken from Dr. Suzuki’s bibliography!) on which to build my own views for the project.
Coming into my scope on the to-do list for the rest of the week is getting a mass email list set up so that we can send updates to all our faithful followers and the media. As well, we’re in the process of deciding the details about our send-off party, to be held on March 2, the day before we leave. Damn! Only 3 weeks left before we jet?! Crazy.
f
Maiden Voyage
Published Monday, February 06, 2006 by Dan Gainsford.
At the end of this past week, Dan brought the van back from the his cottage-workshop where he’d been working hard to bring about an amazing transformation to the van’s interior. All I can say is: WOW! Dan must have had the help of magical carpenter elves!
There is lots of storage space where things can be securely stored; the interior still has the faint smell of the new carpet on its floor; the batteries are hooked up to the solar panels to charge; the generator is sitting shiny and new in its allotted compartment right at the rear of the van; the CB radio hangs from the roof (waiting only for us to learn how to use it); and there’s even a bench that converts into a bed that will sleep both of us. If you haven’t already, check out Dan’s blog to see photos from the building process.
Anyway, when Dan showed me the work that had been done on the van, it really was exciting. Understandably, I think, because it is yet another step taken towards our departure and the beginning of the project in earnest.
Friday, Dan and I took the van up to Mont Tremblant, Quebec where we were to meet some friends. Seeing as I had not taken the van for much of a drive yet, Dan suggested I drive there. Driving was good, but not without a few bumps in the road. First, the van is rear wheel drive, which I’m new to. Furthermore, it’s still sporting bald summer tires which don’t make driving in winter snow, sleet, and rain very easy. I was constantly fighting the urge to drive as fast as I would in a car. Finally, we were driving country roads at night, making it hard to see the road...not to mention the notorious Quebec potholes!
So, it was a bit more of a trail by fire than I had originally expected. Nevertheless, it was good to have a challenge because the drive that lies ahead is going to be full of bad conditions. Thankfully, when we face them, we’ll have some nice new tires!
f
There is lots of storage space where things can be securely stored; the interior still has the faint smell of the new carpet on its floor; the batteries are hooked up to the solar panels to charge; the generator is sitting shiny and new in its allotted compartment right at the rear of the van; the CB radio hangs from the roof (waiting only for us to learn how to use it); and there’s even a bench that converts into a bed that will sleep both of us. If you haven’t already, check out Dan’s blog to see photos from the building process.
Anyway, when Dan showed me the work that had been done on the van, it really was exciting. Understandably, I think, because it is yet another step taken towards our departure and the beginning of the project in earnest.
Friday, Dan and I took the van up to Mont Tremblant, Quebec where we were to meet some friends. Seeing as I had not taken the van for much of a drive yet, Dan suggested I drive there. Driving was good, but not without a few bumps in the road. First, the van is rear wheel drive, which I’m new to. Furthermore, it’s still sporting bald summer tires which don’t make driving in winter snow, sleet, and rain very easy. I was constantly fighting the urge to drive as fast as I would in a car. Finally, we were driving country roads at night, making it hard to see the road...not to mention the notorious Quebec potholes!
So, it was a bit more of a trail by fire than I had originally expected. Nevertheless, it was good to have a challenge because the drive that lies ahead is going to be full of bad conditions. Thankfully, when we face them, we’ll have some nice new tires!
f