Family Environmental History
February 7, 2022 By: Yimeng Chen
My Personal Environmental History
My parents and grandparents were born and raised in Beijing, China, which is also their current residence. Born and raised in small rural villages in China, my grandparents assumed a rather traditional and conservative outlook on the environment. As World War I (WWI) and II (WWII) survivors, the experiences further shaped their attitudes on the value for the environment as it provided food, protection, and shelter during the crisis. To date, my grandparents and parents have maintained a staunchly close connection to non-human resources such as the environment for sustenance. My grandparents from both sides usually supplemented their food sources with hunting, animal husbandry, fruit gathering, and subsistence agriculture. They also canned vegetables and fruits and kept domestic animals such as cows and sheep. Moreover, they domesticated poultry for eggs.
When the Great War ended, my grandfather took a blue-collar job in the city. I learned that my parents, born a few years after WWII, later left the rural village and settled in the city for education and career purposes. The urban environment in Beijing provided them with a better opportunity for employment and social amenities. By the time I was born, my parents were fully urbanized and in white-collar jobs. As with many older generations, including my grandparents, my parents often have a yearning nostalgia for a closer reconnection with nature. They have constantly expressed their desire to live on natural land and interact with non-human entities. They would prefer the undomesticated areas for aesthetic and emotional attachment. For them, material utilitarianism and capitalism have removed human beings from the essence of life. Besides, capitalistic societies have encouraged individualism that has accelerated the tragedy of the commons, whereby people push for individual interests at the expense of the common good.[1]
My present life and environment are products of the rich social and cultural history that I acquired from my parents and grandparents. Although my elders grew up and lived in a totally different environment from myself, I share most of their beliefs about nature. The millennial generation has used and shaped the environment for a different course from our predecessors by detaching from the value and long-term goals of the environment. The natural resources that sustained my family and me while in China are different from those in Kerrisdale. Beijing had more natural resources, while the Vancouver region is more exotic. Most products sold in Beijing are also native to the area, while in Kerrisdale they are exported.
I believe that my parents, grandparents, and I have different perspectives on the environment due to the generational gap. We represent different intervals in development and time on an environmental and historical scale. The proliferation of the internet and a different lifestyle on the other side of a developed world have accelerated the environmental disparity between my parents and me. Today, there is an increased relationship and intermediation between myself and biota and raw materials. I am more conscious of the interdependence with the environment for the amenities and necessities of survival. However, the increased complexity in academic and workplace experiences and improved specialization in goals and careers have rendered most millennials clueless about the environment outside their sphere.
I would claim that knowledge and skills about the environment and ecological protection have become less confined to scholarly works and specialists. Today, environmentalism has been widely embraced by many enthusiasts interested in environmental conservation and energy efficiency. In addition, spheres such as religious and scientific circles conduct conscious debates about the essence of taking care of the environment. As a non-native resident of Kerrisdale, I have participated in Canadian society’s economic, social, political, and cultural activity. My goal is to continue engaging in all aspects of social activities such as business, philanthropy, education, sports, and environmental awareness campaigns. Unlike in the past, the environment receives more attention to avert the growing climatic changes and environmental degradation. The highly-interconnected internet platforms have also facilitated environmental conservation awareness.
Although there is a significant tension between my old and new environmental perspectives, I still desire nature. I prefer pastoral living to explore diverse geographical locations worldwide. For me, the life of a hunter is adventurous; hence, I desire to explore wild landscapes and assess the flora and fauna that the wild farms can provide. In addition, even though I enjoy the pleasures of the city, I am looking forward to understanding the cultural and ethnic diversity of my people and other communities. I hope to attain sufficient knowledge that will help me understand the ecosystem and redefine human thoughts about nature. In the future, I am hoping to combine my business or corporate life with ecotourism to encourage organic food consumption and ensure wildlife conservation.