Derek Riemer

@blindguy.ninja

19 Followers 26 Following

Loud and proud Coloradoan. Interests: accessibility, adaptive sports, programming, skiing, climbing, hiking, paddling, music. I am also Blind. Remember, I am allergic to your low expectations.

Land and People; A Living System Among the many amazing scientific discoveries of the past few decades, one of the most beautiful is that Earth is, in some sense, alive! We humans are a part of a vast physiology that includes organisms, rock, water and air. All living things adapt to and change Earth's physiology over time. Human civilization is changing many aspects of Earth's physiology including nutrient cycles, the diversity of organisms that make up the system and even the climate. In this light, "sustainability" might be seen in a new light: can we design human systems to be most compatible with the nature of Earth's physiology that our civilization "grew up in?" Can we minimize our community's negative impacts on living systems and also be quickly adaptive when necessary- City of enabling us to react in healthy ways to the changes we Lafayette create? OPEN SPACE When human beings went to outer space and took pictures back of Earth, we becamequite literally the conscious awareness of the planet! The science that paralleled space exploration and went with us into space has made us aware that we are part of Earth's living system. Our lives are a part of the thin, blue film at Earth's surface! In many ways, our modern science is thus rediscovering what all of many cultures have known for millennia-instinctively and through story. We are a part of life! When we return our focus "down to Earth," we can rediscover how our ancestors came to know themselves as part of Earth's physiology. We observe the seasons and our relationship to the Sun's energy. We sense and scientifically verify how our breathing intertwined with the breath of not only all other organisms, but with that of the rock, water and air! Where does this awareness lead us? How does it affect our view of ourselves .. of sustainable human culture?