Haley Conroy - 1/12/23 First Week Reflection - Humans in the Landscape

This week we began exploring and reading about humans in the landscape in relation to environmental studies and environmentalism in general. In the first chapter we meet humans in the landscape and we see as we live and interact with the environment. I believe it is important to acknowledge how human societies have always existed within natural systems and human beings also have this large footprint to affect the entirety of the world. For example, the melting of glaciers and many argue it is the result of human induced behavior. In our highly urbanized world, many people have lost sight of the entanglement of culture, localities, symbols, houses, style, and beliefs. This chapter has an overarching theme that our actions affect people and ecosystems ‘near and far, now and in the future’ (Lee, 4). To put into perspective, think about the produce that you purchase from the grocery store, do you think about the pesticides and chemicals that are on those products? Although society has been better about recognizing the human footprint on nature, it has often become too damaging. Lee supports this by stating, “despite all of our power, humans remain an undomesticated species in the environment, even though billions of people and growing numbers of businesses are trying to live responsibly” (Lee, 4). I think this chapter is attempting to get across the main message that we rely on the natural environment and world for everything - from the air we breathe, to the water we drink, and the minerals that help grow our produce etc. This reminds me of the book we read in the Religion and Ecology class, The Ecology of Eden, by Evan Eisenberg because he believes that “many of the species we have trampled underfoot did jobs that we have not been able to take over” (Eisenberg, 22). I believe that both authors may be in conversation with one another about how society has taken advantage of our ‘abundance’ of natural resources. 


 

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