Recently I just finished Appalachia North by Matthew Ferrence. In it, he recounts the complex relationship he still has with the land as a Northern Appalachian. Typically when I finish a book I write a Literature Appetizer to get people a taste of what they will find. Since his book is such a personal journey, I would not do it justice by recounting his life.
Many of his experiences reflect my own experience growing up in Western PA. So instead of condensing his journey, I thought I would condense mine.
The Hero’s Journey is a common literary structure where the hero of the story departs home to do a great act, and then returns victorious. My Northern Appalachian Journey is a bit different, but has a similar structure of three parts; Living in Water, Succeeding by Leaving, and The Mountains are Calling.
My two biggest disappointments in my public schooling education are 1) not becoming fluent in another language and 2) the US history I was taught. Not only was I taught factually incorrect things, but I was never taught historically significant events that happened locally. The Battle of Blair Mountain is a must read for anyone living in Appalachia.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the greatest video games ever created. It builds upon so many conventions, while also innovating in new and unique ways. The innovation that has stuck out to me the most, even after playing countless hours, is the quest Destroy Ganon.
When I play Breath of the Wild, the quest Destroy Ganon gives me the same feeling as when I think about the climate crisis.
As a student, each of my Environmental Education teachers assumed we had already read “Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv. It was so core to Environmental Education, it must have been covered in another course, right? It wasn’t until April 2021, more than 10 years since becoming a student in Environmental Education, that I finally read this sacred text.
Except…it isn’t sacred. There are some problematic views in this book. If we do not address these issues, we will not be able to fully achieve our goal; show kids how to learn from the land. Below are the three points we need to address in Environmental Education if we are to fully educate the next generation of life-long learners.
In December 2020 the employees of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh voted to form a union. This marked an end to the six month campaign lead by the United Steel Workers and it also marked the beginning of a new era in the four museum network.
After the official formation of the United Museum Workers union, many of my friends and colleges said the same thing; “Andrew Carnegie must be rolling in his grave.”
This morning marked the third day that Pittsburgh has been in a “Code Orange” for air quality. For those who are unaware, code orange is defined as “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” While there are a multitude of factors including seasonal weather and topography, one of the largest factors for the Monongahela Valley is Clairton Coke Works.
Even though I am not in one of the defined sensitive groups, I had trouble breathing when out and about yesterday and today. The thick haze that has covered my city has made me want to stay inside and find distractions.
I cannot think of a better analogy for how I have felt politically over the past four years.
Early last Saturday morning I awoke before sunrise. Climbing out of my hanging tent, I took a peaceful walk through the woods to the stony shore of the Allegheny Reservoir. There is a clarity of thought that happens that early in the morning. Sun melted away the fog and my morning grogginess.
Unfortunately, large motor boats broke the still silence of the morning. Large and loud, they charged forward on the reservoir as I sat contemplating. My plan was to kayak early in the morning, but those boats were creating such large wakes that it would be unsafe to travel on the water.
Before starting my road trip back to Pittsburgh, I stopped to read this sign.
As much as I am a technological optimist, one of the worst things it has done has disconnected us from the natural world. Not because technology is inherently ‘anti-nature,’ but because we have not taken the steps to consider the side effects when using technology. One of the simplest examples of this is light pollution;
COVID-19 is spreading through humanity like a forest fire; rapid and unpredictable. Even with the best crew response, sometimes things keep getting worse.
Within my first season living in Cascadia I had to run away from a forest fire. In a matter of hours communication changed from “start to pack your things, but no rush,” to “GET OUT OF HERE NOW!” It was terrifying not knowing where I was going to sleep each night, not knowing who made it out ok.
