Nature

Concepts of nature

I created a post a few years ago about what is “The Environment”? I’m working on updating this post. I’ve integrated it into the open textbook (freely available) Introduction to Sustainability. Based on some recent learnings and realizations, I have been challenging my view of this even more. This led me to an article by … Continue reading →

Rewilding and Food Sustainability

Rewilding is a conservation approach that focuses on restoring natural processes. It involves less human management compared to many approaches to managing landscapes including both natural and agricultural areas. Keystone species, those that impact many other species, are fundamental to the success of rewilding, as is the return of wild versions of both plants and … Continue reading →

Walkability and greenery both matter

The neighbourhood I live in isn’t great for walkability. There are sidewalks but they are often close to major roads. There are trees along some of the bike paths, at least the ones that haven’t been torn out, but they do little to shelter you from the noise. It is also definitely easier to make … Continue reading →

Does nature help everyone’s mental health?

Well, we don’t actually know. There’s a problem in a lot of research. We study who we have access to and forget that might not be representative of the broader world. Don’t get me wrong, efforts are often made to ensure generalizability but too often we overlook the lack of diversity completely. For example, I … Continue reading →

The adulting advent calendar

Not untouched nature: Birds are changing due to climate change

I’ve written before about the idea of an environment or wilderness that is separate from humans. The separation is an artificial construct. We can’t be separate as we depend on nature for everything from food to building supplies to our recreation. Sure, many of our objects are not obviously from nature but the petrochemicals for … Continue reading →

People forget about the wild part of wildlife

I went to Banff National Park this past weekend. Mostly I avoided popular places because Covid is raging in the province. But both times I ended up where people were, I saw people getting too close to wildlife and someone feeding or intending to feed the animals. To me, this behaviour is evident of the … Continue reading →

Is simulated nature the same?

I’ve written before about the physical and psychological benefits of seeing and spending time in nature. Similarly, I’ve written about some of the barriers that people face in accessing natural settings. Which leads to the question of whether simulated nature has the same benefits as the real thing. Browning et al (2020) asked this question … Continue reading →

Do animals give each other gifts?

My cats latest favourite toys are pipe cleaners. They stole them off my desk when I was using them to model cell biology concepts in a video for my bio class and they never gave them back. During my workday it is fairly common for one of them to meow their way through the house … Continue reading →

What is “The Environment”?

What is “the” environment? Do you know where the border is between environment and not environment? The environment has featured heavily in conversations about sustainability. In fact, most people assume that sustainability is really environmental responsibility and that we need to be better in how we manage natural resources. This, we connect directly to nature. … Continue reading →