In today’s society, much of the resistance for finding ecological solutions comes from those who

Accordingly, the nature was one of the Romantic themes adored by numerous readers during this era. The author’s description of untamed environment and striking sight inspires and impresses the readers. Soothing and relaxing people through these illustrations, author takes them away from the impersonal society. For example, The Most Sublime Spectacle on Earth by John Wesley Powell vividly displays the spectacular views of Grand Canyon to make readers forget the depraved reality. “The carving of the Grand Canyon is the work of rains and rivers,” Powell stresses that Grand Canyon is the splendid work of nature, not the artificial work of

Since the early 20th century the environmentalism movement has migrated from the struggles of consumers versus producers, or saving the planet as a whole as shown by Donald Worster in Nature’s Economy to a more socio-economic view based on urban growth and industrial health. Robert Gottlieb’s book Forcing the Spring: The Transformation of the American Environmental Movement argues that as society goes so too does the environmental movement. As the emphasis on working environments and commercial goods we buy including food changes so too does the environmental movements. It did not matter whether it was large politically prominent environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club or the Audubon Societies or any other numbers of local grassroots

Ever since the dawn of industrialization, humans have caused serious, irreversible damage to the biosphere. And as the world progresses and Canadians looks on, they realized the impact of their environmental damage. Sometimes new ecofriendly technology enters the market and replaces the old environment damaging one. But that is not enough, human society as a whole must completely rethink and change themselves individually to so that their actions causes minimal environmental backlash.

Humanity is but a facet of the sublime macrocosm that is the world’s landscapes. In the relationship between man and landscape, nature is perpetually authoritarian. In her free-verse poems, The Hawthorn Hedge, (1945) and Flame-Tree in a Quarry (1949), Judith Wright illustrates the how refusal to engage with this environment is detrimental to one’s sense of self, and the relentless endurance of the Australian landscape. This overwhelming force of nature is mirrored in JMW Turner’s Romantic artwork, Fishermen at Sea (1796). Both Wright and Turner utilise their respective texts to allegorise the unequal relationship between people and the unforgiving landscape.

Have you ever thought about how your actions or opinions affected the environment around you? We’re constantly unaware of what we do that impacts the environment’s condition. One author named Wendell Berry blames the public in his article regarding the way society and the industry has treated the environment and its natural resources. This raises concerns whether we should be putting more importance on the economy or the land that we live in for the sake of our future survival. While I agree with most of Berry’s points and perspectives I slightly disagree with a few of his opinions, but nonetheless he brings up a great matter in today’s modern society.

As environmental and suitability movements continue to evolve and grow, the importance of bringing society from a state of awareness to one of consciousness is key to their long term success. Finding a way for people to have an emotional connection and reaction to the issues that face our world today as they relate to sustainability will likely be the turning point for more universal support and

Instead of focusing on the individual, “ecological economics invites us to picture ourselves not as isolated individuals but as housemates” (McFague 132). This model has two goals striving for sustainability and distributive justice which will allow for the earth’s resources to be sustained for future generations. McFague feels that the ecological economic system will provide an efficient system that will suit and support the needs of the world.

In chapters two and three titled “Sites” and “Movements” respectively, Howard makes the case that there is a “dialectical” relationship between the subject and the landscape (both social and physical) and

Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty is a 3ft. 6 in. x 15 ft. x 1,500 ft. Earthwork located in Great Salt Lake, Utah. It was created in April 1970. Located where the rails of the first transcontinental railroad met, it sits near the Golden Spike monument; making it an actual landscape. It’s a giant counterclockwise spiral sculpture made of black rock, earth, algae, and salt crystals. It is said that Smithson used dump trucks and bulldozers to haul in 6,650 tons of earth and rocks to complete the Spiral Jetty. In a 32-minute short color film, he recorded the construction of the Spiral Jetty. Smithson had to acquire land rights, before completing it. Virginia Dwan Gallery of New York gave Smithson a $9,000 grant for a part of the Spiral Jetty’s construction. The rest was financed over a 20 years lease at payments of $100 annually. The first phase of building the Spiral Jetty took about 6 days to complete. Smithson was not completely satisfied with it initially and spent another 3 days changing the shape. 7,000 tons of rock had to be moved during these 3 additional days of work. Smithson died 3 years after completing the Spiral Jetty. It is now owned by the state of Utah, who acquired it in 2011.

In the painting North Shore Lake Superior by Lawren S. Harris which is located in the Tom Thompson Gallery in the AGO, line and colour relationships bring about a sense of harmony and contrast throughout the piece as well as the feeling of peacefulness. When the viewer witnesses the landscape, the composition exemplifies a scene of a beach in the winter with its many blue tones. The work of art resembles a beach with a cool atmosphere incorporating mostly blue, grey, and white. In the foreground, there is a tree trunk at the shore of the ocean which is centered and surrounded by many stones. The trunk has no texture due to the abstraction of its form; no detailed lines are present and the solid vertical strips of dark colours simplify the structure. There is an evident presence of light as indicated by the diagonal lines that descend from the top left hand corner of the painting. The lines illustrate dynamic movement of the sun beams as they collide with the contour of the freestanding form. The combination of elements, such as line and colour, bring about harmony as well as evoke a sense of tranquility.

I am analyzing the form and content of a stylized painting entitled The Palisades by John William Hill. This was found in the collection section of themetmusuem.org which was painted during the pre Raphaelite movement; when artist emphasized meticulous detail in what was observed rather than imagined nature. This artwork shows the aesthetics of nature, depicting a peaceful scenery with spacious green acres during the year of the 1870s. During the late 18th centuries, natural resources weren’t highly industrialized and that in itself shows how nature was essential for all human species. I argue that this painting shows how everything in nature connects and communicates with one another.

In 1970, Robert Smithson created the “Spiral Jetty” with dump trucks, front-loaders, and a tractor to move the basalt stones and sand. The “Spiral Jetty” is located near the Great Salt Lake of Utah. Smithson created this piece so that the land and the water could meet. This artwork is supposed to change over time in response to the environment. Robert Smithson represents the idea of entropy in the  “Spiral Jetty.” Therefore, this landscape looks different than whenever it was first established. The “Spiral Jetty” is located at a terminal basin, which is a freshwater place with no outlet. Whenever it is done flowing it will evaporate. So the water is dense with minerals causing the high amount of basalt and sand. For this reason, not many plants

A landscape that has not been affected by the destruction of man, is more appealing than the harsh reality of human interaction with nature. This is also depicted in Carr’s serene painting of Juan de Fuca Strait (fig.3), a body of water in Vancouver. There are many other artists that have been inspired by their surrounding landscape and Aboriginal encounters. Tom Thomson, for example, was able to capture the beauty of the Northland (fig.4) by perfectly painting the colors present in the forest, we also see the perfect view explorers are exposed to before the destruction for the building of a new

Helena Norberg-Hodge has worked ruthlessly to positively impact the endangered world through promoting localization and social and ecological well-being for all communities around the globe. For example, she created and now directs Local Futures/International Society for Ecology and Culture, an organization dedicated to changing economic globalization into localization of communities (cite). By doing this, Norberg-Hodge has opened the world’s eyes to the overdependence of communities on big businesses and the goods they supply. Every community has the potential to eliminate that dependence through investment in their own local environment and

The economy today runs on an antiquated ritual of exploiting, plundering, devastation, and manipulation of land for material wealth, profiting the wealthy and condemning the poor. This mindset is no more sophisticated than feudalism, a system so bad it had to be outlawed along with witchcraft. The idea that exploitation of land is justified has brought plastics to the ocean and leveled rainforests. Large corporations have grown larger by manufacturing and production, depleting the planet’s resources in the process. Now, companies must make a combined effort to put the environment first, before profit. Because of their harmful practices, consumers have the right to know where products come from, how they’re made, and the impact on the environment. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the large corporations to change their harmful practices, to make strides towards ending climate change and use clean, sustainable methods.