One of our courses was about adult education and planning. Our task was to plan a lesson (a full day for us, since we were a bigger group) that incorporated place, experience, art, guests/experts, and maybe some readings. By teaching in this way, we would also be practicing and truly learning about all of these concepts we had been reading about in class.
We figured that “rewilding” in its most literal sense (a reversion back to a natural and pure state) was not really possible in such a developed urban landscape, so we took it to mean a re-imagination or a re-thinking of the word “wild”. We wondered how we could incorporate nature into our city, and thus came the two themes of the day: connect & create.
CONNECT
The morning was about connecting with the nature that exists around us. We did a guided meditation to root ourselves, and then thanks to Tamara’s connections at the Botanical Garden at UBC, we were able to do a guided canopy walk. It was a very cold and rainy day in October, so we were very thankful for the cover of the trees. On this walk, we learned about trees (while hanging out in the trees!), birds, and many different aspects of our forest. Being able to identify species in nature is important. Although the names are arbitrary, if you know a species by name, you tend to notice it more and feel more of a connection to it rather than feeling like you and nature are two very separate things. The morning ended, and we went to the UBC Farm for lunch and a little tour of the garden. We are very lucky to live in Vancouver, as there is quite a bit of nature in our city. One way to incorporate the natural world into our daily urban lives is simply to notice it and to connect with it.
CREATE
The afternoon consisted of one activity, which was set up for us by Metro Vancouver (click hereto join a meet up and get your hands dirty!). We joined many other UBC students at a site in Pacific Spirit Park to plant some trees. We engaged our heads, our hands, and our hearts as we learned about the trees while planting them and getting ourselves muddy. We had a chance to reflect on the importance of trees in an urban space and the ecosystem services they provide, and the technician spoke about succession and stewardship as we were planting. I find this holistic type of learning so important, although it is not present enough in our current institutions. This is a true example of learning as an act, and will definitely resonate with our cohort. This act of creation could foster a connection to place, and hopefully lead to more acts of stewardship. Metro Vancouver can only take care of so many parks. If a lot of people were to take ownership and keep this project going, then no one would have to do much to ensure that our green spaces thrive.
It was a cold, rainy, and exhausting day. But I think most of us left it feeling full of information and with an adequate dose of nature. Currently, we have presented our ideas at Hubbub #7 at City Hall and are still in the process of creating “Rewild Vancouver”
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