Family Environmental History Introduction Understanding the relationship between my family and their environment over generations reveals profound shifts in how we value and interact with the natural world. From my grandparents’ rural subsistence lifestyle to my modern urban upbringing, each generation has adapted to the environmental contexts and challenges of their time. This essay explores these relationships, examining how cultural, economic, and environmental changes shaped my family’s lives and values. Grandparents’ Generation My grandparents grew up in a rural setting, where the environment was not just a backdrop but an integral part of daily life. On my paternal side, my…

Personal Environmental History:    The environmental history of my family occurs primarily within the provinces of British Columbia and Ontario. Among my family’s trades and occupations you’ll find butchers, teachers, bakers, educational assistants and oil field workers. All of these roles have carried their own environmental impacts, based on the places and times my relatives lived.    My father’s mother was born in Dawson Creek, a small town in northeastern BC. Growing up on a small farm with a brother and sister, the family relied heavily on the land to sustain themselves. Dawson Creek is located in the Peace River…

OFLM Name: Norman Fennema Course Name and Number: Environmental History HIST_3991 Name: Panika Saxena Date: December 7, 2024 The environmental history of my family spans several generations and geographies, from the fertile fields by the Betwa River to the bustling city of Bhopal, and now to the suburban landscapes of Saanich, Canada. Each generation of my family has experienced a unique relationship with the environment, shaped by migration, adaptation, changing lifestyles, and evolving societal contexts. My maternal grandparents were born in Adhwal, a village near Rawalpindi, Punjab (now in Pakistan). They grew up in a family of farmers, whose livelihoods…

At one time Scotland sheltered many species of animals, some now extinct: beaver, wolves, aurochs (wild oxen), wild boar, roebuck, wild cats, grouse, and salmon. The first people lived in caves, fished, and hunted reindeer and seals, avoiding the wolf and wild boar. As the centuries passed, they left the caves and began the use of agriculture. The climate is temperate with a lot of rain and short summers. It is often humid and can fall below freezing in winter. Snow falls on high grounds, but rarely lasts long. I have chosen to write about my mother’s lineage, starting with my…

To start, let us consider my positionality as a white Scottish settler living on the unceded territory of the Pentlatch, K’omoks, and Laich-wil-tach First Nations. On my mother’s side, I am a second generation Scottish settler. On my father’s side, my mixed anglo-saxon settler relatives began settling in Eastern Canada as early as the mid-eighteenth century. It is important to consider my positionality at the start of this paper as it contextualizes my place in the world and encourages personal reflection as I explore my family’s environmental history.    I chose to explore both my maternal and paternal familial environmental…