Today is Earth day! It is not one of the more popular holidays. We do not get the day off or send specialty gift cards, but It has become a meaningful day for me. I use it as a chance to reflect back on some of the striking moments I spent outside in the last year and my relationship with nature. This year I am in Sammamish, it is raining, and there is a global pandemic. My plans, like everyone’s, have changed as a result. I have already canceled my plans for trips, courses, a wedding, work, and, most recently, my three-month expedition in Iceland. I am disappointed. However, looking back on the previous year, some of my favorite moments did not take 2 years to plan, or even 2 minutes.
For this reason, I am optimistic about the coming year. I don’t know when I will be able to work again or what I will be doing. Still, I also know at this point, everything is so unpredictable, planning anything is senseless. I can take this time to live in the moment and take advantage of the new free time. Unfortunately, so far, the most productive thing I have done is rebuilding a burned-out Xbox 360 and beating Assassin’s Creed 4, leaving me with dreams of piracy and parkour. I am working on avoiding instant gratification and focus on more of my long term goals.
My first goal is to spend more time on my writing and photography, so here we go…
Some significant events happened in the last 12 months, primarily being my completion of a Master’s degree, where I looked into the effects of Antarctic tourism on the visitors. To write my 83-page thesis about human connection to Antarctica, I had to think about my own connection almost nonstop. I am thrilled by the research showing time outside helps with tons of health concerns while also instilling a motivation to protect the environment. I am also frustrated to tears that so many people exploit nature, and the places I love pursuing a materialistic definition of success at the expense of the generations to come. What’s worse, the United States, specifically the politicians lobbying for extractive industries to have lower environmental standards, are holding back the rest of the world from making a better future. I am proud to come from a country that was founded on innovation. First, with the belief, we could govern ourselves, then technologically. I wish we could collectively go back to the mindset of pushing forward and innovating to meet future challenges.
The weight of global climate issues can only be held by working together. Still, we are all divided because we are too busy telling each other how to live to see it doesn’t matter. I like to hope people are trying to make their world a better place. I also recognize some people are willing to step on anyone they need to to get what they want. This is evident in the current pandemic. Thousands of people are working hard despite their low wages and chances of becoming ill to help those around them. At the same time, some try to capitalize on medical needs by price-gouging essential goods. Like the health care workers fighting COVID-19, we need to trust climate scientists have our best interests at heart and embrace the changes they are advocating. Or accept the rest of the world is going to move on, and the U.S. will just be the next Empire to crumble.
The sense of doom that often accompanies environmental science is not my favorite. So now that that is out of the way, some more exciting things.
Over the years, being outside started to feel like work, so this year I worked hard to go on personal trips and spend time doing things outside that I love. I made an effort to get out in my sea kayaks and my whitewater kayaks. I coached at some super fun events. I lead elementary and middle school kids on the water and took a handful of people camping for the first time ever. I showed people why I love Antarctica. I made new friends, and I strengthened old friendships. Over the summer, I helped launch the first-ever hybrid expedition cruise ship, with Hurtigruten, which will hopefully lead the way into a more sustainable future for tourism. I wrestled blackberry bushes. I paddled the hardest whitewater I have ever been in. I planned an expedition rad enough to be sponsored, and so well, it took a global pandemic to stop me. Most importantly, I rekindled my passion for, and relationship with nature.
Being outside continually teaches me to be a better, stronger, and more caring person. I have learned from the hardship of the weather to endure when I need to and find shelter when I can’t. I learned to slow down and enjoy the moment when it is nice. I have learned to help the people I can because it is more fun when everyone is safe and cheerful. And I was reminded once again, Earth is a beautiful place to live when we don’t fuck it up.
So, this Earth Day, I hope you take the time to think about this fantastic blue planet we live on, all the things it has taught you, and how you plan to get out this year and connect with the only home we have.
