Meghan Schwend

Who Says Nature’s Important?

Meghan Schwend

Every time I turn on the TV, advertisements of “green” products bombard me. At lecture, Joe Trumpey scares and shocks us each lecture with visions of over-population, deforestation, polluted water, and global warming. These environmental concerns are all issues we need to address. I understand the importance of conserving energy, using less, wasting less, and eating local produce, ect. These “green” techniques let us help nature, without physically interacting with it.

Last week, I sat by the pond on North Campus and stared at a creeping thistle weed for an hour. I sat in the grass, surrounded by bees and horseflies and stared at that plant. In this hour, I saw five deer, seven squirrels, and two ducks. At that moment, I realize how little I really interact with nature on a daily basis. I had to actually make time to sit in the shade and study that plant. I would have never seen so many animals in that hour if I spent it in a building or in a car.

The feeling I got from being so close to nature, actually part of the ecosystem, reminded me of how much I need nature. Yes, several outside sources are putting pressure on us to conserve and go green, but the most effective source was that one hour of watching my surroundings without interruption.