Forgive me if my last entry turned into a rant… I’ve had some time for a little introspection, some excellent criticism, a lot of inspiration and it really helped create some perspective. The result produced a photo essay for a course on ecosystem sustainability in which I’m currently enrolled. Here it is… Enjoy!
An astounding sunrise over the Ottawa River
Shadows flee from the soft morning glow of the rising sun. As the warm rays caress the contours of the Earth they impart the gift of life and renewal. The omnipotent sun concedes its vigor to all entities on the planet regardless of their biotic or abiotic status. Without our daily dose of vitamin D there would be no photosynthesis, hydrological cycle, wind, ocean currents – life would simply not exist. Life is the service the sun provides, free of charge, to each and every surface dwelling piece of matter every day. Embracing each new day by allowing the sun’s beams to warm my body is a personal connection I enjoy immensely and never cease to anticipate.
(courtesy K. Lacosse, 2013)
The Madawaska River in the soft morning glow
Rivers…the circulatory system of the Earth. Rivers are colossal service providers. The flow of water carries with it nutrients and sediments which enrich and replenish soils. The transportation of water molecules through the hydrological cycle is a facility of rivers. The seasonal change in river flows is vital in maintaining fisheries and agriculture. Riparian ecosystems are formed by rivers and habitat that is vital for many species flourishes along the banks. Introspective periods of contemplation along the quiet bank of a river and paddling through the exhilarating vortex of whitewater rapids are a few of my favoured past-times. Like our circulatory system which provides and spreads nutrients throughout our body while removing wastes; so too with rivers as they ebb and flow across the landscape.
Sunny afternoon along the mighty Bow River
I cannot fathom a more tranquil means of dawdling on a hazy summer afternoon than floating down a serene river. Fishing, paddling, lollygagging, and swimming are a few of the recreational goods that rivers provide to people. The dazzling interplay of sunlight on the rippled surface of the water, the flamboyant eruption of wild flowers along the bank, and birds gliding from perches above the brook all add to the exquisite beauty of rivers. Raft guiding has inculcated within me a deep reverence to rivers and their splendor, enigmatic currents, and ambivalent natures. This profound connection to rivers and the sheer beauty of moving water are the goods which I especially relate too.
Temple Mountain, Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta
The Rocky Mountains, scenery so distracting that I stayed for fifteen years to admire it! These mountains provide an important service; they store water and replenish the lakes and rivers of western Canada each summer. The glaciers which clad the precarious slopes of the Rockies store water in the form of snow and ice. The lofty summits of the mountains influence precipitation patterns and have a huge impact on the local and continental climate. Specialized organisms occupy some of the planet’s most hostile terrain and harshest environments in mountain ecosystems. The ecosystem services that mountains bestow to humans grant the production of an abundance of goods.
Dog sledding in Whitney, Ontario
With the onset of winter’s snow blanketing the ground; new and breath-taking ways of gliding across the countryside are suddenly accessible. Dog sledding through a forest shrouded in fresh snow is a superb method to experience a brisk winter day. Snow offers a plethora of ecosystem goods to us, mushing is only one of the many pursuits from which I derive wintertime pleasure. Many people take advantage of the commodities proffered by snow, they include activities such as: snowboarding, skiing, snowballs, and snow-forts among the countless possibilities. Those who call the northern hemisphere home and complain about winter obviously aren’t seizing the opportunity to revel in the snow.
Surfing at playa El Zonte, El Salvador
Waves, the best gift ever bestowed to humans by the ocean, and perhaps the universe. Surfers devote themselves to a sacred pilgrimage to ride waves around the globe. Surfing is one the most intimate forms of bonding that a soul can enter with Mother Nature. “In God’s Hands,” is how surfing is described by devout wave-fanatics because of the intense feeling of inter-connectedness to nature’s raw force. Waves and surfing should be the parameter from which all ecosystem goods shall be measured! If we could collectively abandon our spiritually vacant pursuit of material goods and chase waves, snow, sun, and nature we’d communally be on a far healthier path into the future.
100 kg/ 1 million dollars of exploitation and destruction
So what is the true cost of this 100 kg gold coin? Well I decided to find out. Gold mining exploits the environment on countless levels. The impact of gold mining begins with threatening biodiversity from the onslaught of pushing roads into remote and often pristine wilderness. Land is cleared for operations and the mechanized mining process is highly devastating to landscape and surrounding watersheds. After the mine has ceased production the contamination lingers. Mercury and cyanide poison the environment of gold mines and the adjacent ecosystems causing harsh, everlasting damage. This can result in the permanent destruction of many goods and services that ecosystems provide. The toll gold mining extracts from the surrounding human population is also steep; miners suffer from exposure to toxic levels of chemicals and the inhabitants deal with polluted water and soils. The legacy of gold mining demands a high price economically and environmentally.
Sustainability Club Clean-Up day, 2012, Algonquin College
Apathy is a large part of environmental degradation. As long as we aren’t affected first hand by the degradation of ecosystems we turn a blind eye to the impacts of over exploitation and pollution to the Earth by our activities. Indifference to the loss of biodiversity, habitat, and changing climate processes is a huge part of the problem faced by civilization presently. Our fascination with manufactured material goods above the well-being of the natural world is a critical concern to the health of the world and all organisms. The need for meaningful action is required immediately by all the citizens of the world. I still have courage to believe in pragmatic change, and I’m not alone.
Fin…
References:
Mudd, Gavin, 2008. Gold Mining and Sustainability: A critical reflection, retrieved from http://www.eoearth.org/, USA
NoDirtyGold, 2013. The True cost of gold mining, retrieved from http://www.nodirtygold.org/, USA
The World is Wide Open 