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.
“Survival of the fittest,” is the foundation of the Darwinian Evolutionary Theory. The weakest don’t have as many opportunities to pass along their genes, causing them to become extinct. But does ‘fittest’ have to mean competition?
Humanity has only been able to achieve civilization by working together. Cooperation often leads to the advancement of our species, rather than its downfall. Would that strategy work with other organisms? More than just small levels of symbiotic relationships; can non-humans make complex, cooperative networks?
Recently, a fire broke out in the waters outside the Yucatan Peninsula. While news sources will get into specifics, “it was the Pemex oil company responding to a gas leak,” many were horrified at the mere idea of the ocean catching fire. Some compared the fire to the Cuyahoga River fire, and how we can fix it by working together.
Honestly, I’m not worried about these ‘big flashy problems.’ Like the Cuyahoga River fires, the solution is simple; stop polluting in a certain area. I’m more worried about the slow, gradual changes in the Climate Crisis. The question isn’t whether the crisis is here. The question is what are we going to do, since it has already arrived.
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.
