Overview Of A Sand County Almanac By Aldo Leopold

“In wilderness is the salvation of the world,” writes Aldo Leopold in his book, A Sand County Almanac. Wilderness isn’t defined solely by the wolves that set out for prey, or the dangerous weather conditions that nature drops on humankind. Wilderness is the trees outside one’s window, the wind on a cheek when walking outside, the dog that has evolved to love its human. Nature improves human well-being through its vast array of life, it connects humans to their home, Earth. It is through the wild, through nature, that individuals are able to look away from their painful lives and instead look to something beautiful, beyond the makings of man. That is why humans must protect their gift. In order to find salvation in the world there must first

With the free time these events created, Aldo Leopold had time to write a book that could bring people a sense of clarity in the world. In the midst of World War II, Leopold, a professor at the time, had time to reflect on his time spent in nature and nature's effect on his life, ultimately inspiring him to write his book A Sand County Almanac. One of the key environmental changes at the time of his writing was the dust bowl, a man-made environmental disaster. This event was the prime inspiration for Leopold to start writing a piece that he was truly passionate about, as he witnessed his own land and home become stripped away from him (Meine 697). Leopold saw individuals seeking more power for themselves rather than protecting their land, and he immediately advocated for ethical choices towards land instead of choices that gave individuals power (Meine 699). In 1940 Leopold stated, “We find that we cannot produce much to shoot until the landowner changes his way of using land,” however landowners can not change their ways until their communities do so, because communities compose the land and its purpose (Meine 702). Leopold truly saw something that money or power could not bring him; He saw beauty. Leopold continued to fight and strive for the protection of land until the

In a study with older individuals who do not go outside frequently, blood pressure and heart rate was recorded in a visit to a garden. All of the subjects in the study experienced lower blood pressure and heart rates upon exposure to nature (Russell 9). The physical benefits of nature also tie in to the mental benefits as both heart rate and blood pressure are measures of stress levels. The amount of stress individuals face in their life is greatly tied to their physical well-being and overall life span (Russell 8). As compared to being in nature daily, being on a screen daily reduces life longevity as a home's distance to greenspace is often a cause of life longevity (Delegran). Some individuals spend physical time in nature by practicing green yoga, the practice of yoga outdoors (Jenkins 6). Through this specific practice the focus of each session is to honor the Earth but also increase physicality and well-being. By participating in activities such as yoga, reading, walking and gardening outdoors, humans increase their environmental attitudes because they hold a sense of place outdoors, in contrast those who spend most of their time indoors often feel no need to protect their environment (Russell 10). Through playing sports outdoors instead of indoors, athletes generally have a better experience and workout. That is why urban settings and rural