Title: Submit Module Two Assignments
Course: Nature & Human Wellness eeCourse > Section: Module 2: Biological Foundations to Nature & Human Interconnection

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YRdXKmFUkLAAK1KVoUeslRFELda5kcn9qqzgImNmCCo/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vElEW3_pdASVQl8S6ZIdRUF9nx9tMZdv33t8U1Qf5Ws/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DWyvEEGuLanwfpczfgo-HQJjLAaXfZdqsJqYcjWPawM/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s0tV3xQywtdZGVfTEryMlH9Bq6EP4vQu5Av2L-TK_3I/edit?usp=sharing

Module 2: Biological Foundations to Nature & Human Interconnection

Lesson 1:  Human Evolution Foundations

1.     How did the videos help shape your understanding of human evolution? Describe which video segment was especially relevant to your understanding of the evolutionary process.

·        This was more from videos embedded in the article.  I didn’t realize that there were nine Homo species currently identified, that is expanding my understanding of human evolution.

·        The video segment about natural selection as you look at the entire globe made me think more about the complexity of evolution and how so many different environments come into play.  Then as species began to move more across the globe in the last century, new possibilities have emerged.  It will be fascinating to see what the future of evolution may look like!  How successful will the mixing/passing along of traits be when you mix species that were not naturally in close contact in similar environments?

1. List 3-5 questions you have about our species that relate to our own connections with nature. This could include humans in the past, present or future (or all of these).

·       Knowing that human ancestors were completely immersed in natural conditions 24/7, how does that shape my understanding of current human conditions (mental, physical, etc.)?

·       Will humans be able to thrive as technology continues to evolve?  (Can we turn around current unhealthy trends such as obesity, chronic disease, etc., or is the pull of technology more than we can resist?)

Lesson 2: Adapting to Changing Environments

1. Were you aware of the concept of “Evolutionary Mismatch Theory” prior to reading this course information and the article?

I feel that I had a natural awareness of it, but I wasn’t familiar with that terminology or the depth of the concept.  It’s obvious that my generation is far removed from the way my grandparents lived in rural America, let alone thinking back any farther than that!

1. Write a one paragraph reflection on how you see evolutionary mismatch in your life today and how it impacts your point of view about human evolution and the ability to adapt to a changing world.

By far, I feel like my relationship with food and the lack of time I have to be physically active are the biggest “mismatches” in my life today.  I definitely struggle with craving fatty and sugary food.  In addition, the type of full-time work I do on a variable schedule (add in the increasingly crazy school schedules of my three children) makes cooking from scratch nearly impossible, so we resort to more processed, convenience foods, which negatively impacts our health.  I try to exercise at least 30 minutes a day and/or get in 10,000 steps, but our bodies are designed to move so much more than that.  I especially don’t get in enough lifting activities that help me maintain my strength.  I am considered obese (but I know many people who are even more severely obese than I am), and the trend of obesity in our society does not seem to be slowing down.  This trend, along with my own struggles to personally reverse it, makes me very skeptical about human ability to adapt fast enough.  We may have already reached the “peak” of human evolution if we can not overcome the woes related to obesity and inactivity.  As life expectancy and quality begins to decrease as a result of chronic disease, it is unlikely we will continue to thrive in the evolutionary realm.  We are also seeing reproduction rates decrease, so this combination is not going to be in our evolutionary favor!

Assessing Culture Connections

Lesson 3: Cultural Frameworks to Human & Nature Interconnection

1.     Use the following table to list 3-5 ways your own ideas of your culture relate to your connections to the environment:

Beliefs | Values | Customs, Traditions | Language, Communications | Arts, Creative Expression | Social Organization
Examples: I believe in caring for all life | Clean air is important to me and my family | We enjoy the outdoors by fishing | Conservation Magazines are my favorite sources of seasonal information | I explore the outdoors through photography | Environmental Clubs help students express themselves about nature
I believe that all life is sacred and is God-breathed. | There should be a balance between private property rights and environmental responsibility for the greater good. | We often cut down our own Christmas tree in our wilderness area. | I follow a variety of individuals on social media, especially those focused on education for the family and/or young people, to gain insight, tools, and ideas about environmental education and connectedness. | I love to view photography and art that focus on nature. | Belonging to a group that encourages setting aside time in the outdoors is very helpful as we often aren’t motivated enough to carve out the time on our own.  I’m exploring women’s camping and adventure groups.
I believe that nature always wins. | Education (especially at a young age) is one of our greatest tools to promote environmental stewardship. | We try to camp once a year as a family. | I enjoy reading books about nature adventures, survival stories, etc. | When I create things or decorate my home, I like to incorporate natural elements (feathers, leaves, pinecones, etc.). | Infuse outdoor activities as much as possible with existing social activities (i.e. move the conversation outside to the fire pit).
 |  | We float the river at least once a year as a family. |  | I enjoy landscaping. |

1.     After taking the “Worldview Assessment” , reflect on the following in your course journal:

○      What did you learn about your own worldview?

My top worldview was “Integrative”.  It actually aligns very well with my Clifton Strengths.  I have always known I am a “big picture thinker” who tries to see the interconnectedness of everything around me.  I hold a holistic view of life and believe that most everything is related in some way.  My Christian faith plays into that and is the driving force of my worldview.  The environment is the thread running between every interaction and means of survival.

“Modern” is my lowest worldview.  I do believe in personal responsibility, but within the context of community.  We are not designed to live as isolated creatures.  I believe we should do our best to take care of our own family unit, but always have the interests of our neighbors in front of us.  And that means taking good care of the environment that sustains all of us.

○      Has your worldview changed over time?

I don’t know that is ever has.  Even when I was a child playing outside extensively around our farm, I had a keen awareness of how our work and the environment were constantly connected.  I knew that our behaviors affected our neighbors and community and that everything went better when people worked together and took care of the world around them.  Maybe I can see the science behind it better now, if anything.

○      How do you think your worldview influences how you feel about your relationship to the natural world?

I always take into consideration how my actions might affect the natural world, and how I need to lean on the natural world to keep me balanced and healthy.  I know if I am feeling off and need grounding, I need to get myself out and immersed in nature.

Module 2: Building Your Capstone

Thinking back to your original five questions about nature and human wellness you submitted in Module 1:

●      Describe your intentions or ideas for your capstone project. Include potential topics you want to focus on, and specific templates you’re wanting to use.

○      I am considering developing a pre and post survey for my programming that helps build evidence that our nature-based activities are promoting better health and wellness for the youth, even in the short-term.  I work for a University, so I feel that building up this data will help our leaders place more emphasis on supporting nature-based efforts.

Lesson 2:  Adapting to Changing Environments

1. Were you aware of the concept of “Evolutionary Mismatch Theory” prior to reading this course information and the article?

Yes

1. Write a one paragraph reflection on how you see evolutionary mismatch in your life today and how it impacts your point of view about human evolution and the ability to adapt to a changing world.
  1. I definitely see a mismatch in diet and exercise. My kids and I all crave the sweet and salty to a great disproportion between our needs and wants. Both my kids would happily eat way too many sweets and processed salty foods. And the result of eating too much of those (from personal experience!) is greater desire for lethargy and feeling blah. However, my family and I also have a big backyard urban vegetable garden and spend a lot of time in the spring, summer, and fall harvesting our own food. As a result, fresh veggies are also high up on my kids “desirable” food lists.  Even with those veggies as a desirable food, the fast pace of our world and the limited time after school/work before bedtime means that it requires a lot of effort to actually make the choice to be healthy - being unhealthy and falling into the trap of the evolutionary mismatch that exists with fast food and pre-made options is easy. It almost feels like fitting our needs into the world of wants that exists is a challenging task that can be overwhelming and exhausting in a culture that has developed to focus on the wants first. And to add a thought related to the podcast… I agree that I don’t think the paleo diet is the answer (or the concept of “let’s return to our roots” or “let’s think about this in a single-minded way”). Like everything we do, we need to find a blend of fitting our current culture and society into being healthy and fitting our needs into a reasonable balance of wants.

What did you learn about your own worldview?

The questions in the world view assessment were interesting. It seemed to be pitting science against religion and nature against both? Or maybe that was just my interpretation of the questions. There were several where I wasn’t sure which responseI MOST or LEAST related to, because several seemed to fit. I am a Postmodern Progressive, which doesn’t surprise me at all. And I’m not a Traditionalist, which also doesn’t surprise me, even though I have a very strong sense of loyalty to my friends and family. It’s interesting to see the strengths and negatives of each of the viewpoints spelled out so bluntly.

Has your worldview changed over time?

Most definitely. But I think that is normal as a person ages, especially if they are seeking input from a variety of sources. When I was very young (in high school and a bit into college) I “toyed” with the idea of becoming very religious and traditional, and came to the conclusion that I wasn’t sure what exactly my beliefs are, but that there is value and truth in many different perspectives. As I have gotten older and continued to witness and understand how people adapt their religious beliefs to fit whatever need they have, I have come to the conclusion that extremism in almost any form is challenging. While I want to respect other people’s viewpoints, when any extremist feels that their beliefs are more important or valuable than someone else’s, I struggle with it. And while I sometimes roll my eyes (not physically, but just in my head) when some people are talking about their beliefs, the reality is that I do see value in maintaining colorful array of diversity. I also have a deep respect for most indigenous teachings and see great value in them. One of the things I greatly value in indigenous teachings is that they don’t contradict modern science - but rather they work with them.

How do you think your worldview influences how you feel about your relationship to the natural world?

Well, the positives of a Progressive worldview, according to this website, are environmentalism, diversity and inclusion, and social justice. I would say that they are an accurate representation of what I value. So when I think about my work as an environmental educator, I have worked environmental equity lessons into what we teach. And I work hard to ensure that all perspectives are heard and valued in the work that we do. And this all bleeds into my personal life as well - these are values I teach my children and things I work into my every day life. I think one of the things I am constantly considering is how we, as humans, can both live in the natural world through the creation of cities and urban places but also maintain our connection and understand of ecosystems and nature. So I’m constantly trying to find a balance between living in a house that requires lots of energy and live in a world with kids who want lots of stuff (and honestly, I like my “stuff” too) but also have an urban garden and a front yard planted with native plants. When I think more about it, my front yard is an interesting place - it is mostly native plants, but also has in some ornamental plants and vegetables as well, so it’s a great metaphor for how I’m trying to live with my world view - blending my appreciation of nature and wanting to preserve and care for it, but also trying to make sure that it can fit the needs of my family as we navigate living in an urban environment in a modern age.

Module 2: Building Your Capstone

Thinking back to your original five questions about nature and human wellness you submitted in Module 1:

- Describe your intentions or ideas for your capstone project. Include potential topics you want to focus on, and specific templates you’re wanting to use.

For my capstone project, I would like to create a lesson plan designed to foster nature connection for health and wellness. We do a lot of programming with kids through afterschool lessons. And often we focus on STEM based activities. We incorporate short mindfulness activities, but we don’t have any whole lessons focused specifically on health and wellness. I would like to create a lesson plan with an objective of specifically helping kids understand the value of spending time in urban nature settings.

Graders' comments

Thank you so much for your thorough and thoughtful reflections and insights you shared for this module Melissa - this was incredible work and so fun to read through! I shared more specific comments below - fantastic effort here!

Lesson 1

I really appreciated your particular curiosities round inter-species relationships and connections. I share this curiosity so much, and have noticed it's only grown deeper as I've worked on my own decolonization journey (specifically around challenging notions of black and white anthropocentrism as being bad and discouraged in environmental education). There’s also so much to be fascinated about when pondering the idea that at one point there were more than one hominin species – and trying to imagine what type of interactions and relations they had with one another. Love these questions you have – they’re all great doorways for more reflection and investigation!

Lesson 2

I really think you hit the nail on the head with your response to how you see evolutionary mismatch in your life today. Mental health has by so many measures only been decreasing over the decades – and of course while this is a multi-faceted complex issue, it aligns so much with the other important trend of our decreased time and access to the natural world.

Lesson 3

Your summary and analysis of Biophilia was exceptional Melissa, thank you so much for putting so much thought into this – I feel like I learned from you here! I also appreciate your observation of this concept being presented through a westernized lens, and I am with you in your curiosity about interpretations of this theory through an indigenous lens. My assumption based off reading and listening to indigenous voices on the concept of nature – is that they may lean more heavily towards nature itself being an invented concept, where much of their world views and human and cultural identities center on them being part of it all, rather than adjacent to nature. I’ve never heard an indigenous educator speak directly to the biophilia hypothesis however, it would be really compelling to hear their perspective or critique. Thanks for sharing such a thorough response here – it got me thinking and I feel like helped me even grasp my own perspective on this theory on a deeper level.

Capstone

I love the idea you’re putting together for your capstone! The world needs all the content surrounding nature connection it can get – so excited to learn that this course has helped provide inspiration for that, I can’t wait to see how this transpires for you and the incredible work you do!

Your reflections for module two were so thoughtful and detailed - you did such an incredible job sharing how the content integrated with your own experience both personally and professionally. Thank you for sharing and putting in the time here Kim, I'm so glad I got to read this through and learn more about your own journey in nature connection for you and for your students!

For more detailed comments - check the comments on your google doc. Thank you!

Thank you for your great reflections in this module Tanner! I appreciate you sharing how the concept of evolutionary mismatch theory has personally effected you - it seems like such a complex subject at first and yet so intiuitve once you learn more about it. I'm so glad you were able to understand what was happening for yourself better, and I hope that insight will help you continue to improve your physical and mental wellness.

I also really loved your idea for your capstone project, this is such a tangible piece that hopefully will help you in your line of work and help others better connect with your own local environment. The trees are fantastic in your area, and deserve to be celebrated - and connected with by those living there!

I wanted to share two resources I've really been enjoying when it comes to learning more abut plant medicine, both are books centered around ethno-botany of the great plains (if you've not heard of the concept of ethno-botany, it's a fascinating area of study that looks at the interaction between human culture and botany, such a fun rabbit hole!) Check out these books from your library if they're available to you sometime - you're in for a treat!

"Uses of Plants by the Indians of Missouri River Region" by Melvin R. Gilmore

"Medicinial Wild Plants of the Prairie" by Kelly Kindscher

Thanks for your thoughtful reflection Tanner!

Thank you for another set of thorough reflections Myra! It's clear you're doing a lot of reflective thinking and reflecting through the course so far, I appreciate being able to witness your thought process within this topic!

I appreciated your questions in Lesson 1 about our species connection to nature. These are great questions that I'm sure a lot of brilliant minds in anthropology, sociology and evolutionary psychology are being asked right now as well. The natural selection speed question is fascinating - and from my understanding although the speed at which we adapt may not be changing, the speed at which our culture is changing (and therefore our environmental conditions) is seemingly getting faster over time. This presents a really interesting predicament - can we adapt fast enough to the changing cultural-environmental conditions? The best questions lead to more questions!

I think you did a great job with your culture connections table, it was really interesting to see how each of your beliefs played out in your life in meaningful ways. Also as a side note - Immense World and Finding the Mother Tree have been on my "to read" list for awhile, I'm glad to hear your enjoyed them!

I know we chatted previously about your capstone idea, and I still think it's such a perfect and fitting project for you in this course! Although this project won't be executed until next summer, I think for the capstone itself a detailed proposal of how you will achieve this would be a great final product. If you're looking for resources on creating a thorough program proposal plan please let me know, I'm sure I can find a few great resources to send your way!

Fantastic and thorough reflections here in this module Alexus! I left detailed comments in your journal, along with more comments about your capstone project idea. I'm really enjoying learning from your reflections, I'm so glad you're in this course!

Great reflections Pete, thank you for your submission. I appreciated the questions on your mind with Lesson 1 around our own species - I'm with you in looking to our past to try and understand our future, especially related to how we are relating to the natural world, and how we'll continue to depend on the resources provided by the earth. I thought your reflection about the evolutionary mismatch theory was really interesting, especially given your background and profession in our food systems. It's prety incredible how even the things we see as not the greatest choices or habits in our own human behavior actually make so much sense when we think about them through the lens of our evolutionary development, this is so true for our choices and related health concerns regarding the food we choose to consume in the modern environment of today.

As a last thought, I think you're on an excellent track with your capstone project - and I'm glad you could find something within the coursework to direct towards your passion of connecting people through rivers and paddling. I'm wondering what type of format you might be seeing this topic be developed in? Will you be writing an essay, or creating a presentation for potential paddlers? If you have access to Canva or another graphic design platform, I think your idea would make an excellent infographic - if that's something that peaks your interest. Looking forward to seeing how your project plays out, please let me know if you have any questions!

Great reflections here Michelle! I really appreciate your deep dive into thinking about the evolutionary mismatch, from your own perspective. I share so much of what you shared as well, related to finding time for healthy foods and staying active - it's definitely harder to find the time to do these things that once were just part of our species lifestyle for generations, a great evolutionary mismatch example. Thank you for your thorough reflections here! And I think your capstone idea is absolutely spot on - can't wait to see how it turned out!

Thank you for your reflections here Hannah, they were fantastic! I really appreciate how thoroughly you reflected through many of the prompts in this module, I especially appreciated your thoughtful responses to the worldview questions - and loved the analogy relating your front yard to how you're trying to live in a modern urban world - connected to the natural world while meeting your families needs. I love the idea of a specific lesson around nature & human wellness for your capstone, I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out!