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This past weekend I went to an amazing environmental camp. I learned more from this camp about the environment and myself than any other place or class I've attended. It has inspired me to share what I've learned with other people.
When I arrived I entered a large and ancient room where about twenty-five people stood in a circle playing "zip, zap, zop." I felt immediately at ease and jumped into the circle to play. After a few activities we all sat in a circle and were told by the facilitators that this weekend was going to be organized according to a method called "popular education." Basically, what this entailed was a belief that everyone has ideas and special interests and something to share with the rest of the group. There wouldn't be any authority figure or "boss" as we were used to seeing. If you knew something or had some information about what was being discussed you were not only free to contribute, you had a responsibility to contribute. So right from the beginning a trust was established.
No one was concerned about what they looked like or their choice of clothes as long as they were comfortable. Although there was an age range of thirteen to about thirty we all forgot who was really the youngest and who the oldest by the end. The best part of camp, though, was the fact that we were all there to learn about the environment and what we could do. We even ate a vegan (no meat or animal products) diet of organic foods and didn't waste water on showers. Everyone chose to be there and this helped to create the optimum learning atmosphere.
One thing I learned was how everything we do, everything we buy, and everything we make either contributes to the betterment of our planet or the destruction of our planet. I never realized how much of an environmental effect the products we use everyday have on the earth. For instance, did you know that any sort of cola soft drink is more than just detrimental to our health (with the caffeine, sugar and carbon dioxide) but also has a major effect on the environment? Most of the aluminium in the can came from a strip-mine in Australia and went through many chemical processes before becoming aluminium. According to an article in The New Internationalist, aluminium smelting is one of the most harmful and damaging processes to the environment (Ryan and Durning 18). Even something like sneakers are made with the hides of Texan cows and then shipped to Korea for the twenty-step tanning process because labour is cheaper there. Many of the people making these shoes (which we pay $75 for) are earning less than two dollars a day and working in 100 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. The chemicals from the tanning process are dumped into a large river along with other pollutants, making the water unsafe for people to drink (19).
We discussed the small actions we could take like walking, carpooling, and biking rather than taking our cars. You can use a new kind of light bulb which costs more but lasts much longer, uses less electricity and causes less waste. You can change your diet so that you buy only organic foods or free-range meat and don't support the destruction of our rainforests by farmers who need grazing land for cattle. I learned that for every one letter that is sent to a company in complaint or in support of their product and the environmental effect it has it is viewed as one person speaking for 100 other people. Companies believe that for every person who has the courage to write or call them there are a number of other people who are also upset or concerned but didn't have time to write. Even five letters can make a difference.
I learned about the proposed Basalt quarry in Digby Neck. A large U.S. company wants to extract rock from a very small area that would have a devastating environmental effect. There has even been mention of "levelling off" the North Mountain. This is something that affects us locally and will strain our ecosystems without even helping our economy. I learned the importance of just being aware of my choices and how they affect the world around me. It was very encouraging to be part of a community of people who care deeply about the same issues I do and I would encourage anyone who has concerns about our world to reach out and find other people who feel the same way.
There is a possibility of another Ecotopia camp sometime this winter and I would encourage anyone who is interested to get in touch with Heartwood or visit their website at www.heartwood.ns.ca/. I know that I intend to go again because I learned more there about my lifestyle and my world than any other workshop or class I've ever attended. Gatherings of people, especially young people, with a common goal and interest are the webs that will eventually extend beyond our communities and start changes in the world.
Works Cited
Ryan, John C., and Alan Thein Durning. "Stuff and its Secrets." New Internationalist. October 1997: 18-19.
"Heartwood Institute." Accessed 14 Oct. 2002. http://www.heartwood.ns.ca/
~ Laura