A Land Ethic For Our Time - The Green Fire Still Burns
Upon entering the auditorium on Nov. 14, 2011, audience members were given a green flamed shaped piece of paper and were asked to write down their own "green fire" moment, if they'd ever had one. By investing the audience members in the "green fire" exercise, they were more likely to be intrigued by the Green Fire documentary. The question beckoned people by engaging them in sharing a personal experience that fundamentally changed how they viewed nature, but for some, including me, it was not easily answered.
What was my green fire moment? I wasn't sure if I'd even had a green fire moment. Interactions with nature can be subtle, and at first I had a little trouble trying to remember my first green fire moment. But then it hit me - my awareness of nature had flared up when I started watching a show on Animal Planet called "Sea Shepherds." One of the first and most striking things I saw in the beginning of the show was the harpooning of a whale in the Antarctic. The creature fought valiantly for its life, but eventually its lifeless body was pulled up onto a factory ship's slip way and then dragged onto the deck where Japanese fishermen butchered the whale's body for "research." The experience of watching an intelligent gentle giant die made me more conscious of the consequences of humanity's actions when it comes to nature, the environment, the land, the sea, wildlife and our natural resources. The consequences of years of careless abuse to our environment are fast becoming more visible with every passing day, but seeing that destructive act really opened my eyes to the "green fire," as Leopold put it.
Now in honor of Earth Day I'd like to ask the students of NEIU to send their "green fire" moments of 200 words or less to NEIUindependent@gmail.com, along with their full names and major. The Independent Newspaper staff will pick several of the best ones to be published as part of next issue and those students selected will win a gift certificate to Beck's Bookstore!
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