My Environmental Ethic

    Surprisingly I used to be one of those people who grew up in a conservative city, with very conservative ideals. In fact my environmental ethics were tremendously different than what they are now. I used to believe that a better economic system, even at the stake of destroying thousands of beautiful trees, was better for a community than nature. However, a flourishing environment can be a major impact in the economy of a community.
    It is weird to think that I thought like that and am now trying to spend all of my free time outside surrounded by trees and fields of unmoved grass. Back in Cincinnati there were parks and hiking trails that I occasionally explored, but they never compared to the experience in Athens. I feel that my strong sense of support for the environmental growth today is due to my lack of knowledge when I was younger. I was surrounded by housing developments, skyscrapers, and tons of construction, which hindered me from the true experience that I desired.
    Furthermore, because I grew up thinking that the environment wasn't that important of an issue compared to others, I never realized how effective my life was to others. Now I know that everything and everyone is connected when it comes to nature. It is like “We are all part of the web. What affects one strand affects us all.” (Awiakta, 61). This is otherwise known by Edward Lorenz as the "butterfly effect" (Louv, 209). By surrounding myself with the Athens community, I was able to better formulate together my environmental ethics. In my paper I am going to explore how my views have changed and how my effect on the environment and others is (hopefully) positively impacting.