Growing up, I often felt most at ease and at peace out in nature. While occasionally harsh and ominous, nature was never judgmental or vindictive. It simply was – a place to be open and receptive, and to explore, learn and delight in what it offered. My exposure to nature nourished and enhanced my growth in many ways.
Being outdoors meant freedom and being unencumbered. I could revel in the colors, textures and scenic vistas, the critters I chanced to meet (or was it vice-versa?), the warm sun, cool breezes, and rain and snow pellets dotting my face. I clambered over rocks, ascended to new levels, rounded bends to reveal the next vista, and sometimes stood silently in immersion.
I had no part in creating these wonders, but was grateful for their being. Many of the special features others had seen fit to preserve or safeguard, I felt an obligation to protect so future explorers could access the same untrammeled places and experiences.
But the privileges I had are too often denied to many others. Access to the nourishment of nature is constrained for too many, whether by lack of proximity to parks or natural areas, transportation constraints, limited time or funds, or feeling a lack of belonging in these places. The same underlying causes that limit many people’s rights to share equally in society also deprives them of access to explore and enjoy the outdoors.
Our democracy is founded on principles that all people deserve equal access to life’s basic necessities. However, the ability to make a decent living, have access to good health care, receive a formal education, live in a clean and safe environment, or have the right to vote and their voice heard by those elected to represent them, are denied to many. Some are further diminished by the color of their skin or personal identities.
When money and corporations have an undue influence in politics, media and decision-making, individuals are marginalized. When the primary basis of success and setting public policy is measured in dollars, not quality of life and the planet’s well being, people and the environment assume a lower priority.
We can’t restore and protect our environment without restoring our democracy. I take heart that the Sierra Club and others have increasingly recognized that exploring, enjoying and protecting the planet is inextricably linked to all people having a say in our and its future, and that equity, inclusion and justice must be part of our credo.
I hope you will join me in ensuring everyone has access to the same freedoms I had growing up, and will have the opportunity to get out, explore and enjoy not just our planet, but all systems we live in. To achieve this, we will need everyone.
By Don Ferber, Chapter Chair. Article originally posted in the January 2018 'Muir View' newsletter under the title "To A More Positive New Year for All."