Nature Deficit Disorder

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature

1. "Studies suggest that nature may be useful as a therapy for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), used with or, when appropriate, even replacing medications or behavioral therapies."

Louv, Richard (2005). Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment. University                      Colloquium: A Sustainable Future, 2.

     In all honesty, I am not the least bit surprised by this quote. In fact, I totally agree with this statement and I have personal experience with this type of therapy. As I stated in one of my earlier blogs, I have always been fascinated with nature, and I love being out in the woods or on the water. When I am going through trouble in my own life, the first thing I do is get away from everyone by going out in the woods or on the water. I go here because it makes it easier for me to think about all of the things affecting my life, and it provides me with the clarity I need to make the right decision for my own life. Being in nature allows me to put aside all of life's distractions, and focus on the things that are weighing on me. 

2. "If it is true that nature therapy reduces the symptoms of ADHD, think the converse may also be true: ADHD may be a set of symptoms aggravated by lack of exposure." 

Louv, Richard (2005). Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment. University                      Colloquium: A Sustainable Future, 11.

     This statement provides us with a new perspective of the issue of what causes ADHD. I never really thought about the possibility of ADHD being caused by nature, but I does make sense. If we follow our ancestry back far enough, it is easy to see that at one time, all of our ancestors were very involved with nature. Everyone used to live off of the land and understood and appreciated nature for what it is. Back then Nature was the source of life. It allowed people to cultivate crops and harvest food and other goods. Each and everyone of us now still have that inherited connection with nature, so it makes sense that being deprived of nature causes problems in our lives. This deprivation induces some sort of reaction within the mind that has adverse effect on the individual.

3. "Even the most extensive research is unlikely to capture the full benefits of direct, natural experience."

   Louv, Richard (2005). Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment. University                      Colloquium: A Sustainable Future, 12.

     This statement really brings into perspective just how important the bond between man and nature is. It tells us that experiencing nature is so important that it can not even be measured by scientific research. This could be because each individuals experience with nature is unique to that person. Each individual perceives the different aspects of nature in their own way, just like individuals have different beliefs. In a way, Nature knows how each person is struggling and the best way to help that individual which causes each of us to have different experiences and expectations when it comes to interacting with nature. Some of us may feel more connected with animals while some may feel more connected with the trees or flowers. In the end it all depends on the individual's interaction and connectedness with nature.

Orr Biophilia

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Key_West/wildlife_and_habitat/mangroveforests/

1. "At the other end of the continuum of possible orientation toward nature is 'Biophilia,' which E. O. Wilson (1984) has defined as 'the urge to affiliate with other forms of life' (p. 85). 
     
     Orr, D. W. (2011). Love It or Lose It: The Coming Biophilia Revolution. University Colloquium:                A Sustainable Future, 187.

     The main reason I found this quote interesting is because I had never heard of the term biophilia, and it is the main subject of this section of reading. I have always found myself fascinated by the outdoors and the environment around me.  I always have the urge to be outside so I can enjoy the environment around me and learn new things about it. I would say I life with a high degree of biophilia because I love the outdoors. During my free time I love to hunt and fish, and I do it as much as I possibly can simply for the joy of being in nature. 

2. "But I do not think that early humans chose biophilia, if for no other reason  than that there was no choice to be made. And those tribes that were biophobic or incompetent toward nature fell into oblivion through starvation and disease" (Diamond, 1992, pp. 317-338).

    Orr, D. W. (2011). Love It or Lose It: The Coming Biophilia Revolution. University Colloquium:                A Sustainable Future, 188.
     
     This is another quote that strikes me as very interesting because it suggested that in the early times of human life, the people were in a very life or death situation. This statement basically says that those who were afraid of nature, had no chance of living while those who embraced nature and learned from it were able to adapt and survive. Personally, I have always loved camping and being out in the wild. In my opinion I think i have acquired the necessary skills to be able to survive at least for a short period of time on my own in the wild. My background in hunting and fishing connects me to the way my great ancestors lived in their time. This environment I was raised in is what helped me acquire some of these skills as well. I was raised in a small town and we had a good sized plot of land, so I was able to roam around and explore the environment and other life around me. This is how I learned the importance of preservation in nature. 

3. "The ecological crisis, in short, is about what it means to be human." 
     
     Orr, D. W. (2011). Love It or Lose It: The Coming Biophilia Revolution. University Colloquium:                A Sustainable Future, 197.

     The interesting thing, to me, about this statement is that it implies that we as human have an inherent responsibility to take care of the earth. We get so caught up in our own lives, that we often forget that we need to take care of our home as it has taken care of us. The earth provides us with all of the things we could possibly need to survive, but still we see people who throw their trash out the window with out even the slightest bit of hesitation. The earth is our home and we are responsible for keeping it clean and making sure it is here to provide for our children and grandchildren like it did for us. It is easy for us to take for granted the pleasures of the earth that we forget that it needs our help to stay healthy and alive. 
     
     

What is Sustainability?

What is Sustainability?

1.  "A system is a coherently organized set of interconnected elements (Meadows 2008, 188). A property of every system is that its identity is always more than the sum of its parts." (Robertson, 4).

     When I think about this quote, I am forced to think about all of the living and none living things on earth. While thinking about these things, whether they are humans, animals or even in inanimate objects, I realized everything is part of some sort of system or even many systems. For example, let's look at humans. There are hundreds of different systems within the human body which are essential to life including the respiratory system and digestive system.  There are also systems in nonliving items as well. Cars for example, also contain systems that have specific duties that keep the vehicle running.  There is a cooling system which helps keep the car from overheating. There is also an electrical system which monitors different systems and sends indicator lights to the driver is anything is wrong with the car. In my opinion it is really interesting to see how many elements if take to make something a working object.

2. "When sustainability scientists take measure of the current state of the planet, they find that it is not good. In fact, a variety of indicators all point to the same conclusion: the situation is critical and getting worse." (Robertson, 6).

     This statement really puts in to perspective the need to do some about our effects on the environment. This statement means that today the physical health of the earth is worse than it has ever been in the past. Honestly, humans can be to blame for this because we are very destructive and selfish. Humans do not care what happens in the end, as long as it helps or benefits us. The population is growing at alarming rate, and we are going to continue to expand. Expansion means we will have to  cut down more trees and destroy more habitats for other animals. We are purposely destroying the lives of animals in order to accommodate the growth of our own species. The worst part is, we have the opportunity to at least help offset the amount of bad things we do for the environment, but the sad thing is that most of us don't even care enough about the issue to recycle our own water bottles.

3. "An idea you will hear often in discussions of sustainability is one that is sometimes called the “triple bottom line” (TBL) or the “three E’s,” sometimes also referred to as the three pillars of sustainability or as planet, people, profit (Elkington 2012, 55)" (Robertson, 5)

     The one thing that makes this statement stand out to me is that it shows how the environment, economy and equity through out the world is connected. This proves that we not only have responsibility for ourselves, we also have responsibilities in other areas that are just as important. It is safe to say that we need to be held responsible and be conscious of how our actions effect the things around us. The three E's really help break down what it means to be sustainable, and it also expands on the definition of what someone thinks sustainability means.