Humans in Nature
I found that being in nature for multiple hours a week was an extremely grounding experience. I took part in the (human)Nature immersion, in which every Monday and Thursday we would go hiking in the Boise foothills. This was during a very stressful time for me, as well as my peers, but when I was up in the hills with my fellow students I was able to disconnect myself from the troubles of our world from a human perspective and instead focus on the beauty of the world and strengthen my bond with my friends.
A key moment that helped me to realize that we need to preserve our planet was when I was sitting in the snow eating lunch with some friends. I had previously eaten in the same area two weeks prior, but it looked entirely different the second time, as the landscape was now covered in snow. It was truly an amazing experience to spend two weeks learning the area around me only to start a new adventure where the area I had spent time getting to know was now entirely changed.
I went outside the same night, at my house, and looked up at the night sky. I saw only a few stars. It was then I realized that in places with no light pollution you can see the whole milky way. I looked at a map that showed light pollution in the US and saw that Idaho was one of the least light polluted states, and I still could only see a few stars. No wonder people feel so lonely when they can't see how connected we are with the universe.
The realization that modern human civilization has had such a massive negative impact on the world around me, right here in Idaho, has inspired me to do all I can to conserve the area around me.
