Renewable Energies

Ah, the final entry for nature writing. It's been truly eye-opening.

It seems as though we've finally found a couple of sources of renewable energy that respect nature. The windspire at the Pittsburgh Zoo collects energy to power the front gate. Made in the United States from recyclable materials, the windspire is eco-friendly, rotating at a lower safer speed. On top of that, the zoo, like many other places, uses luminescent solar poles to light the pathways. The poles capture sunlight during the day and use that harvested energy to show light throw the LED bulbs when it gets dark. Of course, I can't help but be a little cynical about all of it. Who would I be if I weren't cyncial, right? While the street light luminescent poles seem to be a perfect alternative, how much energy does a slow turning windspire produce if it's only powering the marquee for the Pittsburgh Zoo? Can we afford to have that many spires, and what would the world be like if it were a land of windspires? 100 years from now, will human beings regret the invention of the windspire and the windmills that generate electricity because we've run out of wind? Probably not, because we understand science now. Look, I'm being sarcastic again.

People fight age; people fight wisdom. A teenager feels much smarter than a child, a young adult wiser than a teen. In middle age a lot of people reflect upon their foolish decisions for all those years because now it seems they've reached stability. But if the middle aged person or older person understands everything, they're only pretending.

Do we pretend that we understand nature as our species gets older?

Or are we finally understanding sustainability now?

Otis the alligator and the baby alligator haven't come back in time for the class to end. I could despair over this fact or I could think of it in terms of writing. Sometimes when a writer begins a piece, it's not headed in a certain direction. Just like letting the narrative take the route it has found by surprise, I've let this blog do the same. And believe me, this is not the end for writing about nature. Along with my classmates, I've been going well over the minimum word count from week to week. It's evident this assignment excites many of us. So for now, I'll end this short. Brevity, short and sweet at 514 words.

I understand now that I have to start nature essays with a topic of interest rather than start with the memoir mentality. This is my defined process, which I've learned not everyone has. I admire those who can write otherwise, and I think that I've met some of the most amazing and beautiful writers (or gotten to know them better). They teach me so much, whether in class, over Pamela's pancakes, over Ritter's pancakes, or at a future visit to the zoo together- they just really get me, and I'm fortunate to have met these people. By researching, interviewing, and writing about things that interest me, the metaphors and similes come naturally rather than forced. Researching is my source of renewable energy.



(I dig when Ryan posts a song, so here's what's going through my head right now. Dawes wrote this song thinking of the lack of life experience and having not really that much to sing about- being so young and lacking life experience. Looking to the future works well, I'd say.)