We all have a Place in the world. That is, all living things have a space, physical or not, that they are connected to in an emotional, spiritual, familial, or ancestral way. The connection must extend beyond a geographical or physical connection. This relationship is Place, with a capital P. The locations or spaces people or living things are connected to are the environment. The environment can be built or natural spaces, highly developed or seemingly untouched by mankind. Nonetheless, we need to recognize our connection, or roots, to the environment in order the have Place. There are heavy consequences to rootlessness, to the natural world, to us, and to those around us, as Jennifer Case, professor and place-based researcher, says: “How can you value other places if you do not have one of your own?”. It is important to be aware of Place in order to preserve natural spaces and create inclusive, equitable built spaces.
So how do we create Place when we cannot travel far or visit many environments? I have a short list of easy things you can do to foster these deep connections with the world around you.
1. Recognize the different types of environments right in your backyard.
There are many different types of environments within reach of you, even with COVID-19 restrictions. Sitting under a tree has a very different feeling that sitting in full sun in the middle of a grassy area. Each room and each window in your home has a different feeling. These are all different environments. We need to reach beyond our traditional understandings of the environment in order to recognize the variety of spaces we inhabit.
I love watching this tree through the window of my apartment. I am able to track the changed in the seasons through the changes in the leaves and buds of the tree.
This is at a local park in Bowling Green, OH. Bowling Green sits in the middle of the former Great Black Swamp and this park features many of the different landscapes that were present in the historic swamp. There are probably a dozen different environments within this single park.
2. Allow yourself to feel.
If one environment does not feel right, that is not where you are going to create Place. If it does feel right or something feels anticipatory or excited, you may want to do some research about the environment. I foster Place in environments that I know a lot about. I could not create a connection to Wintergarden Park in BG without learning the history, both human and ecological of the park and the larger Great Black Swamp. Mountains make me feel strong, so I was able to create Place in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to foster my strength. My gender identity was an influential part of creating Place. I allowed myself to feel, I felt strong, so I kept going back (or at least I kept longing to go back).
3. Get outside.
Sure, you can create relationships with built environments inside and with natural environments by sitting inside, but it is so much easier to have sensory experiences with the environment by being out in the environment. You can't exactly smell the pine needles and hear the melodies of the birds inside a building (unless you light a candle and put on bird noises from YouTube or Spotify). The holistic experience of using all the senses for immersion in nature cannot be replicated inside a building. Part of creating Place is having experiences and those experiences can be found outside.
During COVID-19 movement and travel restrictions, I empower you to step outside your home and witness the power of the natural world around us. You do not have to travel across the country to a national park in the mountains to create connections with the environment. Step into your yard or walk in a local park or preserve. This is enough to reap the benefits of Place and to become an advocate for environmental preservation (perfect for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day!)
