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.

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