Sense of Place: Interview

My grandparents do not have a full understanding of sustainability, besides the practice of recycle cardboard, plastic, glass, etc. Compared to my grandparents generation, I feel that ours has more knowledge about how to be sustainable and the new practices towards achieve this goal. Though we do not exercise it, we have been educated on how to become sustainable and better clean up our environment for a better place to live.

When it comes to environmental perspective, my grandparents do have an understanding of enjoying nature and preserving what is out there; however it is not on their agenda to really do anything about it. They know where the belong within the environment and food chain, as well as their "sense of place" in this world. Their upbringing was different because they grew up with fresh fruits and vegetables from the street markets in New York City, and the home grown spices their Italian mothers grew for cooking. They were not brought up with processed foods, or the notion of fast food. Whereas my sister and I were brought up that McDonald's was a treat and fruits/vegetables were bought in the supermarket, and you never knew where they came from. However, we did grow up with an understanding of going green by saving on electricity with a limitation to how much water is used, recycling on a weekly basis, use of solar energy, etc. I feel like my sister and I have come full circle with my grandparents, with us going back to eating more organic products not to eat processed materials.

After I shared with them what I am learning in this class, they appreciated the class but it is not going to change their actions besides what is in their normal routine. My grandmother is 90 and my grandfather is 87, its hard to change their ways. And though I have explained to them what I am learning now and they seem to understand it, they are going to forget it shortly. So I have tried explaining the class to my mom, whom I live with, and I think its hard for her to grasp because she does not see everything first hand like I do. But I know that after taking this class, I understand how society has disrupted what is natural and now we are trying to rebuild and fix what we have broken. Its one small step on our part, and will take many years to continue to fix.

Interview one of your grandparents or someone of their generation. What is their philosophy on sustainability, ecological perspective and sense of place? How did their upbringing differ from yours? Share with them what you are learning about in University Colloquium. What is their perspective on what you have been learning about this semester?