Taking Care of the Environment

Jasmine Williams: Taking Care of the Environment

The person that I asked to be my participant for this assignment is my husband, Zephaniah Williams, who is 22 years old and has lived most of his life in the state of Florida. He sent me three pictures which described his viewpoint on the environment as well as what was so significant about the pictures that he chose. He has given my full consent to share his views of the environment.

“I chose this picture because this is a power line that I frequently drive by and never paid much attention to. As someone who has lived in Florida my entire life, power lines have always existed, but this one is special because of the fact it is shaped as Mickey Mouse. From an outsider looking in, it looks really cool, but the reality is that the image of Mickey Mouse disguises the damage that power lines actually cause to the environment.  Power lines disturb the natural areas of land and it is important that plants or trees near the wires do not touch the power lines. It is sometimes disturbing to realize the reality of things we see as harmless at a first glance, but the more you pay attention the more destruction you can find.”

I think this viewpoint on power line is so interesting because it is true that I feel as if individuals do not pay much attention to power lines and the damage that they may bring to areas. It is true that power lines also help our way of life as a society today, but as far as nature and the natural way of living, they have disturbed the peace of natural land, especially with more and more being built.

“This is a picture of Volcano Bay that I chose to include because of the simple fact that this is a waterpark where people come to have fun, but in reality these people, including myself, are contributing to harming the environment through water waste. The amount of water that is used to maintain the running of a waterpark is tremendous and there are not many things I see about clear water-saving policies. Excess waste is also a huge problem at waterparks since non-recyclables can end up in landfills which contribute to global warming.”

As much as he loves waterparks such as Volcano Bay, it is refreshing to hear how much he understands the damage such waterparks can cause. It is interesting to hear how many activities that we love to do for fun can cause so much damage to the world around us without us even realizing it.

“The last picture I chose of the environment is one of my favorites: my wife and son running on the beach in Florida. As you can see here, the beach is basically empty with no one in sight which is unusual especially during summertime. However, this day we were one of three families that were spending the day at the beach. Days like this I feel as if no harm comes from us visiting Earth’s natural areas, but one days where it is packed to the point where you cannot even find a space to set up your things, that is when I know damage is being done to the ocean. The overuse of the beach can lead to the gradual degradation of habitat in the ocean. We are disturbing the peace of the animals as we invade their space and pollute their waters, especially with the trash that is easily found on the sand.”

Going to the beach is something that is naturally a part of life. The beach, like almost all things that are harmful to the environment, are seen as fun activities and things people look forward to doing. It is so sad how much harm we cause to ourselves because of the ways we treat the environment. It is eye opening when realizing how much damage can be done by things that can be seen as being harmless.

Theme: Environmental Justice

I believe that the theme of my husband’s pictures as well as his viewpoint of the environment all tie into the overall theme of environmental justice. He believes in taking care of the environment and that people need to take better care of it, including himself, as well. To live in and enjoy a clean and healthy environment is all anyone could want, but it takes more than one or even a few people to make the change to start taking pride and care in our environment.

Reading from class: The Environmental Murals of Mona Caron

This reading has helped my have a better viewpoint on how important visual artists really are as well as their impact on trying to help better the community by inspiring people for a better way of life and living conditions. The murals that are painted on buildings are contributing as ways of inspiration on the community to better their lives. Something as simple as a painting has a powerful way of bringing people together and uplifting those into wanting something better for not only themselves, but for the environment they live in as well.