Emily D'Souza- Topic of Choice 4: The knowing vs. the encountering

 One concept that I have always found interesting in some of the environmental classes I have taken is the knowing vs. the encountering, and I feel like this can be very influential in protecting the environment. In class we discussed this, and I interpreted it as “the knowing” being what it is, and “the encountering” is where you form a relationship with the environment. For example, people know that climate change is occurring, but they don’t do anything about it because they don’t experience the effects of it. Whereas an ecologist studying the melting ice caps in greenland and has first-handidly seen and encountered the effects of climate change would be more inclined to make a difference. I believe it was in religion and ecology last semester where we discussed gardening, and how that brings you closer to nature than going to the grocery store and buying produce. When you buy produce from the grocery store, you know it was grown from the earth, but most people don’t really think about that everytime they go, it’s just another grocery trip. However, those who grow their own produce have a relationship and mutual responsibility with said produce. It begins as a seed, and you must care for it by making sure it gets the sun, water, and nutrients necessary for survival. Once you spend time tending to the plant, it’s then time to harvest and it eat, and I feel as if this creates a deeper and more meaningful connection to what you eat. People with personal gardens encounter and experience the growth of the plants, rather than just buying it off a shelf. The knowing vs. encountering also stands true to national parks and environmental beauty. A personal experience for me is going to Sequoia National Park. I had always seen pictures of the giant trees, but nothing compares to actually being there and experiencing the immensity of these trees. So for me, their beauty and size is what makes them valuable, but for people who haven’t personally encountered it, they could be just trees.

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