Towards Ecopedagogy and discussion

In his essay Towards Ecopedagogy, Richard Kahn challenges the classic system of capitalism in America and other superpowers and the current methods of environmental education. Kahn challenges capitalism by claiming that it entitles the wealthy countries of the world to continue expanding and promoting themselves as other countries remain in poverty, unable to offer goods or natural resources to sell or trade. Capitalist societies also encourage classism. Those born into a certain class will find it very difficult to rise to a higer class, mainly due to the monetary situation of the family with respect to their class, but also because of education and social acceptance. In addition, Kahn criticizes current environmental education standards and the concept of a "zoo school". He points out the fact that students of a "zoo school" are simply learning the basic facts of wild animals contained in captivity. In reality, he believes students should also be educated upon the inhumanity of the idea of a zoo and petition to prevent the captivity of wild animals, like dolphins, which, instead, patrons could pay $150 to swim with. This promotes his next point, that zoos run on corporate and monetary interests. Students should discourage this and instead learn proper environmental necessities, such as humane diets. Additionally, rather than focusing on improving grades, environmental education should be focused on bioregionalism, environmental awareness, and true sustainability for the planet.

Visual Rhetoric

This use of visual rhetoric shows a jet made out of grass with leaves trailing as exhaust from the engines. This example gives a strong meaning without a single word. The picture represents green, environmentally friendly technology in airliners, The goal is to reduce or eliminate environmentally damaging exhaust from the engines and waste and liquids from the plane to reduce greenhouse gases in the environment. People are not motivated to read long paragraphs of text attempting to convince them to be greener. However, a visual rhetoric like this captures the viewers attention and gets the same point across that the paragraph is trying to.

"Front Lines", "It Pleases" and "O Waters"

“Front Lines”

The poem “Front Lines” concerns the destruction and development of forests. The poem begins by describing the clearing and logging of trees as a cancer, washing up the hills like an ocean swell. Reality companies bring potential customers out in vehicles to see the land. A bulldozer clears the land of the recently felled trees. There is a forest and desert behind this that leads to the Arctic, and Snyder believes this is where the destruction must stop. Snyder evokes a strong sense of hatred for the logging by using the metaphor of cancer, a disease which spreads through the body and is despised by all. He also shows his disgust for the bulldozer by describing it as grinding, slobbering and belching over still alive trees. This poem leads the reader to see the deforestation process as evil ant to stop it as it is now.

“It Pleases”

“It Pleases” is about the fact that big government does not control the entire world. While all of the high brass in Washington D.C. believe they run the entire country, they don’t. The Earth is free to do as it wishes. The bird is a representation of this, soaring freely over the capitol without interference from Congress.

“O Waters”

This poem seems to be about a person in a campsite, awake while their partner slumbers. He is sitting, letting the various aspects of nature wash over him like water. He sees and hears the activities of nature, such as the melting of snow and the buildup of soil as a result of the wind. He embellishes these actions and respects the Earth for it’s complexity.

Turtle Island #2

"Steak"

The poem "Steak" focuses on steak houses and the people that eat there. Snyder points out the irony of the big steak houses with signs of happy cartoon cows or hefty prime cows, standing over the pieces of beef that are sliced, grilled and consumed. He puts emphasis on the word "rare" as if to say that rare is simply a title given to meat to put aside the fact that it is simply the raw muscle of another animal. He shows that all kinds of people eat steak at the houses, even animal nutrition experts with Buddhist beads. Then he shows what the true source of the steak is: the hundreds of livestock standing in frozen mud, eating old grain. The cattle seem to have no purpose in life other than becoming a meal. The entire poem points out the vast differences between what we the consumers believe and what really happens in the process.

“By Frazier Creek Falls”

“By Frazier Creek Falls” is about sensing nature and being a part of it. Snyder puts the reader standing on a cliff, looking into a valley. A waterfall falls nearby into the valley. He takes beauty even in the small things, such as the breeze blowing through the pine needles. He writes as if the land is alive. Snyder wants to remind the people that they are part of nature and they must embrace and respect the rest of it. He claims that we could live on earth without clothes or tools. Since we came from using nothing, we can go back.

“Rain in Alleghany”

This poem represents Snyder’s passion for Alleghany California. The area, seemingly mountainous, contains narrow, twisty roads wrapping around rivers along the way. When he is weary from his travels, Snyder enjoys sitting in Allegheny, drinking a beer and listening to the rain. He shows how one of his favorite things is to embrace nature with company. 

"Anasazi", The Way West, Underground" and "The Dead By The Side Of The Road".

This entry covers the reading of "Anasazi", "The Way West, Underground” and "The Dead By The Side Of The Road".

"Anasazi" is a descriptive poem relating to the Anasazi People of the Four Corners area of the United States. The poem uses short phrases to describe the basic environment and way of life for the Anasazi's, stating living conditions and resources. The poem was extremely hard to follow unless it was understood that the Anasazi were Pueblo people. “Anasazi” presents a native people living off the land and retaining their customs and traditions.

            “The Way West, Underground” speaks of the wilderness and primitive people of many different locations around the world. It describes the forests of Oregon, the islands of Japan, the women of Tibet and the people of Finland. Gary Snyder then focuses on Western Europe, where there are no bears. There are just men racing in the streets with guns. The only wild left in the area is bears and bison painted in caves from a people long gone. He may be suggesting that this is how all of the wilderness will end up before long.

            “The Dead By The Side Of The Road” mentions several great animals found dead by the side of the road, most struck by cars with one doe shot. Snyder is perplexed how these creatures could be so easily struck and left to die without a care. He collects the animals and skins them, cooking and eating the meat while saving the skins for bags and pouches. He shows his disgust by stating that roads were laid to kill them, and reminding the reader that the logging truck that struck the fawn was running on fossil fuels. Snyder believes the car in its present form is an evil that is not worth the lives of so many animals struck on the roadside.

Eaarth Podcast and Bioregion Quiz

          The bioregional quiz asked many detailed questions regarding the environment and the surroundings of a homestead. The person taking the quiz is expected to know facts such as the local watershed, native trees and plants and the destination of residential waste. This quiz proved to be extremely challenging, as a fairly widespread knowledge of local ecosystems and resources is needed for an excellent score, which many do not have. The typical American without a previous interest in the topics questioned would receive a fairly low score. The quiz reveals a lack of knowledge in a specific area which entices the user to research the topics and become better educated to fill that gap.

          Bill McKibben spoke in the Eaarth podcast about the fact that the Earth has already hit its limit as far as population and damage to the environment. Today is too late to stop the small changes as a result of overpopulation and environmental damage, but a catastrophic event may or may not be preventable. This rapid growth is due to the availability of cheap fossil fuels. There is a challenge to have growth without consumption of resources and space. The key to recovering is local agriculture that utilizes much more labor intensive work with many more jobs. Federal subsidies encourage large scale genetically modified crops with little labor or jobs. A single widespread farming method will not work across the globe. Each region needs to use the best techniques for themselves. Rather than growing as fast as possible, the population needs to slow down and fix the issues facing the world today. McKibben supports a local agriculture-based world with a close community like a small city.

Deforestation

In his essay Island Civilization, Roderick Nash explores the human destruction of the wilderness and the effects it has on the Earth. Nash sums up the past environmental attitude by showing that “for thousands of years the success of civilization seemed to mandate the destruction of wild places, wild animals, and wild peoples” (p. 373). Humans have always and will continue to fight against the wild like a defenseless enemy. A dominant factor in the destruction of wilderness worldwide is rapid deforestation. Forests are being stripped for resources and flattened to make way for subdivisions and shopping malls.

            One of the oldest and most prevalent causes of deforestation is the clearing of land for agriculture. Farmers need open land to grow sustainable crops in large numbers. This extensive cutting and logging has gone on for decades without much thought given to the effects on the planet. It has been estimated that the world’s rain forests will have been completely logged in one hundred years at the current rate of deforestation. In addition to the absence of trees, deforestation also destroys many species whose entire population exists in specific areas of the forests. Many species with smaller populations have made it to the extinction list due to the actions of humans.

            The Amazon Rain Forest is a prime example of major deforestation. In the past 40 years, 20% of the rain forest has been cut down due to excessive logging. It is expected that another 20% will disappear within the next 20 years. Removing that massive amount of forest interrupts the natural rain cycle of the remaining forest, causing the remaining trees to dry up and wither away. Many of the people clearing this forested land do it illegally for their own profits. Brazilian police forces attempt to stop these perpetrators; however they are far too understaffed to stop all of the loggers. Due to this fact, the Amazon Rain Forest may meet an early demise.

            Island Civilization could be the answer to all of these problems. Getting all humans far away from the remaining wilderness such as the Amazon would give the land time to heal and spread. This process would take thousands, if not millions, of years to get back to the expansive forested Earth it once was. Without humans to stop it, it could be done. Only minor, responsible logging would be allowed on designated plots. Reforestation and selective logging would be practiced acts, preventing the civilization from knocking out an entire section of forest. While these measures seem drastic and unlikely to ever occur, they could potentially save the world’s shrinking forests.