Ecoliteracy Braid
My love letter reflects Erin’s poem and Kealey’s love letter. There were many similarities and also a few differences. They were similar in the fact that we talked about the environment in a certain way. We recognized that the trees, weather and atmosphere outside makes up the environment but we also acknowledged in some ways that people are apart of the environment too. I found Erin’s poem really struck home with how she discussed how essentially children are fearing the outside environment as it seems these days, kids are stuck in doors. “Lets smell “nothingness.” Lets see the clouds move along. Lets hear rusting trees. Lets be one with nature.” I felt emotional with this line as in this instance children are missing out and not appreciating the world and environment. The environment is all around us and is so meaningful. This proves that appreciating the environment does not mean you have to vocalize yourself and do much, but instead enjoying the small things and taking advantage of this beautiful creation, which Kealey also discussed. “Ecoliteracy is continuous learning, and growing with your environment. Embracing the air, the snow, the quiet around you and being okay with it.” These sentences also affected me greatly because I am constantly learning and trying to grow with my environment. I am continually trying to accept silence around me and being completely fine with it, like Kealey and Erin both stated. It is important to appreciate the environment around us and to accept the environment for the way it is which is what I discussed in my love letter as well. “You make the best of the season and I aspire to be more like that. You continuously make sure you are up to something each winter day and I am trying my best to make the most of this walk. Through all of our love letters/poems, we demonstrate how important it is to accept the environment for the way it is, appreciate it and enjoy it. Our main idea for our writing was very similar in the ways we discussed embracing the environment.
The main difference between Erin and my love letter was essentially the way we approached it. Throughout Erin's poem it was seen as the environment and humans have become two separate concepts. "Where did all the adventure and curiosity go?” We have drifted away and her hope is we can reunite again and connect humans and the environment together again. My everlasting question is: is it possible to reunite again with all this technology in young children lives? Whereas mine showed a bit different of an approach. I demonstrated how I was able to take an adventure and become interested in the environment on my walk to school. ”I am beginning to realize on this quiet, lonesome walk just how beautiful this world really is. I am beginning to see why you are always embracing every season and are one who loves the environment." I am showing how I am trying to embrace the environment and trying desperately to be apart of it, like Noah is. All in all, Erin discussed how no one is taking the leap to try and be one with the environment again; whereas, I took the leap and I am beginning to embrace it.
The difference between Kealey and my love letter was the way she approach the term ecoliteracy as it was a bit different than mine. She really empathized that people are apart of the environment too. "It may seem strange, but when I think about the environment and what it consists of, I not only think of the trees and the animals… but I think of you, too... By respecting the Earth and the environment in which I live, I am respecting and taking care of you, too." She discussed how he is part of the environment and by her taking care of the environment she is taking care of him too. Through this I am able to see how important the environment is and how we need to respect it day by day. By respecting and learning about the environment in turn, you are also learning about yourself. However, I took a bit of a different approach in the fact that I did not really point out that people are apart of the environment too but instead, I continually talked about how well Noah embraced the environment and how I wish I could do that as well. "I hopelessly wish I loved winter as much as you do. You make the best of the season and I aspire to be more like that." I took the turn on how ecoliteracy is figuring out how to find ways to embrace your surroundings and although Kealey took that approach in the sense as well, she really digs into how people are a main part of the environment while I did not. Kealey discussed how by her embracing the environment, she is able to take care of herself and others. While my approach is by embracing the environment I am learning to love the seasons and everything around me.
Exploring “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer braids mine and these other two together. It demonstrates how we need to build relationships between ourselves and nature, where essentially we become one. “…but the sweetest way is to have someone else hold the end so that you pull gentle against each other, all the while leaning, he'd to head, chatting and laughing, watching each others hand, one holding steady while the other shifts the slim bundles over one another, each in its turn” (Kimmerer, 2013, pg 10). This contributes and expands my understanding of ecoliteracy because I am now wanting to become more apart of nature. I am able to see that the environment involves not only nature but human beings as well. This shows its not possible to have one without the other. By braiding these all together it makes me realize there is still so much to do and learn about the environment but together we have a better chance of accomplishing this.
Kimmerer, Robin Wall. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. (Preface, ix-x).
