Connecting
As outdoor enthusiasts we frequently convene here, in a virtual world, which seems utterly opposite to our passion of the outdoors, but the internet allows us to share and bring together our passion and love for the outdoors. We have "met" and connected with so many amazing people through social media. When having the opportunity to travel and finally getting a chance to actually meet some of these people in person, it has been a wonderful experience. In many ways the Internet does bring people closer together because it allows us to make friends in a virtual way or stay in touch with old connections that may not live anywhere near where we live.
Some people say the internet keeps you from people, but we think it can bring your closer, because you can talk to each other more often and sometimes at a deeper level. This vehicle for sharing also allows outdoor enthusiasts to share with friends, family and the world the beauty of what is out there to explore. Everyday we are motivated by the photos we see and stories we read online.
To us it is important to spend a little bit of time every day outside. Many days, this exists as simply as walking the dog or going for a run, because in a perfect world our days off are consumed by adventure and exploration, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, etc.
When we take the time to reconnect again in nature, our often times go- go – go personalities take a back seat, and we can reflect on what I am doing and why. And it is every time that we step back and reflect and come forward with clarity, new ideas and goals. Our goal is to figure out the best way to communicate environmental issues with the general public, breaking down the information to make it easily understandable and accessible.
Connecting with nature is wonderful in many ways. If you love a place you have a duty to protect it. When you love something or someone you want to understand the impact or footprint you will leave behind in its lifetime. We have this desire because when we are gone that is all there is left for others to remember us there by. The same is true for our natural landscape, to best understand your affect you need to learn about your impacts because every decision made leaves an impact. While leaving little to no impacts is the best impact for nature, sometimes that is not possible and that is where environmental education comes into play. The reason for needing all of these believers is to gain more momentum in movements. We need to feel motivated to care about the places we live in and want to protect. A lot of this can be done through creating community support. Community support drives many aspects of people’s lives and when there is a large connection, people want to make the right decisions.
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Teddy Roosevelt.
Everyone expresses why nature is important in different ways in regards to their lives- fisherman care about fish and fish sustainability etc. While we may sometimes have deep doubts in certain aspects of environmental issues it only drives a stronger passion into other areas leading people to fall in love with what they care about inspiring creativity and action.
Every environmental education course reaches out to specific audiences to show different messages in hopes to make a connection with at least 1 person. Our significant life experiences, especially with our families can be very powerful. And it is these life experiences that make an impact but to reach the impact depends on an individuals choice to value the significance of an event or not can make all the difference. And sometimes that difference is speaking from experience which allows learners to feel more connected to the educator and what they are saying because they have the first hand knowledge.
Whatever the end result may be: land conservation, recycling, tree planting, composting, creating products with environmentally friendly material, etc- you are building towards and end goal and outcome. And without education, passion, and drive there would not be any successes.
What I have discovered through my coursework reflections is that everything I had been thinking of professionally I was actually creating snippets, stories, papers and projects on throughout the program. All of my artifacts line up with my goals, and I did not even realize it. I thoughts for a long time that I was always way off base and my school work and personal life work were living on different planets. But I was wrong, and everything is very much related and through my reflecting through my artifacts I am pleased that I signed up for this program and chose this course because it is showing me how I wasn’t wasting my time but in reality beginning my focus several years ago to where I am today.
We often turn to the mountains in search of the pure place where life makes sense. And while our gear helps bring us to these places it becomes more about the connection in the truest sense of what really matters in the world. These moments are enhanced with others- it is a basic human need to want to connect with others on some level. It's more than just sharing a social experience but rather the connections through smiles and laughter that bring the memories forever.
With the prolific amount of photos being shared online, it is easy to forget that everyone is not always off adventuring and living a life that seems more exciting than what you are doing in the moment. What we need to individually remember is that you need to celebrate where you live and adventure in your own backyard. Backyard adventures just as important as big vacation adventures. Backyard adventures are the adventures you go on close to home. When you take the time to get out and explore what is close by. You could spend your whole life dreaming of other places but for what? You should be living your own life rather than being envious of other peoples lives and adventures. Backyard adventures are the perfect way to reconnect us to our local communities getting more people involved and aware of what is going on around them.
How do we connect?
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Teddy Roosevelt.
Everyone expresses why nature is important in different ways in regards to their lives- fisherman care about fish and fish sustainability etc. While we may sometimes have deep doubts in certain aspects of environmental issues it only drives a stronger passion into other areas leading people to fall in love with what they care about inspiring creativity and action.
