The Harry Potter Alliance

By Amanda Bolton

November 28, 2008

The Journey, Part 4: Natural wonders

On my trip, I got to see some truly wonderful things. But what stood out the most, and what I’m most passionate about, are the natural wonders out there. Two places in particular were absolutely incredible, and I highly recommend seeing them if you get the chance! First up was the Badlands National Park of South Dakota. I’ve seen badlands before, but this was something else!

While watching out for poisonous snakes, I took the time to enjoy the serenity of the place. This is a place you can really think, relax, just enjoy the moment. I wandered off by myself, leaving the crowd of tourists behind, just to watch things for a while. There was a herd of animals down in the valley, happily grazing. A gentle breeze was blowing. A bird was flying around the cliff face, darting here and there. The occasional bug wandered by. It was so amazingly peaceful. This is something I really, really miss, living in a big city. While my city is fairly green as far as cities go, it really isn’t enough for me. I don’t think it is enough for most people. We are part of nature, and it feels good to feel as though you are, at least for a moment, connected to it. And by chance we had great timing. We were there to watch one of the most incredible sunsets I’ve had the pleasure of seeing.

Next was the world renowned Yellowstone National Park. I had never gotten to see geysers in person before, and boy were they something! I saw Old Faithful erupt twice. And a word of advice… DON’T stand down-wind. Also, the water vapor will be very bad for your camera, since it isn’t just water but lots of minerals too. We took the time to wander around, follow some trails, see what we could see. There were so many amazing things, I wish I could share them all. I saw a wild herd of elk, some tourists send their children out to stand next to a wild bear to take a picture (thankfully a Park Warden showed up just then), and the most brilliantly colored bacteria molds ever. Given that it was up in the mountains, we also got to see some incredible views from up high! It was wonderful to see so many people there, especially the families (not trying to feed their kids to bears).

This is what drives much of what I do every day, how I spend my time, what I try to spread the word about every chance I get. I’ve been interested in the environment since I can remember. When I was quite little, I used to bring bugs home and hide them in and under my bed (which I thankfully outgrew quickly)! In elementary school, I helped a teacher run the Environment Club. It’s something I’ve always been interested in, and as the years have gone by, I’ve learned more and more about it, and more and more about myself. Whatever I’m doing, I think about how the environment fits into every part of my life. What I truly care about and think about often is sustainability. Right now, we aren’t even close to maintaining a healthy environment. We are watching things die off at an insane rate. The oceans are dying, our waterways are polluted, species are going extinct, we’re depleting the Earth of its natural resources; lots of bad stuff is happening. People say it costs to much to take the environment into account, but we are and will continue to pay those costs, they just aren’t factored into the price of the things we buy right now.

I really, really do care about this issue, because it is the basis of all life. An unhealthy environment leads to war, famine, and disease. Free speech and equal rights don’t seem as important when you don’t have enough food to eat, or clean water to drink. It IS the future, for everyone, everywhere. We have only this one little “Pale Blue Dot” as Carl Sagan put it. And right now, it is very clearly in trouble, and all of us, every living thing, are in trouble with it. So that is what I am most passionate about. Many things are important, including human rights. All of these things tend to go together. But we cannot forget about what sustains all of us, and to give it the respect is needs if we are to live.

But it isn’t all doom and gloom. Many more people are starting to care, starting to realize what is at stake. Our hard work is paying off. I am finally starting to feel more optimistic about the future. I’ve met so many incredible people, including ones in the HPA, that share this vision of health and happiness. It really is a wake-up. A new way of seeing the world. Breaking out of the Muggle Mindset. While the HP story does not tend to focus on the environment, the meaning of the story is much the same. Together we are strong, and divided we are weak. We must work together to fight our biggest foe. And we can win, but it’ll take determination, heart, love, smarts, and ingenuity. We need the bravery of Gryffindor, the friendship and hardwork of Hufflepuff, the smarts of Ravenclaw, and the ambition of Slytherin to achieve this. In other words, we need us!

Next blog, I reach the little town where I grew up, and find a few surprises.