Entry # 3:Generation Technology

Richard Louv’s article “Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment” was particularly interesting to me because I have never heard of nature as a potential solution to controlling ADHD.  I always felt hesitant towards embracing all of the technology that has surfaced within the last decade, partially because I feel that it has made my generation and younger generations lazy and impersonal.   I feel that certain technologies (including online dating websites, Facebook, Skype, etc…) which are designed to make us more connected instead depersonalize situations and only give us a digital connection, eliminating actual face time.   The technologies commonly used by children and adolescents (including videogames, iPod, T.V.) appear to have similar effects, such as laziness and depersonalization, on the generations raised in this era of technology.  I witness so many children watching television and playing videogames at home instead of playing outside.  In public I often see children playing videogames or listening to music on their handheld devises instead of interacting with their family or enjoying the environment.

 I may not be old enough to throw around this term effectively but when I was a kid, everyone in my neighborhood played outside all the time.  I grew up in Washington State, and no matter the weather you couldn’t keep us inside.  We grew up climbing trees, riding bikes to the beach, playing in rivers, building forts, and exploring every inch of our yards and neighborhoods.  I can’t think of one child that I knew in elementary school that was diagnosed as ADD or ADHD.  Everyone was extremely active in P.E and most of us played soccer or kickball during recess.  I understand that different geographical locations may have general populations who are more active but I strongly believe that the rise in technology is making children and adolescents lazy.  Children no longer have to be creative and find a way to entertain themselves; they can just turn on a T.V. or put in a videogame.  Still, growing up I had television and videogames but I was raised in an environment where we were limited to when and how much we could play with those items and my parents would literally force me outside.  If my brother and I were being too hyper and annoying my parents would put us outside, lock the doors, and say we can come in at dinner time when we have less energy.  I never found this to be a punishment.

I feel like children today are missing out on all the intrigue and excitement that the outdoors has to offer.  It is interesting to read this article and see that limited amount of time outside can also be interfering with how children function and focus.  I think any alternative to placing your child on medication is a great option to explore and hopefully outdoor actively is a solution that parents will take advantage of and see results.

Entry #2: My Outdoor Self

           I have lived all over the country, Washington State, California, Hawaii, South Carolina, and now Florida.  Every state that I have lived in is on the coast and as a result my reoccurring outdoor experiences have taken place at the beach.  Although I had an active outdoor childhood, my adolescent and young adult life has primarily revolved around indoor activities.  I would not consider myself an “outdoorsy” individual but this is not due to a dislike for the outdoors. 

            Throughout my college experience I have also found that little involvement or focus has been placed on outdoor activities and the environment.  Just recently in class I was informed for the first time that the world’s fish population is facing possible extinction.  This information was shocking to me because not only is it horrific but also because it is a topic that I have not heard, learned about, or discussed before with my peers and teachers.  It is astonishing that such a dangerous crisis is on our hands but instead I hear people talking about which celebrity broke up with who. 

            My sense of place in my life is focused on indoor activities, especially during the school semester.  My sense of place in the world is clearly limited and uninformed.  I have virtually no educational experience in the outdoors or on the outdoors since my adolescents.  After being introduced to a few of the major local and global concerns for the world and its different ecosystems, I look forward to having outdoor educational experiences and learning more about the current and future state of the world.  I am interested to see how learning about the environment, taking educational outdoor field trips, and performing my service learning hours will alter my opinion and current state of knowledge about the world and how these events will change my future actions and participation in educating myself on the issues as well as involving myself in their cause.

Entry # 1: Economics vs. the Environment

            After reading “What Is Biodiversity and Why Is It So Important,” by Vandana Shiva and “Healing Earth’s Scars: It’s Never Too Late,” by Jane Goodall, Gail Hudson, and Thane Maynard, I noticed common themes of environmental depletion, economics, poverty, and overpopulation.

The world, especially western civilization is predominantly run by a patriarchy.  If we look specifically at the United States we find that although we are one of the wealthiest and most industrialized countries we also have a large population that is below the poverty line.  A minority of the population controls the majority of the wealth in this country and unfortunately those who have the money tend to have the power.  This is a result of numerous reasons including that the wealthy tend to have control over resources, if they do not have power they have the money to influence those who do, and people with money, power, or both tend to socialize within similar circles.  Unfortunately more often than not those with money and power tend to focus on how to keep their money and power as well as how to obtain more.  Far too often the consequences that such goals inflict on the environment and populations are viewed as acceptable or as a casualty of war.

            Large corporations are taking their plants and businesses to other countries, often third world countries, in hopes of paying less for labor and resources and dealing with more lenient laws and codes of standards for their facilities.  As a result other countries resources are being depleted and the environments are being damaged.  The impoverished populations are working in often dangerous facilities for long hours and little pay.  As a result many children are forced to get jobs in similar factories to help contribute income because their parents do not make enough money to support the family.  These children are often forced to chose working over obtaining a basic education or furthering their education which often results in further poverty in the future.  Those who are poorly educated tend to have larger families because they are uneducated about family planning and birth control.  From there, overpopulation can become an issue and the environment can be negatively impacted by trying to support too large a population.  This can occur forom the population cutting down trees for building or burning, or eroding the soil and depleting it of its nutrients, or polluting the rivers and lakes where vital marine life lives.

            The worlds large corporations, as well as small, are often too involved with making profit through ways that they view as the most efficient and lucrative options.  Restoring and maintain the environment and its biodiversity is not as tangible an object as the dollar signs in ones bank account and is often put on the back burner.  Restoring Earths natural resources may not appear to be a necessary investment but further down the road the lack of action to restore such resources could end up costing companies even more money.  It appears that as long as big businesses focus on the economic impacts of their company instead of their impacts on the environment, poverty, and overpopulation, these issues will continue to rotate in a vicious cycles going unfixed until more humanitarian and environmentalist ideologies govern the way these companies conduct business.