KONY 2012

This blog is dedicated to talking about the environment and everything in it. Various images are evoked by the word "environment," and to many the word conjures up thoughts of trees, animals, and rushing rivers. As a human and the one performing the environmental assessment, there is a tendency to view the environment like a visitor to a zoo views a lion; as an outsider looking in. With a spectator mentality it becomes difficult to see ourselves as part of the action and we lose our ability to self-assess and see that we are part of the environment. Environmental problems are people problems and visa versa. Environment and human social systems are inseparable. In acknowledgement of this, I would like to help bring attention to one of the World's grimmest examples of social injustice and human catastrophe. Joseph Kony is a Ugandan guerrilla group leader that has been committing horrific crimes on humanity for decades. Please follow the link below to watch the 30 minute documentary and get informed. The instability and unrest of the central African people as result of radical warlords like Kony has created a tumultuous ecosystem state. When the apex predator in a system is de-stabalized, it sends ripples down stream affecting everything else. We are Earth's apex predator. As humans we have created significant buffers to natural processes, but these buffers do not exist in perpetuity. In order to remain in balance with the governing laws of our existence and create a sustainable relationship with all the things that have allowed our being, we must create peace within our species.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc&feature=g-logo&context=G2a1d6bdFOAAAAAAABAA

Hi everyone! Copy and paste the address below to take my survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/H96Q9QD

Huff Post is on top of their game. Yet another article released today echoing some things I wrote about in my February 29th post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-l-obrien/breakdown-americans-on-the-edge_b_1312182.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=030112&utm_medium=email&utm_content=FeaturePhoto&utm_term=Daily%20Brief

Read this article, it relates well to my last post


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/28/afford-food-hunger_n_1308020.html?ref=daily-brief?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=022912&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NewsEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief#s480207&title=Child_Poverty

The Luxury of Caring About the Environment

As Americans we enjoy the highest standard of living on planet Earth and we just so happen to inhabit a piece of the globe rich with natural resources and ecological services necessary for our survival and prosperity. Water always pours from our faucets, the lights come on with a flip of a switch, heat arrives at the push of a thermostat button, and most of us don't have to think too much about where and in how long our next meal will occur. These luxuries open up the World to us, allowing people to direct their effort and attention elsewhere, like toward their jobs, dreams, passions, and hobbies. I like many others have been blessed with opportunities, free time, and financial breathing room that has allowed me to explore. Like Theodore Roosevelt's soul searching journey to the Dakotas in the late 19th century, I to traveled West to be inspired, experience bigger country, and live closer to nature. Roosevelt felt that good, hard, honest work outdoors instills a strong ethical code in people and helps establish core values which guide future decisions and perceptions of the world around you. This in turn develops an unquestioned character in man that allows him to tackle adversity throughout life. I share this sentiment and have undoubtedly been forever changed by my experiences working and living outdoors. So much so that I am dedicating my career to protecting and conserving natural resources. Just like Roosevelt made conservation his prerogative once in office, I make environmental protection mine when choosing a career path. I happily and excitedly join the green revolution, charging ahead creating new markets for business, establishing new laws, and forming interdisciplinary coalitions.

What if things were different though? What would be my prerogative if I lived a life of day to day survival? If Roosevelt hadn't traveled west by choice and instead was born into a poor ranching family struggling to make ends meet, would he still have had the vision for the National Parks System? Would the word "sustainability" even enter my decision making process if I had a drastically shorter life expectancy and no assurances of comfort? I can't answer those questions with total confidence but there are 1 billion people out there living in situations far different from my own, who certainly could. Realizing the virtues of environmental preservation and stewardship happens only when you have the luxury to stop and smell the roses. Much like financial planning, environmental conservation relies on somehow getting ahead and accruing savings. Much of the planet lives paycheck to paycheck or hand to mouth; forgoing something today in order to save it for tomorrow is not an option.

Since environmental problems happen on a global scale it behooves us lucky few who hail from the land of plenty to develop strategy to alleviate the stresses of existence from those who can't do it themselves. I believe it is our duty. Thankfully I am not the first to make the connection between environmental degradation and global inequality. Professor Roz Naylor directs the Center on Food Security and the Environment at Stanford University, where she an her students and colleagues study global food systems and research the socio-economic problems that plague our planet. Check out what they do at http://foodsecurity.stanford.edu/. 

Long story short is, we cannot expect to make large scale improvements to our environment or mitigate emergent climate change effects if the average global quality of life remains so low. It's difficult to make ideas like conservation, preservation, and sustainability relevant to someone who is just merely trying to feed themselves and their family.  

Relativity

In my last post, I expounded on how Michigan can best utilize its natural assets to attract and retain young talent. The assumption made was that the state's parks and recreation potential can somehow equate to college graduate retention. It is a lofty assumption indeed and one worth exploring.

It is commonly accepted now that a person's life is separated into more chapters than it was 30 years ago. There now exists a portion coined the "odyssey years," during which an individual typically in their 20's and recently graduated, travels frequently, takes on many jobs, remains financially unstable, and expands their social network. This new societal norm presents a state like Michigan, which can use every young brain it can get, with a bit of a problem. The majority of all students educated at our 191 colleges are people who have grown up in Michigan. Their odyssey will likely not take place here and will instead lead them to other countries and states that offer total immersion into a novel environment. My experiences in Tahoe proved this point time and time again. I met more people from the Midwest and East coast than people who had grown up in the Tahoe basin. It was as if nobody who was born and raised around Lake Tahoe continued to lived there. How can this be? How could anyone grow up with amazing natural features and boundless public lands in their back yard and leave? The answer is simple; they are no different than me. They have left their home despite it's natural assets to explore new territory and experience new things. 

What does this mean for Michigan? The answer to this is also simple; focus more attention on attracting rather than retaining, and build a robust economy to support returnees. We need to put Michigan on the radar of more college graduates from around the country who are looking for a place to fulfill their explorative urges. These people can supplement the loss of Michigan's own and fill a crucial role of contributing to the state's economy. A thriving economy will make it easier and more appealing for a Michigander who has been spending time elsewhere to return and transition into the next phase of life, "adulthood."

There are certainly things that Michigan can be doing better to make it more attractive to it's own college graduates, however a simple reality must be recognized. It doesn't matter how sweet the surroundings and opportunities of home are, people rome freely and there recreational pre-requisites will be met elsewhere.    

    

Re-inventing a vision for Michigan Parks and Recreation

At 24 years of age, and a recent returnee from South Lake Tahoe, California where after graduating from the University of Michigan in 2010 I quickly moved, I am a representative of a young thrill seeking generation here in Michigan. I considered myself to be a pioneer amongst my circle of friends who admired my courage to pick up and move out West. What I soon discovered after landing on the South shore of Lake Tahoe is that the Sierras are crawling with Michiganders! No matter what trail I hiked, what backcountry peak I skied, or what hidden crag I climbed I was meeting people from Michigan. Often times these were recent college graduates like myself or middle aged business owners that years ago did what I was doing and never returned to the Great Lakes state. With countless experiences like those logged, I can say with confidence that recreational opportunities are major criteria for not only me but countless other young adults when deciding a place to live.

Michigan is truly one of the most geographically unique places on Earth and is adorned with natural resources rivaled by few. It was the natural resources that first brought people to Michigan and if used properly it can be the natural resources that keep people in Michigan and encourage the growth of the state as a whole.  Michigan’s inability to make its recreational assets relevant to a younger generation has resulted in mass pilgrimages of recent college graduates who despite their familial, cultural, and academic ties continue to flood out of Michigan in search of work and play in other parts of the country. This rich outflow of intellectual capital and progressive thought has stunted the economic growth of the state and left Michigan’s younger demographic under represented.

Leveraging Michigan’s parks and recreational assets to connect individuals and communities with the environment, increase the overall attractiveness of the state, and infuse a recovering economy with recreational vigor has never been more important to ensuring the long term health of the state. We may not have 14,000 foot peaks, mile long ski runs, or class 5 rapids but based on what we do have there is no reason why Michigan shouldn’t be more synonymous for adventure.  Governor Snyder recognized this and assembled the Michigan State Parks and Outdoor Recreation Blue Ribbon Panel, equipped with 16 experts, tasked with envisioning the future of Michigan’s parks and recreation system through a new lens; one that filters out old approaches and brings out pioneering ideas of how our natural assets can best add economic and cultural value to the state.

        Michigan will never disassociate with manufacturing, however we must diversify our economy from one based almost solely on resource exploitation to one that recognizes that business can be built around Michigan’s natural beauties and not on top of them. The idea of Eco-tourism is emerging as a vital component to the economies of regions blessed with amazing natural areas. This form of industry could be a great way to engage and attract young adults. The Sierra Business Council located in Truckee, California is embarking on a Geotourism project that will bring economic vitality, environmental awareness, and cultural appreciation to the area and its inhabitants. Initiatives like Eco-tourism require well built and maintained trail systems which act as important access corridors into the state’s beautiful public lands. Aside from the simple virtues of a good hike down a well built trail, trails are vital to connecting people to the hidden beauties of our forests, lakeshores, and wetlands.   They encourage exploration, place based learning, and can be a priceless source of inspiration. Web tools are and will continue to be a primary method of planning an adventure into the outdoors and will thus be imperative for Eco-tourism here in Michigan. People require easily accessible and easy to understand information about recreational opportunities and without it will forgo the opportunity to engage with the outdoors in favor of more familiar activities. People like tracking their achievements and performance and a tool allowing them to do that fits right into the Eco-tourism model. Vail resort’s EpicMix ski app is a great example of merging outdoor accomplishment tracking with social networking to produce a tool that plays on people’s emotions. It tracks total vertical feet skied, total miles skied, awards badges for meeting certain goals, and acts as a communication platform for people to network while on the mountain. A similar tool can be utilized in Michigan to encourage people to get out and experience all that the state has to offer.

Utilizing Michigan’s parks and recreational areas as green classrooms is extremely important as well. The state should encourage organizations like Michigan Green Schools to continue to grow and support environmental stewardship in public schools. Michigan, with the accessibility of all its parks, is in a unique position to build a solid foundation of young environmental stewards if the state channels effort and resources into the coupling of state parks and environmental education. This would offer opportunities for young environmental enthusiasts like me to fill an increased number of naturalist and park docent positions that would be created. The dual nature of this idea can create a self-perpetuating cycle of environmental culture where jobs are immediately created with the goal of educating the youth who will be charged with the task of protecting and managing Michigan’s natural resources in the future.

Advertisement and promotion of Michigan’s cities need to be paired more closely with the recreational opportunities within or nearby the city. As hubs for job creation, cities draw in recent college graduates on the premise of job opportunity alone, however as a survey from the Michigan Colleges Foundation as shown it is not the only factor that keeps graduates in a particular place. The recreational opportunities weigh in heavily and should be highlighted when trying to attract young talent. Embracing the healthy culture and lifestyle associated with recreation is important for cities if they plan to attract and retain young college educated talent. Cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, and Austin all have healthy economies that are highly diversified and attract thousands of young professionals from around the World. All these cities have one thing in common; their inhabitants are very in touch and engaged with the recreational opportunities around them. The health of these places hinges on the health of its people and the health of the people is directly tied into their relationship with the environment. There is a lesson for Michigan to learn here.  

      Every Michigan legislator should understand and appreciate the emotional value of hiking a trail or the excitement of watching a trout rise to a fly, if not for themselves but for a constituency who does. The blue ribbon panel can help them make the connection between Michigan’s natural assets and the younger generation’s hunger for adventure. The panel is in a unique position to produce clear goals that champion the state’s parks and recreation to a height that they have long deserved.