Nature Affluence

Connecting with Nature

• Kayaking/boating/fishing on the Winnipeg River

• Walking the path to the cottage and identifying animal tracks

• Listening to the sounds of various wildlife and trying to identify the animals and birds

• Walking in the local park

• Fishing in the Assiniboine River, which is very close to our house

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Impact on Happiness and Well-being

• Feeling very calm and content

• Feeling excited for my children, as they reel in a fish or  narrowly miss landing an enormous pike (as my daughter did last weekend). 

• Being grateful to have the opportunity to engage in such activities

• Being curious, especially at the cottage at night, as I listen to splashes in the water

• Slowing down in terms of having a relaxed pace of life compared to the city

 

Increasing my Nature Affluence

• My wife and I have started to venture into gardening, something that we didn’t seem to have the time to do previously. I would like to follow through and be more diligent in terms of tending to the plants that we have grown in milk jug greenhouses after we transfer them to the outdoors. Our kids have found this to be very exciting and give us frequent updates on the latest plant developments. 

 

Learning Gardens

The use of learning gardens to enhance students’ understanding of interconnectedness is something that a colleague and I have attempted with our school’s green team. However, perhaps it was our execution or the demographics of the building, but it was not very successful. The turn out for green team meetings was minimal, with around 5 students attending with regularity. When we tried to empower students and involve them in the process, such as when they assisted in assembling planter boxes, there was a momentary spike in engagement, but this was short-lived. The idea of a learning garden is one that may be better executed in an elementary school, where students are naturally more enthusiastic about such endeavors, as evidenced by our own children. The examples provided in the text seem to be that of either elementary or middle school students. I’m wondering if anyone has done this at the high school level and if they had success. 

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The text also prompted me to reflect on a conversation that I had with a farmer from the small town that I grew up in. I was questioning him regarding current farming practices and the impact that the use of chemicals has on the environment. He told me that, in terms of comparing modern practices to those of the past, farming is more environmentally responsible. He said that he receives satellite images of his crops that displays the concentration of nitrogen. Armed with those images and coordinates, he can then pinpoint the areas that require fertilization. This is very different than in the past when fertilizer was applied to an entire crop. Although I was amazed at the application of satellite imagery to the industry, it still never sat right. I feel that “spot fertilizing” is done so not because it is less environmentally damaging, but because it is more economical. What was missing from our conversation was a focus on the bigger picture, which was the interconnectedness and how farming practices have myriad impacts on not just the immediate ecosystem, but also far beyond this. That’s not to say that all farmers should be demonized, as they are essential to society, but I question some farmers’ motives when making decisions, just as I question other members of society and their decisions. 

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This thought somewhat ties on with Multiple Ways of Knowing. The video speaks to the marginalization of ways of knowing that are not logical or scientific, such as one's intuition and connectedness. The video states that rational thinking is absolutely essential, but can be complimented and enhanced with more intuitive ways of knowing . 

 

 

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