Rosemary Roberts

graduate student in anthropology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec

Today’s Date: January 10, 2007

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

This is difficult to answer, as there have been many such interactions in my life. I have always loved animals and being outside in nature, and had many important experiences with both.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

I have always loved the forests of the Pacific Northwest, where I grew up and where my family still lives. There were several spots in the temperate rainforests of the region that I would have considered my favorites. One in particular that stands out is a section of real old-growth in the Olympic National Forest of Washington.

Now? More recently, I have explored other parts of the world, been on the tops of mountains, and in hot, dry deserts. While I had incredible experiences in various places, I still consider the forests of the PNW to be my real home.

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

I have always had an affinity for cats, both large and small. I've had cats as pets off an on throughout my life, and find it gratifying to live with them. In terms of non-domesticated animals, I have always really liked bats. But it's tough, as I've never come across an animal I didn't like.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Right now, the greatest challenge is getting the people and the government to realize what we are doing, and to start taking steps toward more sustainable living.

I hope that this will not still be the greatest challenge a few years down the road. We will need to put our resources into finding alternatives for when the oil runs out, and for when we have no more fresh water. Those seem to be the most pressing depletions facing us.

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Well, right now I am trying to tell everyone I know about cleaning with alternatives to harmful chemical products. In particular, I recently found out about uncloging drains with baking soda and vinegar instead of drano, which is toxic and pollutes the water system.

I can't just leave it at one; my other mission at the moment is sharing information with the women I know about alternatives to tampons and pads. There are several companies now making reusable products, which are environmentally-friendly in that they don't use paper resources, take far less energy to produce, and don't end up in the landfill, and woman-friendly in that they don't import harmful chemicals into our bodies, and cost us a lot less over time.

I believe that the most effective way, at this point, to combat the destruction of our planet and everything that lives on it--including us--is by sharing ideas with each other on the little things (which turn out not to be so little) that we can change in our lives. It's great to say "drive less" and "recycle more", but when people are presented with a viable alternative to something they use, I think they are more likely to make the change and to stick with it, which then makes a difference in the world.