If you can’t be in awe of Mother Nature, there’s something wrong with you. —Alex Trebek
The broad topic of the environment covers everything from recycling to climate change. While these subjects are important to understand, I think the most important effort is to raise the awareness of folks to the world in which we live. How can one say they care about saving the environment, if they are unaware and have little understanding of this environment? My observation of the news and social media is that many speak of concerns without understanding them.
The question then is how to introduce people to the joy of really observing their environment? As contradictory as it sounds, the internet provides many opportunities for that. A great start is birds. A great place to start with that is The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. There are many other ways to become more aware of the wonders of nature. Citizen Science activities provide many ways to explore this. I think the most important part of this is getting out of doors and exploring.
I am a Rotarian and Rotary International has declared protecting the environment its 7th area of focus. Other areas are: promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies. A friend and I are proposing we bring that to a local level through our Rotary District and local clubs. Rotary International has an action group, ESRAG, which has been involved in this for quite some time. A healthy interaction with the environment is not only good for the environment; it’s good for us.
Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. —Frank Lloyd Wright