Exercise #2: Family Environmental History
Instructions
For Exercise #2, you will bring the environmental concepts home by looking at your own and your family environmental history.
Our lives and present environments are products of history. Our parents and grandparents grew up in very different environments from those of today. In our study of environmental history, it is helpful to think about our families’ past environments and their meaning for us today.
- Write an informal essay, between 700 and 1100 words, reflecting on your personal environmental history going back to your grandparents, parents, and your own generation. See the Exercise 2 Samples for a guide to this exercise.
- In formulating your response, consider the environments in which they and you have lived. Where were they located? What natural resources sustained your families and their communities? To what extent were those environments “natural” or human-made, native, or exotic (that is, transformed by European or other non-native species)? How have your families helped to transform their environments? Does your own ethnic and class heritage or gender play a role in the way you and your family have related to and valued the environment? How did the relationships your grandparents and parents had with their environments differ from the ones you have had in the past and wish to have in the future?
- Post your response by clicking ‘Add Submission’ below.
- Please note, you should write and edit your submission in a separate file then copy and paste it into the submission box. Once submitted to the HIST 3991 trubox site, you will not be able to edit your post.
Are you a student of HIST 3991? Click here to add a submission to this assignment.
Submissions
excerise 2
September 5, 2026 By: Hailey Donaldson
My great grandmother migrated from England in the 1940’s when she was a young girl. She moved to the coast of Vancouver with her family. Not long after she had met a man and moved to Vancouver Island for working opportunities. I didn’t know my great grandfather, but I believe he worked in the forestry industry as that was the most common occupation on this island. They then had two girls and the youngest boy who is my Papa. Through stories and critical thinking, I began to understand that my great grandfather wasn’t very nice and not long after the…
Family Environmental History
September 4, 2026 By: Morgan Turland
My family history originates almost exclusively from England. The James side of the family, my great-grandmother’s line, were farmers from the 17th through 19th centuries. James family farms were located on the fertile rolling hills of the Cotswolds of Gloucestershire. Looking back through my family’s history, our relationship has changed significantly. My ancestors depended directly on the land for their livelihoods, while later generations experienced nature through recreation rather than work. The Cotswolds were known for large tracts of naturally occurring limestone, which was used for building all sorts of structures, such as grand manors, cottages, and barns. The James…
My Family Environmental History
August 27, 2026 By: Makena Stratton
My grandparents from my mom’s side emigrated from Portugal to Canada in 1973. On my dad’s side, his mom’s family came from Russia in the early 1900s, along with many other Doukhobors who came to Canada. However, for the purpose of this, I will focus on my grandparents on my mom’s side for the next few paragraphs because I find their history, where they came from, and how they used to live very interesting. Their experiences growing up in Portugal greatly differed from how my mom grew up and as well as me. This is especially true when it comes…
Family Environmental History
August 12, 2026 By: Rhys Parry
My Personal Environmental History When I started thinking about my family’s environmental history, I realized that the way each generation has interacted with the environment has changed quite a bit. My grandparents’ generation had a much more direct connection to natural resources, especially through work and getting food. My mom’s generation grew up in a more urban environment, while my own connection with nature has mostly been through recreation. Even though these relationships are different, I think each generation has influenced the next in some way. For this exercise, I am mostly going to focus on my mom’s side of…
Family Environmental History
August 9, 2026 By: Nicole Collette
Introduction Our relationship with the natural world is an inherited narrative passed down through generations. How our ancestors interacted with, extracted from and valued their physical surroundings directly shapes our own ecological worldview. By tracing my family’s migration, from the deep-rooted settlement of early New France, across the Atlantic from Spain and the United Kingdom, through Montreal, and eventually west to British Columbia, I can see how diverse cultural landscapes shape my family’s relationship with the Canadian environment. Deep Colonial Roots and Transatlantic Crossings On my maternal grandfather’s side, my family’s ecological footprint in Canada is exceptionally deep, stretching back…