'Simplicity And Sanity In Scott Sanders A Conservationist Manifesto'

Throughout time, many people have given up their normal lives in order to live simply. Whether it’s going out and living in the wild alone or giving up electricity and running water. “Sometimes the weight of civilization can be overwhelming. The fast pace ... the burdens of relationships ... the political strife ... the technological complexity — it's enough to make you dream of escaping to a simpler life more in touch with nature.” (Nelson) Some just can’t handle it, but some have too. Whether it’s criminal, religious, research reasons, or the world is just too much to handle living out in the wild happens for a reason and there are certain things that influence it.

Our world is wasting valuable resources left and right, as addressed in both essays “Waste Not, Want Not”” by Bill McKibbens, and “Forget Shorter Showers” by Derrick Jensen. In “Waste Not, Want Not”” Bill McKibbens focuses on the importance of preserving our recourses. He mentions how wasteful the human race is, and how un-necessary all of the things that cause waste really are. In “Forget Shorter Showers” Derrick Jensen leans more towards the idea that no matter what humans do, they are incapable of wining. Either they lose their opportunity for economical and intellectual growth, or they lose their precious recourses and clean world. Both writers realize that we are wasting recourses, and believe that change is necessary for advancement. While the writers may have similar views, they have different ideas on how to solve the issue, and use different methods of communicating their ideas.

Since the dawn of mankind, clusters of innovations throughout history have allowed for societal progression at an explosive rate. While primarily fostering a centrifugal system of advancements; humans’ interests in expansion is spiraling out of control. Throughout history elements of collapse can be traced through civilizations and natural resources. Wright’s argument posits humans have hyperextended their utilization of resources at a rate that cannot be replenished, therein by setting up the world for the largest ecological collapse in history (Wright, 2004, pg. 130-131). Due to the cyclical process of past collapse and reformation humans have an advantage to rectify our current consumption rates ultimately avoiding a fate similar to past societies (Wright, 2004, pg. 131). As such Wright’s argument should frame larger discussions of responsible citizenship.

Growing up in Switzerland and Oregon, I learned that nature is greatly valued and it is necessary to respect the environment to prevent impending environmental collapse. Living in a society whose morals and ethics include

“I come before you tonight both as a lover and a critic of the conservation movement, as one who is at once proud of our past accomplishments and disappointed by them, troubled about the future of the movement and hopeful for it. …The more we exploit nature, the more our options are reduced, until we have only one: to fight for survival,” Congressman Udall started out his acceptance speech. This powerful statement captures the theme of my education and research foundation- i.e. a more organized and open environmental

Have you ever wondered what our future will be like when we are old and grey, when we have grandchildren of our own? In Chip Ward’s letter to his grandchildren “We screwed up” (2012), he writes about how wasteful, greedy, and self-centered he and his generation is when they were younger. Ward’s generation did not stop to think once about how incompetent they were about using non-renewable resources such as coal, oil, gasoline, etc. They also forgot to keep in mind how being piggish with these materials would pollute the air we breathe and the water we drink today. Chip Wards generation was the most avaricious, wasteful and egotistical generations of all.

This environmentally friendly objective is quite the opposite of Americans’ scouring past to use up all the resources on the continent. Today, Americans know that they must create a sustainable future so that their descendants can survive on this planet for generations to come. To understand this current American ideal, one must look at the past and the damage that has been done through

We can redirect this, how? Let me suggest that if a farmer sees a tree that is unhealthy, they don't look at the branches to diagnosis it, they look at the root, so like that farmer, we must look at the root, and not to the branches of the government, not to the politicians run by corporations.We are the root, we are the foundation, this generation, it is up to us to take care of this planet.It is our only home, we must globally warm our hearts and change the climate of our souls and realize that we are not apart from nature, we are a part of nature.And to betray nature is to betray us, to save nature, is to save us. Because whatever you're fighting for- Racism, Poverty, Feminism, Gay Rights, or any type of Equality. It won't matter in the least, because if we don't all work together to save the environment, we will be equally

"Save the Planet," "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle," "Go Green." Quotes like these have become a commonality in today's age. We all are familiar with the large efforts to help preserve the environment. In "Ideals of Human Excellence and Preserving Natural Environments," Thomas E. Hill Jr. sums up his essay by stating, "The point is not to insinuate that all anti-environmentalists are defective, but to see that those who value such traits as humility, gratitude, and sensitivity to others have reason to promote the love of nature" (688; par. 4) This excerpt provides the thesis behind Hill's argument. The author found that

“A Letter from the Future” by Richard Heinberg describes to readers of a not too distant future (2101) an Earth in which its resources have been squandered and is facing an irreversible environmental meltdown caused by human’s greediness and mismanagement. Heinberg writes from the future to try and educate past civilization on what is happening in the future and how if their actions don’t change in how they treat their natural resources their future will irrefutably be destroyed for all mankind. Heinberg wrote this letter in order to explain just how dangerously high our current use of resources are and how it will impact the future.

Aldo Leopold articulates about an important statement regarding environmental conservation: “A little repentance just before a species goes over the brink (i.e. becomes extinct) is enough to make us virtuous. When the species is gone we have a good cry and repeat the performance” (Leopold, 194). In this statement, Leopold is referring to how we do not realize the importance of a particular species until it is extinct or on the brink of extinction, and the worst part is that we keep repeating this same mistake yet again.

It is apparent that the American natural resources are not inexhaustible and thus without conservation, Americans would run out of these resources that have made it possible for the people to enjoy improved standards of living and industries. As such, the natural resources should be conserved for generations to come to enjoy the same benefits as today’s generation. Moreover, man’s activities, such as pollution and wastage of the natural resources endanger his existence.

We live in a world that offers so many things to us. A home, food, water, life itself, yet we don 't take much care of it and are destroying it instead. The presence of pollution has been around for such a great amount of time now that you would expect us as humans, to start noticing the mass destruction we are causing and start doing something about it. Glaciers are melting, water levels are rising, the water and air around is being polluted if it 's not polluted already. There is little being done to try and stop or at least slow down this fatal event. If we do not start taking care of our own home, we will soon be left with no home at all, and the only one’s we can blame for that, is ourselves.

Present generations are reaping what their forefathers had sowed for them; future generations will reap what present generations have been sowing whether they like it or not. Past, present and future generations are dependent on each other’s choices. Technologies are zooming rapidly. Humanities prefer to overwork natural resources and often fell into technologies’ competitive temptations. Generations are getting smarter and innovative each day. New products are constantly changing to catch customers’ attention, while current products are still young and are not even ready to mature yet. While many are embracing technologies, few are concerned with the scars that have been embedded on natural resources. It is so easy to fall into the

Ethics is the study of what is right and wrong in human conduct. Environmental ethics studies the effects of human’s moral relationships on the environment and everything within it (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2008). The ethical principles that govern those relations determine human duties, obligations, and responsibilities with regard to the Earth’s natural environment and all of the animals and plants that inhabit it (Taylor, 1989). The purpose of this paper is to reveal environmental issues that are threatening the existence of life on Earth, and discus our social obligations to refrain from further damaging our environment, health and life for future generations. I will discus the need for appropriate actions and the ethical