For my second post, I walked down to Blunn creek and decided to demonstrate the pollution that we are causing in this reserve. I headed to Blunn Creek on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, it was exactly 79 degrees (F) but felt a little cooler with the wind. Compared to last month, it has definitely gotten a lot warmer but in my opinion it’s the perfect weather to go out to a park with a few friends. As I approached the creek, I began to observe all the trash that was around me. Aldo Leopold stated, “That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics.” One of Leopold’s philosophical achievements was the idea that this ‘community’ should be enlarged to include non-human elements such as soils, waters, plants, and animals, “or collectively: the land.” This is called Land ethics, which inspired me to walk back to my dorm to grab a trash back and pick up as much trash as I could. I found myself picking up a bunch of cigarette boxes, beer cans/bottles, and plastic bottles. It was a great experience to be in the woods surrounded by birds, plants, wild rabbits and much more, and knowing I was doing my best to clean their environment.
