2015 Expressions on a Sustainable UMD: The Power to Change May 2015 | Page 18

Errin Saunders Environmental Science and Policy Class of 2017 On Saving Childhood Wonderment When I was little, there were two things that I was really crazy about: nature and magic. Those two things went hand in handevery animal and plant had some fantastical element to it. I was obsessed with learning about animals in the world, and I was convinced that one day I would be able to talk to them. I would explore the woods around my house and look for worms and make mud pies with healing properties. I would spend hours outside, collecting rocks or picking up litter because I felt this inexpressible connection to the Earth surrounding me. Now I am older and this connection is less rich in its magic but is still a fundamental piece of who I am. My experiences playing outside as a child shaped my identity today. Climate change can change all of that. Our overpopulated earth is filled to the brim with trash and is running out of fresh water, too. We could be in another era of mass extinctions and lose an incredible amount of biodiversity. What kind of future are we leaving our kids? How much wonderment will they feel if the world around them is polluted and growing more unlivable by the day? "On Saving Childhood Wonderment" argues the importance of having the foresight to act on climate change now, so we do not strip future generations of the beautiful, irreplaceable resources that we, and I, have had the privilege of enjoying. !14!