La Principauté
Published on Nov 29, 2015
No Description
MORE DECKS TO EXPLORE
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
A bit about me
I have lead a pretty nomadic lifestyle. I have lived in four European countries, five in Africa, 4 in Asia and two in North America.
Photo by MightyBoyBrian
I grew up around the world:
4 European countries, 5 in Africa, 4 in Asia and 2 in North America
+ traveled to many more
and I speak bits and pieces from many languages
I lived in a lot of war zones growing up and witnessed quite a few situations most people gasp at
but i consider Canada home
I lived in a lot of war zones growing up and witnessed quite a few situations most people gasp at
but i consider Canada home
Photo by nunorodrigues.net
My personality:
Curious, adventurous, innovative, passionate, charismatic, logistics, technopath
I am not your typical environmentalist. I am not outdoorsy, I don't subscribe to the whole camping concept and I am definitely not an animal lover. When I go on hikes, i double check to make sure the area has wifi. - so what makes me so passionate about environmental matters?
Story time
When I was younger, I had a bit of a spiritual relationship with the environment. I felt like I was in the presence of God when I was surrounded by trees and nature. I was a bookworm, so I would always be reading outside, underneath or on a tree, then when I fell in love with computers, tablets, portable DVD players, then I switched. I would drag a chair to the middle of a forest and watch movies/TV shows that I had downloaded.
Deforestation was becoming a rampant issue in Uganda, where I was living at the time, and it broke my heart to see the trees being cut down - I felt like they were hurting the Earth.
All that being said though - I did not identify with environmental activists. To me, they all fit a certain mold that I did not. A lot advocated for conservation, which did not make sense to me given that we too have to use the land. Many were outdoorsy, had the same style of dressing, and their arguments/ideas were purely emotional and did not retain a strong grounding in logic.
Compare the way andrianna and i experienced china - tie that into how everyone's idea of nature is unique to them
Then I went to university and took an environmental course for fun and came accross this:
Story time
When I was younger, I had a bit of a spiritual relationship with the environment. I felt like I was in the presence of God when I was surrounded by trees and nature. I was a bookworm, so I would always be reading outside, underneath or on a tree, then when I fell in love with computers, tablets, portable DVD players, then I switched. I would drag a chair to the middle of a forest and watch movies/TV shows that I had downloaded.
Deforestation was becoming a rampant issue in Uganda, where I was living at the time, and it broke my heart to see the trees being cut down - I felt like they were hurting the Earth.
All that being said though - I did not identify with environmental activists. To me, they all fit a certain mold that I did not. A lot advocated for conservation, which did not make sense to me given that we too have to use the land. Many were outdoorsy, had the same style of dressing, and their arguments/ideas were purely emotional and did not retain a strong grounding in logic.
Compare the way andrianna and i experienced china - tie that into how everyone's idea of nature is unique to them
Then I went to university and took an environmental course for fun and came accross this:
Photo by Www.CourtneyCarmody.com/
"Nature is not something to be fought, conquered and changed according to any human whims. To some extent, of course, it has to be used. But what man should seek in regard to nature is not a complete domination but a modus vivendi—that is, a manner of living together, a coming to terms with something that was here before our time and will be here after it." - Richard Weaver, scholar and author (1910-1963)
This struck a major chord with me, and I immediately decided to complete an environmental science degree in addition to the degree I was currently completing (Chemistry).
Symbiosis, man and nature living together as one. As we are from nature, we are thus natural - however, we seem to fight with everything else just to exist, and it should not be that way. There needs to be a modus vivendi. I am a huge fan of the eco-home movement, the community-service agriculture fad and environmental initiatives that combine our humanity with nature.
Concepts that attract me include installing wifi in forests, glamping (basically a very comfortable form of camping), home and inner-city agriculture, building homes on trees and molding our construction to nature, rather than vice-versa, perfect recycling where we are able to effectively re-use everything.
Wild law - the concept of giving environmental and natural entities legal rights that can be defended in a court of law e.g. a river suiting a company for polluting it
Symbiosis, man and nature living together as one. As we are from nature, we are thus natural - however, we seem to fight with everything else just to exist, and it should not be that way. There needs to be a modus vivendi. I am a huge fan of the eco-home movement, the community-service agriculture fad and environmental initiatives that combine our humanity with nature.
Concepts that attract me include installing wifi in forests, glamping (basically a very comfortable form of camping), home and inner-city agriculture, building homes on trees and molding our construction to nature, rather than vice-versa, perfect recycling where we are able to effectively re-use everything.
Wild law - the concept of giving environmental and natural entities legal rights that can be defended in a court of law e.g. a river suiting a company for polluting it
It is not just important to raise awareness, but to offer solutions as well
One of the reasons I had trouble identifying with environmentalists is because they were so quick to point out the problems, but they could never provide solutions beyond 'stop this' and 'conserve that'
Climate change is happening!
Solution?
X species is going extinct!
Solution?
One of the founders of Greenpeace was a doomsday person, until he saw his children. His son was suicidal and his daughter was depressed and he sat and talked to them and realised they simply did not see the point of living. Their world was such a scary horrible place destined for doom that what was the point of going on? Why study at school, why even care? and that is when he changed his message.
As an advocate on environmental matters, I make sure to avoid speaking if I cannot include a solution. Scientists work with problems, create theses and test them - environmental science is just that, a science. We must create solutions to problems we identify, or else, what is the point?
The problem doesn't give us a need to fight - the solution does.
Climate change is happening!
Solution?
X species is going extinct!
Solution?
One of the founders of Greenpeace was a doomsday person, until he saw his children. His son was suicidal and his daughter was depressed and he sat and talked to them and realised they simply did not see the point of living. Their world was such a scary horrible place destined for doom that what was the point of going on? Why study at school, why even care? and that is when he changed his message.
As an advocate on environmental matters, I make sure to avoid speaking if I cannot include a solution. Scientists work with problems, create theses and test them - environmental science is just that, a science. We must create solutions to problems we identify, or else, what is the point?
The problem doesn't give us a need to fight - the solution does.
Photo by Stuart Barr
Things I have done
Photo by Andrew_D_Hurley
Summary
- UN Rio+20 Photopiece
- UNDP E-waste recycling campaign
- Environmental consulting
- Political campiagns
- Environmental research
- Environmental Promotions
- Blogging
Research talk about:
- nuclear breakdown contaminants
- detecting contamination in drinking water
- ways to increase recycling in societies that dont typically do it
Keeping abreast of really cool concepts like phytoremediation where plants are used to return contaminated land to a fertile state
Blogging:
- I focus mainly on environmental photography and art, though I do occassionally share news and interesting concepts that I come accross
- Sharing eco-fashion concepts
Canada is multicultural, a multicultural approach is needed. The reason why immigrants arent being attracted to the parks en masse is because we arent drawing them the right way. Festivals for the chinese, free food to grab students, modernity for the africans etc
- nuclear breakdown contaminants
- detecting contamination in drinking water
- ways to increase recycling in societies that dont typically do it
Keeping abreast of really cool concepts like phytoremediation where plants are used to return contaminated land to a fertile state
Blogging:
- I focus mainly on environmental photography and art, though I do occassionally share news and interesting concepts that I come accross
- Sharing eco-fashion concepts
Canada is multicultural, a multicultural approach is needed. The reason why immigrants arent being attracted to the parks en masse is because we arent drawing them the right way. Festivals for the chinese, free food to grab students, modernity for the africans etc
Photo by Kurayba
Why environmental consulting?
- Working with "the enemy" so to speak
- Instead of "no" we say "try it this way"
- Learning while making a difference
- Requires innovation to meet both the clients wants and still take care of the impacted environment
- Relatively new field and things are constantly changing
- Funding a lot of environmental research
Photo by HoangP
La Principauté
- A Principality is typically defined as a land run by a Prince (e.g. Andorra, Luxembourg)
Photo by Wonderlane
La Principauté
- New defintion: A principality is a land run by a specific principal, a central unifying focus
- La Principauté is a promise and dedication to myself and to the world, that I will retain an environmentally conscious attitude in everything I do
- A promise to unify every action with a message
Photo by LendingMemo
