Hello, I’m Willow,
And this blog is my personal project to reconnect with local ecosystems in an informed, sustainable way that I hope inspires others to do the same.
My real name is Molly McWhinnie, and I'm a seventeen-year-old student from Halifax, Nova Scotia. I love cats, graphic novels, film, and travel. I currently attend Halifax Grammar School, and I started this blog as a part of my IB CAS project.
With this blog, I want to explore and share the importance of getting out in nature and exploring local ecosystems, no matter where you're located. The idea for this blog came upon me as I was walking around Hail Pond, a looped trail near my home. It's situated next to a busy roadway, tucked behind a car wash and set off from a vast network of concrete houses and apartment buildings by a thin wood. The contrast between the sounds of birds and squirrels and the sounds of traffic and construction, the smells of trees and flowers and the smells of garbage and exhaust fumes is often off-putting, and one can find oneself alienated from the very nature that's surrounding them due to these environmental factors. To the naked eye, this natural world seems artificial, polluted. But no matter how engulfed the natural world is by cityscape, there is still underneath a thriving, complicated, multi-layered ecosystem, with interconnected relationships and multifaceted natural dynamics.
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These systems are often overlooked within the context of big cities. Baked in dog pee and cluttered with pollution, going to parks often feels like an artificial and alienating step into nature. Without looking beyond these first impressions, the relationship between city-dweller and nature can often feel detached and superficial, and with such an ecological relationship, what incentive do we have to protect our natural environments?
It is my belief that taking simple, actionable steps to get to know one's local ecosystems is crucial to the broader fight against environmental damage. Environmental activism in the form of large-scale protests and movements is important, but sometimes this activism can be performative, stopping outside of social media and organizations. This lack of lifestyle awareness only contributes to the problem.
That's why I wanted to start this blog. By sharing my journey to understand my own local ecosystems, I hope to encourage others to get to know their own, beyond the casual stroll.
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So enjoy the site, and go out and enjoy nature!
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