Anonymous

student

Today’s Date: February 4, 2007

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

When I was a child every year at Christmas time my whole family would go to land that my Grandparents owned to cut the smaller pines from the woods to sell for Christmas trees. My Grandparents were farmers, and selling Christmas trees was how they paid for Christmas. The woods had a newer section were there were trees my Grandparents had planted themselves, way back when. Those original plantings had grown and were reproducing naturally in the area by the time I came around, and those new young trees were the ones we would walk back in and thin, and drag out on a trailer behind a snow mobile until we made it back up to the road where the cars were waiting. There was not even a drive into the property back then. The wooded property was not on the same side of town as their house, and so I didn't get to go there very often, but I always looked forward to it. There was back farther a stand of very old Scotch Pines in those woods, and I loved to walk under those tall pines in the quiet of the woods. I felt very connected to the trees, and sheltered under their boughs, it was magical. Since then I have always loved the woods, (and especially love old stands of Scotch Pines), and I hope someday I will find a special wooded place of my own to be care taker of. It makes me sad that the person who purchased that land from my Grandmother has now built a housing development in those very special old woods. I will make sure that when I do find my land that the woods will be protected even after I leave by donating it to a charity that will preserve it when I am gone. I have a deep appreciation for the beauty of the Earth on which we were born, and for our responsibility as it's care takers that comes partly from my Grandparents, partly from the magic of those trees, and partly from seeing those beautiful woods developed.

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

I lived two houses down from my Grandparents farm, and I was down there as much as I was at home (maybe more really). I loved to play in my Grandma's yard, and that was definitely my favorite place as a child.

Now? I enjoy hiking through the many beautiful wooded parks in my state. It would be too hard to pick a favorite, I love finding new special places as often as I can to walk through.

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

I love all animals, and I get a lot of pleasure from feeding my local birds, chipmunks and squirrels especially. My favorite animal however would have to be my cat. He is an orange male with short hair and tiger stripes and he is a great companion. He enjoys watching my feeders too, but with different intent.

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?

Without question global climate change, and I believe it will continue to be into the future for at least my life time. How the world responds to the call to reduce emissions, deals with managing our limited resources, and hopefully finds sustainable ways for such an expanded population to live on the only planet we have is certain to be the greatest challenge our species has ever faced.

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

Taking care of our Gaia is taking care of ourselves.

If we truly wish to consider ourselves the most intelligent species on the planet and masters of the land, then we must accept the responsibilities that come with that. It is possible to live comfortably and do so in a sustainable way if we will simply make the decision to do so. Please do things such as:

Buy an electric hybrid vehicle

Buy your energy from companies that generate emission free power such as hydro or wind

Or put in a grid tied system of your own

When building or remodeling support green development practices and products

Buy foods and goods produced locally over those that were shipped from far away when possible

Buy foods and goods made of recycled or sustainable materials over those that were not

Buy products that were produced by a company that cares about the environment and does not pollute

(Remember that your purchases do matter!)

Talk to your work place about ways it can be made more efficient and green minded

Write to your representatives and let them know that these are matters that you expect them to act upon

If you cannot do the all above you can still make good choices, and keep your life style, simply:

Drive the most fuel efficient car you can afford

Walk or bike more for local trips

Turn down your thermostat by a few degrees in winter and up a few degrees in summer

Buy the most energy efficient appliances you possibly can

Make your home as well insulated and energy efficient as possible

Use compact florescent bulbs

Place things on a remote and/or that constantly use power even when off on a switch or power strip and turn them off when not in use

Jaime Ortiz Patiño

Owner, Valderrama Golf Club - Spain

Today's Date: 25th January 2007

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

To look out on my golf course and the wildlife sanctuaries around the course, and see how both can co-exist in harmony.

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

My favourite place was the Swiss mountains. We used to go on school excursions for skiing and mountain- climbing.

Now? Now my favourite place in the great outdoors is being on the golf course at Valderrama and seeing everything grow in perfect condition.

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

My favourite animal is the polar bear. It makes me very sad to think that it is in danger of extinction.

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?

The greatest environmental challenge we face today is pollution, which must be controlled. The greatest environmental challenge we will face in the future is global warming.

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

My advice would be to be aware of energy consumption, and not waste it.


[sent via postal mail]

Rula Khateeb

Project Manager- Youth Development and Voluntary Work Association - Palestine

Today's Date: Feb 3, 2007

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

i had a chance to visit a forest at Greece, while walking through i felt that nature is like a mother protecting its self and surrounding it self. i wished to stay there.

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

yes

Now? No, we in Palestinian Territories have very limited space to move across

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

Cat, its so cute animal, keep playing like a little kid, we don’t have a zoo in Palestine to see other animals

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?

the climate change

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

we have to be aware that nature is protecting us and we have to protect it to be protected

Phil Straw

Director/Avifauna Research & Services - Australia

Today's Date: 3/02/07

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

Musk Ox in Greenland

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

no

Now? no

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

The Bar-tailed Godwit, it crosses the Pacific in a single flight and can fly 9.5 days without stopping

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?

Habitat loss, habitat loss

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

Everyone can make a difference to the environment, do your bit to save for future generations

BIOCADENA

BIOCADENA (BIOCLUB AMIGOS DE LA NATURALEZA) in English is something like (NATURE'S FRIENDS BIOCLUB) - Perú

Today's Date: 2nd February 2007

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

Well the group have diferents, one of them were with:
* bears
* king vulture
* Andean Condor
* Turkey vulture
* White-winged Guan
* Northern tamandua
* White-tailed Deer
* Peruvian Boa
* and more

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

beaches, rivers, lakes, and others

Now? the group have two the wetlands and Chaparri (a reserve where you can watch spectacled bear

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

Bear, by their way of be

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?

hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquake, drought, no water, and we have to help to the environment the be the same as the 50's or less.

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

a piece of soil pollutioned or a glass of water pollutioned

Margaret Lawrence (Feathers in Hair)

n/a (unless you count religiousforums.org, where I am a 'super-moderator'.)

Today's Date: Feb. 1, 2007

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

On this plane of 'existence', interaction with the fox is probably the most important. At a certain point in my life, I was sitting in the back of a carpool to elementary school and glanced out the window just in time to see a fox running alongside the car. I had just enough time to marvel over its beauty and grace before it seemed to purposefully head under the wheels of the car. (Yes, that took a good many weeks for me to get over.) As time progressed, I began to realize that the fox had chosen to sacrifice itself in order for me to gain some of its wisdom and strength, especially since was at a point where I needed tips on survival. (In your line of work, I imagine that you're familiar with 'spirit animals' and their attributes, and the one I associate most with Fox is the ability to survive.)

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

I grew up in South Carolina, both in the rural north and the heavily populated capitol of Columbia. In the 'boondocks', it was pretty much limited to my own and my churches backyard. In Columbia, there was usually access to a forest behind the apartments we were living in at the time. I would spend hours simply exploring the area.

Now? Pretty much anywhere near running water. There's an old quarry that is in a town nearby, and they've built a rough walking trail around it.

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

(Zookeeper would be one of the positions I would love to be able to be trained to do!) Of the beings seen at the zoo, it would probably be the tiger. My favorite animal would be the unicorn, or its Chinese counterpart, the kylin. Its attributes as a compassionate being who seeks to heal are ones I admire and associate with what I hope to aspire to.

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?

The pollution of the waters. I imagine global warming might be a more immediate threat, but both are dangerous in my mind.

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

Treat the earth as you would your mate, for She will help you raise your children.

Damon Gerard Corrie

Pan-Tribal Confederacy of Indigenous Tribal Nations

Today's Date: 2-February-2007

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

Tortoises in Childhood - first pet & sacred animal tribally, it taught me patience, tranquility, diet for longevity (little meat), determination.

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

I enjoyed all outdoor areas - natural - not man-made landscapes though.

Now? Same - except now I need the presence of my people around me as well to feel complete, where I grew up was in exile from my people.

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

Tortoise, for all the reasons in answer to question 1.

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?

Global warming caused by unbridled capitalism fueld by worship of the Almighty dollar - instead of the Creator of the universe.

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

Mankind was created to be the caretaker of this planet - not the destroyer of it; every living thing has an equal right to exist.

Charlie Toledo

Director/Suscol Intertribal Council

Today's Date:2/2/2007

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

Lizard jumping at my head at night campfire. Also Humming bird circling me at auspicious moments all my life.

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

Just the desert backyard. Created a whole cosmology w/my siblings staring at Sandia Crest and expansive blue sky of Albq., New Mexico

Now? All the hills, rivers and ocean I visit and work at in Northern California

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

Elephant, due to many recurring dreams and eventual trip to Africa where an entourage of all gender, all ages elephants crossed our path and huge male bull trumpeted our journey into "camp". The elephant is matriarchal, tribal; they bury their dead and care for their young as a group. All these are some of the reasons why I love elephants.

But my most favorite animal or insect is the one that is closest to me at the moment whether it be squirrel clicking at me through bedroom window, hawk whistling at me as I walk beneath it's tree or circling me in ceremony at sunrise, or the ant that is waving to me from the edge of my car to tell me "pay attention to the little things."

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?

To pay attention to the little things water, air awareness of all species of life all are one air, one water. Survival of our greedy and overpopulated species will be the biggest challenge of the near future. Clean Water, clean air w/out these things we cannot live.

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

Walk!