LOUV & FLANNERY REFLECTION - Journal Entry #2

NATURE IN ALL ITS GLORY
http://www.bestqualitywallpapers.com/Nature/ForestFall.jpg

I was quite intrigued by the views and ideas Richard Louv presented in his article, "Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment." As a father of four children, I have often expressed to my wife my trepidations that our children had very little access to "outdoor time" throughout their school years. What happened to daily recess time, and to playing sports or having gym class outside? Yet society wonders why our children are obese, and have very little concern or respect for nature and our environment. In an effort to provide our children with an appreciation of the world outside, we would spend our weekends hiking, camping, going to the beach, planting flowers and vegetables in our yard, and even teaching them about the importance of bugs and why we shouldn't squish them! We would ask them why the sky was blue, how come birds can fly, or why the water was cold at some beaches, yet warm at others, and would challenge them to find the answers.

To suggest that nature can be used as an effective therapy for ADHD, as well as radically improve mental perception and concentration undoubtedly makes a lot of sense. Conversely, we, as parents, seem to do very little to limit the amount of time our children watch television, play video games, or surf the internet. This may perhaps be out of fear - fear that our children are no longer safe outside with respect to traffic and strangers. It could merely be an absence of energy and enthusiasm - there are many single parent families nowadays, and many parents overall must work extensive hours outside of the home. It could also be a lack of knowledge - how many people actually understand the health benefits of being outside in the fresh air amongst nature?

It is remarkable to note that, while simply being outdoors is helpful, it is much more advantageous to a child to be in a setting with trees and grass. Studies similarly revealed that adults benefitted much more at work with a view of trees, bushes, and grass outside their windows. For the child with ADHD, activities in natural green settings delivered the best results in helping the child to concentrate and focus on the task at hand.

It has always been my belief that learning begins at home. We need to educate our society about the impact of Nature-Deficit Disorder, and teach our children by setting the example. Take your child for a walk, on a hike, or to the beach…it will be good Nature Therapy for both of you!!

*******************************************************************************************************************************************

GREAT BARRIER REEF
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/great-barrier-reef/

The excerpt by Tim Flannery entitled "2050: The Great Stumpy Reef?" really opened my eyes to an issue I hadn't educated myself on...the value of our coral reef systems, and what has been occurring to jeopardize their further existence.

It is quite disheartening to learn how endangered coral reefs have become due to climate change, overfishing, runoff of nutrients, smog, and pollution – the prime culprit being climate change – and I had absolutely no idea how serious climate change has become! To learn that coral reefs provide approximately $30 billion per year in income was astonishing! I had always thought coral reefs were merely something beautiful for divers to enjoy viewing. Of course, I knew that marine life lived amongst the reefs, but was never aware of the biodiversity, or how many ocean inhabitants, relied on reefs for their very existence!

It’s a shame to learn what beauty Alfred Russel Wallace had seen in 1857 is currently nothing more than feces, plastic bags, and the remnants of slaughtered goats. To learn how a smog cloud from rain forest fires in Indonesia can contain enough iron to cause a red tide is truly fascinating!! Who would have thought a cloud even contained iron, let alone relate it somehow to a red tide?

The most discouraging of all from this excerpt was to learn that higher temperatures are the most threatening aspect to our coral reef systems. Higher temperatures cause coral bleaching which, if persistent, will cause the coral to die! Our Great Barrier Reef is most vulnerable to climate change, yet Australians are the guiltiest party when it comes to CO2 emissions. Although Australia has proclaimed that it will protect 30% of the reef by banning commercial fishing and other human activities, I don’t see how this will help at all. They need to focus on reducing their CO2 emissions, and what they can do to save much more that just 30% of the reef – especially given that the reef is a major part of their livelihood.

Although we foolishly believe there is hope our reefs can somehow survive climate change, I have come to believe that the outlook is grim, at best, if we continue down the current paths. Increasing knowledge and awareness of the ecology of our coral reef systems might be a start, along with better education about the biodiversity of our reef systems. I, for one, am ashamed to admit I had no idea as to the importance and fate of our coral reef systems. I certainly do not look forward to a day where anything in our amazing world becomes “stumpy!