A Portal to the Wider World

By Ariel Whitson|February 3, 2015

I have always loved kids. There is something about them that grounds me whenever I am around them. Sometimes we adults get caught up in the stress of life—we’ve got bills to pay, people to see and there is always work to be done. But when I play with my new baby niece, my focus is 100% on her. Everything is a marvel to her and each new thing she sees has an impact on who she is and who she will be. When I spend time with her I wonder what her future will be like, and I wonder how she will learn and what she will learn.

It was with her in mind that I picked up Richard Louv’s popular book, Last Child in the Woods. In the book he writes, “An environment-based education movement—at all levels of education—will help students realize that school isn’t supposed to be a polite form of incarceration, but a portal to the wider world.” This sentence resonates very strongly with me. I imagine a child stumbling across a secret portal and jumping through it to discover and learn about another part of the world they are interested in. Can going to school create that portal?

The environment-based education movement that Louv is calling for seems like a simple request, but the change to make this happen is a huge endeavor. Louv’s book inspired the No Child Left Inside Coalition, which advocated funding for environment-based education on the federal level. Two legislative bills were introduced, one in 2009 that was later re-introduced in 2013, supporting this movement. It was called the No Child Left Inside Act. Unfortunately both of these bills have gone nowhere in congress. However, at the state level the movement is still alive in some places. California is one of those places.

In 2003 it was signed into law that California must develop a set of Environmental Principles and Concepts (EP&Cs) that would be incorporated into future textbook adoption. What struck me when I first read the EP&Cs was how closely they related to issues I see in the news today and experiences I have had in my everyday life. My second thought was how important these concepts are for my niece to learn one day. The first jumping off point into a portal that shows you the wider world is learning that there is a wider world out there and that our actions affect that wider world. Below I’ve listed the EP&Cs and a picture with each that contributed to my understanding of these concepts. I encourage anyone reading this blog post to write in the comments section a moment that they have experienced which illuminates one of these concepts.

People Depend on Natural Systems
The continuation and health of individual human lives and of human communities and societies depend on the health of the natural systems that provide essential goods and ecosystem services.

The first time I walked through Muir woods I could feel the difference in the air that I was breathing. It was pure air that the forest was providing.
The first time I walked through Muir woods I could feel the difference in the air that I was breathing. It was pure air that the forest was providing.

 

People Influence Natural Systems
The long-term functioning and health of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems are influenced by their relationships with human societies.

I have never walked on a beach where there hasn’t been trash. Seeing the trash tangled in seaweeds showed me the impact we have on the earth’s water systems.
I have never walked on a beach where there hasn’t been trash. Seeing the trash tangled in seaweeds showed me the impact we have on the earth’s water systems.

 

There are no Permanent or Impermeable Boundaries that Prevent Matter from Flowing Between Systems
The exchange of matter between natural systems and human societies affects the long-term functioning of both.

Seeing images in the news of people wearing masks because the pollution is so bad they can’t breathe illustrated that there are no boundaries to the breadth of how far toxic pollution can get.
Seeing images in the news of people wearing masks because the pollution is so bad they can’t breathe, illustrated to me that there are no boundaries to the breadth of how far toxic pollution can get.

 

Natural Systems Change in Ways that People Benefit from and can Influence
Natural systems proceed through cycles that humans depend upon, benefit from, and can alter.

Reading about and witnessing the great migration in Africa showed me the complexity of natural systems, and how one change in the system can strongly affect the system as a whole. Wildebeests and zebras go farther out of their way to avoid people than they do to avoid hyenas or lions (predators)—decisions that are affecting their migration patterns.

 

Decisions Affecting Resources and Natural Systems are Complex and Involve Many Factors
Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are based on a wide range of considerations and decision-making processes.

Hearing about and reading about the Keystone Pipeline issue has brought to light the complexity of what goes into determining whether or not the pipeline should be built and what natural systems it will affect.
Hearing about and reading about the Keystone Pipeline issue has brought to light the complexity of what goes into determining whether or not the pipeline should be built and what natural systems it will affect.

 

When I apply the EP&Cs to my own experiences I realize that specific examples of the concepts change, but the concepts themselves remain unchanging. These concepts describe what is essential to keeping our lives on this planet sustainable. Louv writes, “Progress does not have to be patented to be worthwhile. Progress can also be measured by our interactions with nature and its preservation. Can we teach children to look at a flower and see all the things it represents: beauty, the health of an ecosystem, and the potential for healing?”

I believe it is in the EP&Cs that we have an answer to that question, and the answer is yes.

 

Desert-Flower-4e2ce70951b14_hires

 

 

Ariel Whitson
This article was written by Ariel Whitson

Ariel Whitson has a background in finance, administration and event planning. She has over five years of experience working with nonprofits. Ariel started her career at the United Nations Association San Diego and Free the Slaves. She later served as a project coordinator at University Research Co., LLC in Washington D.C., where she oversaw the finance and administration of a $65 million USAID tuberculosis project in South Africa. She is passionate about working with youth, and spent a few years working as a tutor and camp counselor.

Comments: