Environmental Studies students often cross a variety of intellectual boundaries, as we grapple with new skills and concepts; communicative boundaries, which involves interacting with new and different perspectives; and geographic boundaries, which requires the application of our newly acquired scholarly skills and knowledge to diverse environmental issues across the globe. The 21st annual Environmental Affairs Symposium continues to build on the theme “Environment Across Boundaries”, which expands on these various boundaries. The 2018 symposium culminated with an impactful and unexpected keynote speaker this October. Last year’s Environmental Affairs Symposium, “Environmental Engagement in Tough Times”, included a number of events, projects, and field trips that dealt with the exploration of opportunities for environmental engagement during a time where such issues have separated and polarized our nation. My involvement in these symposiums has opened my eyes to a new facet of environmental protection that is, perhaps, not often considered when we explore solutions for the environmental issues that affect our world today. This aspect involves a complicated web of ideas that I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around, but it is best summed up as listening. When dealing with issues such as “the environment”, that often divide people and create controversy, it is easy to get angry and jump to conclusions when engaging with those who hold different opinions than our own.
Last spring, my roommate helped organize a field trip to a ranch in southern Oregon to meet with individuals of a farming community who supported the armed militiamen who seized control of an Oregon wildlife refuge in 2016. The trip was organized in part with Healthy Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit that coordinates democracy programs to encourage healthy conversations that include diverse perspectives. Healthy Democracy worked with us the night before our visit to teach us valuable skills for participating in inclusive deliberation. The ranchers hosted us in a barn on their property, and invited several other members of their community to join our discussion. As a group, we developed a number of questions that were designed to allow these individuals to share their opinions without facing judgment. At the end of our discussion, everyone had the opportunity to share an impactful insight they gained from this experience. It is hard to imagine that 30 or so liberal arts students and ranchers from rural Oregon would be able to take part in an open discussion about environmental issues with no outward judgement, but we did just that. One of the hosts even gave a gift to one of the Lewis & Clark students. I went into this experience filled with uneasiness and dread, but I left with hope. This year’s symposium featured an unusual keynote speaker, Daryl Davis, a man who is known for reaching out and engaging with members of the KKK as a black man. Leading up to his talk, I heard many whispers across campus asking, “what in the world does this have to do with the environment?”, and I wondered this myself. While he made it clear that he was not here to talk to use about “the environment”, the ENVS faculty ensured us that Daryl’s story would illuminate the importance and challenges of engaging across difference. Daryl’s work embodies the same spirit of crossing boundaries I faced when talking with members of the southern Oregon ranching community. Daryl expressed that engaging across boundaries means stretching past one’s own community and being open to the perspectives of those who are much different than us; as different as a black man and a member of the KKK. While issues of racism and issues of the environment are hardly comparable, we can adopt his methodology to help us find solutions we have not already considered. The practice of engaging across boundaries is especially important for those who are interested in fields having to do with the environment, due to the differences in demographics, individuals in environmental fields are often far separated from opposing viewpoints. This is why the interdisciplinary nature of the Environmental Studies program at Lewis & Clark is so important to a progressive vision of environmentalism. Taking informed and multi-faceted approaches to broad issues like “the environment” is necessary for impactful change within the realm of environmental protection and beyond.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2018
Categories |