Protecting the Natural World

Image source: Natalie Chaney via Unsplash

By Wendy Toal

Ryan Kirkpatrick a 17 year old nursing student is an avid camper who thinks we ought to sit down and appreciate the simplistic beauty of the natural world. He said: “Too many people these days don't experience earth's natural beauty and I feel like that contributes to deforestation. Because if you don't spend enough time around something you dont see it's true value. The natural world really gives you a sense of environmentalism, You can always find something fundamentally beautiful about nature.” 

When you live somewhere as beautiful as the San Francisco Bay Area it's only natural you gain some love for the environment of the area. However Stephanie Henderson is concerned about land development ruining that beauty. She said: “I really like the beaches around here, because they're never too crowded and the weather is never too warm. There are always seashells to collect and there's plenty of room for picnics. There are a lot of people who want to move here. To help accommodate them, a lot of developers want to build on protected spaces and fragile ecosystems. I am 100% against that.”