A Sand County Almanac By Aldo Leopold

Aldo Leopold is the most influential environmentalist and conservationist of the modern era. His ideas and specifically his Land Ethic have had an enormous impact on environmentalism. In “A Sand County Almanac” (Leopold, 1949), he presented the idea that humans were interconnected with other living beings and that humans have a moral, ethical responsibility to take care of the environment. This responsibility is not just to other living beings, but also to things that make up the ecosystems that other living beings depend on. Leopold’s Land Ethic can be roughly summarized by this idea:

“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” (Leopold p.225)

But at what reference point in time do we “preserve” the natural world? As it is on the day the next environmental decision is made? As it was in 1949 when the book was written? Or as it was before there were humans? Or 1989? The reference point for when a thing is right is unclear. In addition, preserve implies maintaining a static state without change or alteration and not correcting any past damages to the environment. In "A Sand County Almanac," Aldo Leopold defines health of the natural world as the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its structure, function, and diversity over time and that the health of the land involves not only sustaining individual species and resources, but also requires preserving the complex relationships between them. This statement does not seem to acknowledge that the biotic community is constantly changing and adapting, and so, preserving or maintaining the status quo may not be the best action. It may be in the world’s best interests to improve the environment and to right past damages to the natural world. A stinky, polluted river in China, littered streets in Mexico, or a 1.5 degree temperature rise should not be the status quo that we are striving for. We should aim to improve the health of our environment and our surroundings. If we do, we might live in a better world. If we do not, UN

I specifically wanted to include equity in my Land Ethic. Equity is often confused with equality, but the difference is important. Equality suggests that all are treated the same and with the same respect regardless of that thing’s circumstances or background, and all beings get access to opportunities and resources in an equal manner. Equity, on the other hand, goes further: it implies that all beings are treated fairly and with respect, but recognizes that some beings have been disadvantaged or marginalized in the past. Equity attempts to address past inequalities. I further emphasize equity in my final clarification sentence about neglecting the needs of marginalized communities, future generations, and non-human beings. I specifically reference these three groups because it seems to me that in today’s world, these groups have less of a voice than others. They suffer from power imbalances where those that have more money or more resources or the advantages of race or background can make decisions without input from marginalized communities, future generations, and non-human