Watershed

Watershed A collection of words and observations by The 2021 Leopold Scholars

"The evolution of an ethic is an intellectual as well as emotional process."

Aldo Leopold, "The Land Ethic", Sand County Almanac

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2021 Leopold SCHOLARS THE LAWRENCEVILLE SCHOOL JUne 10 - 25, 2021 Alexis Gonzalez '22

Ben Cavanagh '23

Lauren Kim '22

Nushana Huq '23

Mustafe Osman '22

Jack Mahoney '23

Lily Schweinfurth '22

Maddie Rygh '23

Advisors Steve Laubach Nina Laubach

Acknowledgements The Watershed Institute Staff: Sophie Glovier Samantha Bernstein Kendra McCoy Nick Ho Jeff Hoagland Special thanks to Mr. Hoagland for his creativity, expanding the world of haiku to beyond 5-7-5, and willingness to literally put 'both feet in the river' for us.

The haiku scattered throughout this publication were inspired by our time at the Watershed Institute.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword................................................................................................... 6 Nest (Observations).............................................................................. 9 Tap Water (Finding Wildness and Wilderness)........................ 21 Droplets (Connecting our Watershed to the World)............. 35 Prints (Flora and fauna identification)........................................ 43 Tributaries (Essays inspired by Leopold's Land Ethic).......... 45

FOREWORD The 2021 Leopold Scholars were challenged to consider their connection with land and water through the lens of Aldo Leopold's, Class of 1905, Land Ethic. Through NEST (Nourish, Ethics, Senses, Tempo) time set aside for reflection, nature writing, creekside bike rides, collection of data from water samples, geographic information system (GIS) mapping of local watersheds, and a tour of our own campus water system, we immersed ourselves in the complex questions within water stewardship, conservation, environmental justice, and climate change.

Creating this collection of words and prints inspired us to focus on details and scale of even the most common findings, such as the spines of a thistle leaf or patterns in a goose feather. All of the printed objects were found along the campus creek and pond, which are part of the Shipetaukin Creek watershed.

The cyanotype process, used to create the prints in this publication, uses paper coated in a mixture of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide, which, when exposed to UV light, undergoes a redox reaction and turns a deep blue. Soaking the paper in water after the reaction washes away the coating and prevents further coloring. By using objects to block UV light, a negative print is created.

The technique was invented in 1841 by Sir John Herschel and was popularized by photographer and botanist Anna Atkins.

In A Sand County Almanac, Leopold first invites the reader to experience the passing of seasons and the phenological landmarks of the year. It is only after he gives the reader this creative experience that he then presents his land ethic.

We hope this collection brings a new perspective to our own observations and in doing so expresses our individual and collective land ethics through science, art and imagination.

The 2021 Leopold Scholars The Lawrenceville School June 2021

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Nest Observations

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Water Collection: June 12

by Lily Schweinfurth On the east edge of the pond, the water dribbles from the conglomerate concrete.

It flows over the rock smoothly, but when I knelt to collect it, the rock was hot and rough on my skin, leaving red marks on my knees.

When I pour the water into the jar’s cap and swirl my finger in it, it cools me.

It is warm out, and it reminds me of a refreshing kiddy pool on a hot June day.

It is silky to touch, unlike the scratchy and hard rocks from where I retrieved it.

If I poured it on my skin with my eyes closed, I might mistake it for satin fabric.

I wonder how the geese and snakes feel when they are in this water.

It must feel like butter on their tired, webbed feet, or scratched scales.

They are lucky to have a habitat that encompasses both air and water.

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An old silent stream A bird jumps in the stream Splash, silence again

A bird flies high And then A branch shakes slowly

The chirping sound of birds Daydreaming The Shaking leafs

[Haiku at the Watershed] Mustafe Osman

Journal Entry: June 15, NEST

by Alexis Gonzalez As I walk around campus, observing the variety of nature our school offers, I'm surprised by the amount of poison ivy close to the trails.

It was quite the surprise as I walked by the multiple trees dripped with vines of the hairy ivy.

I had to refrain myself from touching what looked like the most light, soft, and satisfying plant on the trails.

I continued my walk carefully listening to the clicking, snapping, and chirping coming from the hundreds of cicadas resting on the trees. It saddens me that once in seventeen years a harmless bug rises from the soil, mates, and dies.

I almost stepped on a dead cicada on my way to Irwin this morning.

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Mulberries

by Jack Mahoney On the pond island black berries sit in a tree falling at the slightest breeze deep blue ink to stain your hands or maybe paint a picture the dark berries are sweet bright ones bitter but the bird eats both

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Journal Entry: June 15, 2021

by Maddie Rygh In my spot, I am surrounded by water.

The plop of the rain, the rush of the waterfall, and the ever-present pond with its reeking smell wafting into my nose.

This dreadful smell has always been quite fragrant, yet today it is worse as the pond slowly but surely pushes trash and goose feces closer towards me on the concrete.

The geese, what I like to call the rats of the sky, sit in the water, not still, but not moving, just lively enough to cause rings of ripples around them.

I hear sounds echo across the water, the chirping of a frog, as I also notice the slithering sound of a watersnake.

I am not afraid of the snake; however, I hope to not disturb it as it awaits its next meal.

As I sit here, I feel at peace with the water, and long that maybe someday the murky brown water may enter into a blue state.

An hour has passed as I continue to watch the droplets of water pass my eyes, and I am getting extremely wet to the point that I believe that I would be dryer just immersing myself into the pond.

falling from the air onto my blank notebook sheet dead cicada

like waves on the shore, wind through the trees crashing

turbulent sea covers the earth blue sky

a deer tick crawling on my skin lyme

[Haiku at the Watershed] Jack Mahoney

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Excerpt, Journal Entry: June 17th

by Nushana Huq We got to look at macroinvertebrates...I got leeches, bloodworms, snails, brine shrimp and centipedes I think. It was so awesome. I wish I could've brought them home and looked at them forever. I never get to enjoy looking at bugs because people think it's weird, but today I felt so amazed.

Observing the racing turtle

by Alexis Gonzalez I see the hard round shell laying exposed to the warm sun. Outside its natural habitat, revealing its long neck, grazing the strong breeze of wind. Hearing the loud crunch of a leaf stepped on by the walking giant, it scurries along the grass. In a rush, it tumbles into the pond, hitting the rough edges of the rocks, quickly gliding into the peaceful water.

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25 mL

by Nushana Huq Only 25 mL of water from the pond And I can count at least 70 in all Of little particles that swim around Probably hoping they are not found In the brown murky water With a million lives underneath I really do wonder how many I can’t see

TAP WATER

The wildness of every day

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Journal Excerpts, photos in the moment

by Nushana Huq

Friday, June 18th Macroinvertebrates in AG's and MO's sample.

Watershed Institute

Tuesday, June 16rh Big Red Farm, Lville

Friday, June 11th The chemical adder in the the shed next to the track, Lville.

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Drinking water

by Maddie Rygh A bottle of water Taken from the halls of the house in the dispenser so cover in rust that I questioned the quality, it dribbled at a pace so fast, that I sealed and put in my bag, Quickly.

And the all so familiar sound began, the sloshing like a tsunami.

That I hear as I run late to first period or when meandering on a hot day.

It promises a quick release and a reason to leave the bores of class.

As the sloshing quiets I leave for more.

Starbucks Water From the hands of the creator, and the table of options.

It courses through my body With icebergs that melt as the temperature rises.

The dry drought dissipates as the river cascades In and out.

Still Wings: laying in the grass

by Lauren Kim Sinking slowly into the ground Anti-Icarus, safe and sound.

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Journal Excerpt: June 15 and 17

by Ben Cavanagh A damselfly approaches, apparently intrigued by my presence. It hovers, and then, deciding I am not of significance, deftly swoops away. I wonder if I am seen as a visitor or intruder or neither; I often find myself reading and writing about the ways nature reacts to human invasions into wild space, and while we are pretty bad at blending in, I wonder if, on a small scale, nature really cares.

The spot I've found is on the bridge connecting the soccer fields and track. It cuts across the Lower Shipetaukin just before the pond, sitting at a perpendicular intersection between rushed Lawrenceville life and the slow-moving stream. Umbrellas of trees overhead give the water an ever-changing splotchy pattern. The middle of the bridge is lighter in color, well worn by the hundreds of feet sprinting to practice.

The edges of the bridge, where only someone looking to rest or look out on the water would stand, are far darker, sprinkled with leaves and dirt and twigs.

Something has chewed into one of the supporting pillars, and the bridge sags a bit. The fastest path from one place to another is a straight line, cutting through whatever obstacles are in the way. The resting spots, inefficiently placed, are being reclaimed by the natural world.

a dried up tree against wispy clouds painted summer sky

hot sun crunchy grass stuffy nose

sweet mulberries and rose-dipped fingers hole-punched leaves: a feast

rebuilding they countersink the sun a blueprint of clouds

[Haiku on the Watershed] Ben Cavanagh

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Water from the Upper House shower

by Lily Schweinfurth From the shiny metal head, Surrounded by four walls of white tiles.

It is cold because I was too lazy to wait for the warmth.

Its translucent softness fills the jar holding it.

When I open the jar’s lid and tilt it, the water dribbles out, droplets forming a single-file line straight towards the ground.

Light reflects off of the drops as though each is its own illuminating orb.

It falls aggressively towards the ground, reminding me of the harsh and reflective waterfalls of Colorado.

It discomforts me knowing that there exists a connection between my cherished time in the mountains and the senior boys’ showers.

The water does not look like it cares.

Fountain water

by Mustafe Osman A Liquid A solid A gas It's all three.

Turn the faucet, It's there.

Watch it flow From the sky.

It's a free falling star, A diamond of light.

Water is precious, pure and perfect A drop of water, so sweet and Brings joy to my life, It flows through my blood And keeps me alive.

H20 is strange to me.

Water water everywhere It's clean, fresh and healthy But people make it dirty

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The ant Climbs the stalk Only to fall

The wheat Sways in the wind A solo dance

The cricket Always heard Seldom seen

Flies A pestering nuisance Take a hint

[Haiku at the Watershed] Maddie Rygh

The canopy carves Patches of honey Into the wooded ground

Trill from above Do not forget It sings to me

Single cicada wing Glistening and detached I am sorry

Dazzling red berries I am told Do not eat

[Haiku at the Watershed] Lily Schweinfurth

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A Puddle of Rainwater Ben Cavanagh An intravenous drip Of blood-red, rusted rain, Drops diluting, Eats eagerly at the strap That ties the tent together.

Constant clinks of slowly irrigated tributaries Flow from the snow caps To the concrete basin.

A dead cicada lies unmoving Amidst the concrete ichor bowl.

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DROPLETS Connecting to the world beyond our watershed

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Excerpt: Journal Entry, June 11th

by Jack Mahoney As we walked through the woods looking for good spots to nest in the future, we gradually lost track of time and lost ourselves in the woods. As we wandered from the KAC woods to the pond’s woods all the way to the woods behind the ropes course, we all forgot about our phones, as if we had left them in the classroom. We swung on a rope, threw a tire onto a tall wooden pole, and balanced on logs that ran along the path. At one point, I led the group down a path so dense with bushes that all eight of them refused to call it a path, but at the end of the path sat a small clearing, all the way to the top of the forest. As we stood in the clearing, rain fell, completely soaking my sweatshirt.

I checked my watch and realized almost 90 minutes had passed, so we began to walk back to the main campus.

When we got to Irwin, the food tasted better than it ever had. Something about freely walking around campus getting covered with rain made our return to Irwin feel like reaching an island in an ocean.

Your heart beats too in painted skies I'm Moonshot

You are my start line The warmth of summer does not suffice Until illuminated with fireflies

I’d part the sky nebulous, dusk, lavender afterglow, If you couldn’t see the stars

[Haiku at the Watershed] Lauren Kim

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Reflection / A Water Crisis is a Problem for All Mustafe Osman Millions of people in the developing world, including where I’m from in Somalia, do not have access to clean water or sanitation. People spend up to seven hours every single day just to collect water. Young children choose between having an education and having water that they need to survive. Can you imagine what that would be like?

It is a pressing environmental and social issue that millions of people spend time securing this basic human right. In the developing world, for example in Somalia, women and children spend millions of hours walking to fetch water from wells for their families. On average, women and children in the developing world walk around 3.7 miles for water. That is almost 15 laps around the Lawrenceville football field just to get clean water. Can you do that?

People in developing countries walk that much just to have water and they do not take it for granted. What if you had to choose between having water and having a job to survive?

What if you did not have time to study at Lawrenceville because you were too busy worrying about this basic human right of access to clean water. The water crisis is still a problem in the US too. For example in Flint, Michigan, the contamination of lead and Legionella in water affected millions of people and that crisis lasted almost four years. At Lawrenceville, we use around 165 thousand gallons of water each day, which is around 2 millions gallons of water each year.As the community of the Lawrenceville school, we should see water as if it's part of our community, and we should not take it for granted. Be grateful for its usage and the value it brings to our community.

Interlude: Infinity Run by Lauren Kim (A Journal Entry, transformed) The puddles of rain inside Irwin are always dripping from us.

The loud, echoing shouts are always a sign that we have arrived.

The bicycles strewn across the lawn, the thud of the added weight in our fatigued footsteps, and the momentary sighs across the dining hall; all signs that the Leopold Scholars have arrived postadventure.

I’m sure that going into this program, none of us expected to trek through the woods in the pouring rain for an hour and a half, pushing through bushes and trees until the leaves became more abundant than the sky. Or that “stream stomping” was not only an aquatic journey for the waders, but also an all-terrain scene filled with the eight of us jumping, ducking, and occasionally falling over trees, rocks, and everything in between.

Yet the thing is, none of our expeditions were one time deals.

The remnants of our feats lingered over us in the form of soaking wet clothes, dirt covered appendages, and lots of sweat.

The reality is that these expeditions were far from over, because they each spilled into the next, blending and weaving into a long, ongoing spectacle.

Our entrances into Irwin, the frames of a closing shot, could only really be defined as a momentary change of pace, a temporary time of reflection, an interlude.

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Remembering

by Alexis Gonzalez The small liquid splash escapes the soft purple exocarp Exposing the sweet taste of natural sugar onto my tongue.

The surprising hint of sourness Awakens my fretful memories.

Drenching in my salted sweat Under the blinding heat from the sun, Cotton filling my mouth, desperate for water.

I cut the bright green stalk Disconnecting the grapes from its vines, Remembering my ancestors' fight for their lives, As I continued to return to my dying light.

Begging for the forbidden clear fluid I lift my sunbacked hands To clasp the dark round fruit Straight to my mouth.

The cooling sensation of liquid sugar Hitting my dried lips, replenishes my past memories of comfort and delight.

One jar With all of us in it The sky is our lid

We aren’t superior When the sky sees us the way we see ants Insignificant

I don’t know his story He doesn’t know mine But he lands on my arm And I realize we’re both alive

[Haiku at the Watershed] Nushana Huq

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Prints treated paper (cyanotype), found flora and feathers

Cover, A. Gonzalez Iris germanica (Iris) Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive fern) Taxus baccata (Common Yew) Lonicera (Honeysuckles) Asteraceae (unknown, aster) Cirsium arvense (Creeping thistle) Erigeron philadelphicus (Philadelphia fleabane) Impatiens capensis (Common jewelweed) Page 1, A. Gonzalez Iris germanica (Iris) Cirsium arvense (Creeping thistle ) Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive fern) Taxus baccata (Common Yew) Securigera varia (Purple crown vetch) Lolium pratense (Meadow fescue) Page 5, L. Schweinfurth Wisteria sinensis (Chinese Wisteria) Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William) Galium Palustre (Common Marsh-bedstraw) Streptopelia decaocto (Eurasian Collared-Dove) Page 6, M. Rygh Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (Coralberry) Lonicera (Honeysuckles) Taxus baccata (Common Yew) Lepidium virginicum (Virginia pepperweed) Page 8, M. Osman Branta canadensis (Canada goose) Page 10, 17, J. Mahoney Morus (Mulberry) Branta canadensis (Canada goose feather) Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove beardtongue) Page 11, L. Schweinfurth Podophyllum (Mayapple)

Page 13, J. Mahoney Myosotis discolor (Changing forget-me-not) Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Redcedar) Page 14, B. Cavanagh Hosta (Plantain lilies) Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William) Betula (Birch) Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove beardtongue) Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Redcedar) Page 16, N. Huq Cirsium arvense (Creeping thistle ) Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive fern) Hedera helix (Common ivy) Taxus baccata (Common Yew) Page 18, unknown Page 19, N. Huq Branta canadensis (Canada goose, feather) Amanita (unknown species, mushroom) Iris germanica (Iris) Barbarea vulgaris (Bittercress) Page 21, L. Kim Branta canadensis (Canada goose feather) Page 25, M. Osman Toxicodendron (Poison ivies and oaks) , Ulmacae (Elm) Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William) Rosaceae (cultivated Rose) Page 26, M. Rygh Galium mollugo (Hedge Bedstraw) Taxus baccata (Common Yew) Unknown Page 27, unknown Page 28, unknown

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Prints treated paper (cyanotype), found flora and feathers Page 29, B. Cavanagh Hosta (Plantain lilies) Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William) Betula (Birch) Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove beardtongue) Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Redcedar) Page 30, A. Gonzalez Iris germanica (Iris) Cirsium arvense (Creeping thistle ) Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive fern) Taxus baccata (Common Yew) Securigera varia (Purple crown vetch) Lolium pratense (Meadow fescue) Page 32, L. Kim Solanum dulcamara (Bittersweet nightshade) Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove beardtongue) Page 33, N. Huq Cirsium arvense (Creeping thistle ) Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive fern) Hedera helix (Common ivy) Taxus baccata (Common Yew) Page 35, A. Gonzalez Securigera varia (Purple crown vetch) Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive fern) Cirsium arvense (Creeping thistle ) Taxus baccata (Common Yew) Rumex (Dock) Carex lurida (Sallow sedge) Ligustrum vulgare (Common privet) Page 41, M. Rygh Lonicera (Honeysuckle) Taxus baccata (Common Yew)

Tributaries Essays inspired by Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic

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Rethinking Human Identity in the Natural World Ben Cavanagh Throughout the process of human civilization and globalization, land has been fought over, used to produce food and profit, utterly destroyed, and optimistically conserved. While modern thinking and science has increased awareness of environmental issues, land is too often thought of as an asset and solutions are too often contemplated without the context of the greater ecosystem and overlapping mechanisms. Aldo Leopold’s “Land Ethic,” building on his book A Sand County Almanac’s use of case studies and historical trends, encourages a rethinking of the human-nature relationship that gives his ideas the adaptability, prudence, and cooperative mindset required of modern answers to environmental issues.

The “Land Ethic” argues for a reassessment of the human identity, forcing a shift from “human as owner” to “human as collaborator” that is intrinsic to treating land in an ethical manner. This shift repositions the natural world from something thought of as “other” to a personal and constant community; Leopold argues that a land ethic should “chang[e] the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror…to a plain citizen” who shows “respect for his fellow-members and also…the community.” Only by thinking of the land and its population as equal can we treat it respectfully and ethically. This has links to American Indigenous philosophy, which recognizes the inherent benefits of land beyond the economic benefits typically prioritized in a Western context. As Dr. Robin Kimmerer of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and SUNY Center for Native Peoples and the Environment explains in her presentation of the ideology, “Land [must be] understood as a source of identity...as the ones who take care of us, who sustain our lives [and] our more-than-human relatives.” By understanding the benefits of land in a “philosophical sense,” we not only treat land as equal but actively celebrate and reciprocally care for it. When land is no longer just an asset, it is easier to treat it ethically.

Though Leopold presents the shifting of identity as a fundamental trait in a land ethic, he recognizes that modern and future interpretations will continually revise and adapt the ethic to evolve and work with new information. While he presents the land as the inevitable next inclusion in widespread moral values, Leopold also recognizes that he can only outline the rules and decisions that will be fleshed out by later generations. Analogizing the development of proper treatment of women as equals, Leopold claims that while “concepts of right and wrong were not lacking from Odysseus’ Greece...the ethical structure of that day...had not yet been extended to human chattels.” He believes that, because of the many “fields of conduct” to which “ethical criteria have been extended,” a lack

of proper rules for treatment of the land means only that one will come eventually. However, Leopold also recognizes that “evolution never stops” and that “nothing so important as an ethic is ever ‘written.’” The flexibility and relative openness with which Leopold sets up his ethical framework helps it progress along with “evolution” and means the “Land Ethic” can be much more readily applied to the modern world.

Because of the adaptable and accommodating ideas Leopold has set forth, there are boundless applications of the Land Ethic to solving environmental problems in cooperation with, instead of against, the environment. Leopold demonstrates how both taking into consideration the “pyramid of life” and recognizing the faster pace of human changes relative to evolutionary ones, when looking for solutions to environmental problems, help prevent carelessly designed or overly single-minded infrastructure from being put in place. Because “the velocity and character of the upward flow of energy depend on the complex structure of the plant and animal community,” any human intrusions that disrupt this structure are essentially guaranteed to have backlash. Additionally, the fact that “man-made changes are of a different order than evolutionary changes and [often] have effects more comprehensive than is intended or foreseen” means that repairing the damage done will be a far slower and more labour-intensive process. A close-to-home example of this is the Lawrenceville water system.

Because of storm drainage pipes that send high-velocity water into the creek near the hockey parking lot, the Lower Shipetaukin, decades of erosion and water contamination have already had effects on the wildlife population and likely the river systems further downstream. Proposed infrastructure to help the water drain back into the ground, instead of just letting it flow into the river, will help prevent exacerbation of the problem but still leaves cleanup work to be done.

Leopold’s “Land Ethic” helps societies rethink not only the methods but also often the goals behind conservation work. In this case, society has learned to think about moving water back into the ground instead of just “away.”

The “Land Ethic,” therefore, argues for true consideration of the needs and desires of land by thinking of it as equal. An allowance for revisions and changes that build on this core idea of community means it can effectively be applied to and help illuminate modern environmental issues. This trait of flexibility is probably what has made the “Land Ethic” so long-lasting; Leopold’s humility in recognizing that future advancements are almost guaranteed to surpass any contemporary work helped prevent his ideas and opinions from becoming too quickly outdated.

Advocating a Land Ethic through Leopold’s Lens Alexis Gonzalez In Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, he states, “the land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land”. Through the land ethic, Leopold brings forward how important it is for humans to respect and care for the environment and not destroy or deplete the resources given to us by the land. By learning about Leopold’s land ethic and studying the works of other authors such as Dr. Robin Kimmerer, I have been able to understand the relationship of reciprocity and the land identity, discover outcomes in our society that have occurred because of the lack of awareness to have a mindset of a land ethic, and have been inspired to advocate towards environmental issues that are currently affecting my personal connection to the land ethic.

As I learned about Leopold’s land ethic, I had to familiarize myself with the definition of reciprocity. Reciprocity means to give back instead of taking. In this case, it means to give back to the environment instead of using it for selfish needs. As Dr. Kimmerer, a teacher, scientist, and citizen of the Potawatomi Nation mentions, in the indegineous culture, the practice of putting the environment first instead of using it for selfish needs has been ongoing in her culture for a very long time. Dr. Kimmerer encourages people to have a closer connection to land, in what she calls a “land identity”. Leopold also mentions reciprocity through his land ethic: “a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land–community to plain member and citizen of it...It implies respect for his fellow members, and also respect for the community as such”. In much of Western society, humans want to conquer the earth and environment by prioritizing economic well-being instead of the Earth’s well-being, but according to Leopold’s land ethic, there should be a balance between both economic and environmental wellbeing. As I further understand Leopold’s land ethic, I understand my personal connection with land and my own reciprocity, I have been able to further understand my connection to my land identity and I have been exposed to the mistreatment of the land in the lens of Aldo Leopold.

Learning of Aldo Leopold’s land ethic has made me recognize the outcomes of the environment as people misunderstand the land ethic. Failing to understand the land ethic, people will have careless actions towards the environment. For example, the Assunpink Creek in Trenton and the Shipetaukin Creek in Lawrenceville, which have been polluted for years. In the Assunpink Creek, people who do not live near trenton are constantly littering and illegally dumping toxic waste into the floodplain without thinking of the harm it will have towards the animals and organisms living in the water or how the contaminated

water could affect the citizens living in that area. While those who live near the creek wish to clean the water, the Assunpink Creek has continued to be polluted because of the lack of resources there are to control the problem. Lawrenceville’s own Shipetaukin Creek has also been affected by similar issues such as pollution, low dissolved oxygen, and high turbidity. The Shipetaukin Creek’s water quality is imperative because these problems raise concerns on our school campus as the low dissolved oxygen in the water can decrease fish and organism populations living in the creek, and can also affect how the water smells as the creek contains a high population of fecal coliform (from bird feces) causing the creek to be toxic and unsafe for human exposure. In order to improve how we treat the land and water following Aldo Leopold’s land ethic, there are a few steps community members can take. For example, nonprofit organizations have worked with the City of Trenton to build a greenway along the Assenpink creek. In Lawrenceville, community members could learn about the importance of giving back to our land and water by not polluting or throwing our trash in the creek. If people become aware of Leopold’s land ethic and care to give back to our environment, situations such as the contamination of the Assunpink creek or the mistreatment of the Shipetaukin Creek could be avoided.

The exposure of Aldo Leopold’s ethic has improved my personal connection to the environment and has further encouraged me to advocate towards environmental justice in my community and beyond. I have witnessed first hand the mistreatment of the land in my home town. The negative effect of environmental racism mainly imposes a threat in my community as people’s health has become endangered by the air and water pollution. My city is not the only one to be burdened by this form of systematic racism - many other communities of color are forced to live near sources of toxicity such as landfills, sewage treatment areas, power stations, mines, and other toxic areas, increasing the risk of health problems. With inspiration from Leopold, I wish to take action to resolve and improve conditions in low income areas affected by environmental racism through educating others of Leopold’s land ethic, working with community organizations such as the Citizens Climate Lobby and Girl Scouts to create new community guidelines to prevent these environmental issues, and work with my local town officials to expose them to the unjust actions that leave a negative impact towards both my community and the environment.

Aldo Leopold has inspired me to form a stronger connection to the environment. By understanding the meaning of a land ethic by taking actions of reciprocity, I understand how necessary it is to give back to the environment and encourage others to learn and follow this ethic for the better of humanity.

Whether it is conservation or land stewardship, I have learned to appreciate and understand both my personal and Leopold’s land ethic.

A Mayfly to International Trade Systems: Nature as Economics Nushana Huq Many of you may be aware that even though water covers 71% of the Earth's surface, less than 3% of that water is freshwater, and 98% of that freshwater is in the form of ice. While water appears to be infinite at times, we’re approaching the distribution and quality limits of safe drinking water. Water sustainability is usually believed to include the pursuit of three things: ecological health, social equality, and economic well-being. However, after reading Aldo Leopold's essay The Land Ethic, I became much more aware of the commodification of our planet's resources. Maybe this is the most crucial part; why is simple reasoning about consequences, which we always try to instill in our children, so difficult to apply when our short-term self-interest is at stake? Why are so many politicians willing to ignore what scientists say? How can a powerful country like the United States lead a counter-offensive against the 2015 Paris Accord? In the presence of society’s disconnection from nature, people are vulnerable to wanting the most convenient life, and this in turn creates a stigma of “otherness” of the nature community that was supposed to be known as home.

As Leopold says, "charity begins at home." While we prioritize our families and communities, there is a prevailing sense that the welfare of all people, even those we do not know and will never meet, has value. We continue to support resolutions for the rights of people and cultures. We recognized the right of every human to safe drinking water in 2010. Clearly, we are making some progress.

However, despite our recent progress in caring for the greater human community, we have yet to include nature in our ethical sphere, especially water. The river that flows nearby isn’t really a river; it’s the most convenient site to dispose of our industrial trash. The way we treat our rivers, lakes, aquifers, wetlands, and estuaries has always been dictated by convenience rather than logic, let alone ethics. Particularly in our society where marketing and social media are so powerful at telling us what we should value and how we should act, we need to think about the world as bigger than just the human race. What is preventing us from developing new ways to coexist with nature on a healthy planet? The issue, it appears to me, is that the question is always posed as “do you do this?” or “do you do that?” Here’s the real question we should be asking: can we all do this?

While many of us can, the simple yet sad answer is that many people can’t afford to pay $15 more dollars for a reusable bottle when they can barely pay their bills.

People can’t be more sustainable if their families depend on the wages they get from factory work. If sustainability isn’t accessible to everyone, how can we start

being a better member of the natural community? Why is it so costly to not destroy the environment?

Whether we interpret the problem as a lack of ethics or the existence of the wrong ethics, the importance of ethics cannot be overstated. A company selling reusable products wants max profit, but that is considering the fact that companies don’t consider protecting the world as profit. “The evolution of an ethic is an intellectual as well as emotional process,” says Leopold in his closing.

In my two weeks of being a Leopold Scholar, all the hours spent getting used to sitting outside for 90 minutes without technology, researching macroinvertebrates from different streams, and learning how water systems work, I remember my days at public school in Houston. My idea of land ethic upgraded from recycling to really thinking about how the land provides for me, but I also realize how inaccessible this education is to 99% of people, including me a year ago today. But this is the education that people need. Telling people the impacts of unhealthy bodies of water to the world would teach them to care for and preserve water sources, so why don’t we? While providing future generations with a land ethic is an investment, we shouldn’t need a political or economic incentive to get people to care about our sole source of food, water, shelter, and life. But for some reason, we do, and that is the root of the problem.

After all, today’s youth will be the next leaders of our country, so the time to teach about how crucial it is to value our Earth is now. Maybe then, protecting our community will be viewed as a profitable goal.

Nature was on our side all along, yet we continue to politicize and commodify it, and when we look around the world we can see how our actions backfire. People are getting terminal illnesses from drinking water that’s polluted by the factory that makes all our favorite clothes. The economies of whole countries are being devastated because their soil has been poisoned with so many pollutants. I realized that I had an intellectual maturation when I started to see a connection to nature as not just identifying different plants and animals, but rather an understanding that it doesn’t matter what they are; we’re all in this together. When I understood that we are all one community, I started to care more, and that is a universal ideology. Thinking of someone as a player on your team gives you a sense of empathy for them. As Leopold correctly stated, “it is inconceivable that an ethical relation to land can exist without love, respect, and admiration for land, and a high regard for its value. By value, I of course mean something far broader than mere economic value; I mean value in the philosophical sense.” People have a clear disconnect between “save the planet!” and “do for nature what it does for you,” so we as a society need to start truly embracing nature without wanting a benefit in the first place if we want to make

sustainability accessible to everyone. How can we do that? In a phrase, a land ethic. We have ethics, but we are not applying those ethics to our decisions regarding the natural world: soil, minerals, plants, animals, and, of course, water.

Expanding ethics beyond our immediate self-interest to encompass the well-being of our world as a community is the key to coexisting with nature on a healthy planet.

Earth Overshoot Day: Where Do We Cross The Line?

Lauren Kim Although Aldo Leopold published his book A Sand County Almanac with his landmark essay “The Land Ethic” in 1949, the revelations of this essay are still relevant today, highlighting how strong enduring principles of the past can carry over into modern day issues. The land ethic calls for an increase in respect for the Earth, as it is a part of our community. He also emphasizes the importance of forming a connection to the environment through love, admiration, and reverence.

Today, Earth Overshoot Day is “the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.”1 Despite the time difference, Leopold addresses the consumption of Earth’s resources in his land ethic in a way that is still applicable in a modern society.

Leopold concludes his land ethic with the idea that it is “inconceivable” to have an “ethical relationship” with the Earth without “love, respect and admiration for the land, and a high regard for its value.” Leopold conveys that it is unethical to take excessively from our land without respect. He links science and ethics despite their surface level differences, focusing more on the “intense consciousness” of land rather than quantitative aspects. By regarding the environment as a member of the community we live in, we can strengthen the connection to the land that many humans lack. This interdisciplinary approach allows for members of society to consider what is “ethically and esthetically right.” In addition, the implication of both science and ethics in the context of the environment is key to having a full understanding of modern issues. The speed at which the Earth is changing is too fast to keep up with, especially if lacking the proper context for how to handle issues that fall in the grey area between science and humanities.

As Leopold Scholars, our study of the land ethic and connections to the environment allowed us to view contemporary issues in a new light. In the context of the land ethic, our experiences have been shaped around a newfound consciousness regarding our effect on our surroundings. While both chemically and visually assessing the water in nearby streams, we were able to view the results in relation to our contributions to water pollution. In addition, our consumption of plastic water bottles has decreased over the course of this program since we were able to see the multi-step process that the school takes on in order to provide us with safe well water. All of these new developments are factors of daily life that can be put in a broader context of the land ethic. By understanding both the scientific and ethical themes presented in A Sand County 1

For more on Overshoot Day, visit https://www.overshootday.org/

Almanac, a more sustainable future becomes more important to consider in everyday life choices.

In terms of Earth Overshoot Day, the application of both an ethical and scientific understanding is what Leopold’s land ethic argues for. The path to later overshoot days in future years is an increase in our consciousness of our relationship with the environment. As members of the environment, the land ethic argues that the sustainable and ethical approach would be to treat the Earth with respect and deter from extracting unnecessarily large amounts of resources, resulting in a more interdisciplinary solution. The reason our Overshoot Day falls before December 31st is because we take from the Earth and set aside nearly as much time to give back as we should. Using the environment as a non-living cornucopia is what leads to the rapid decay of resources. What some fail to see is that the Earth is not a non-living entity. The biosphere is a collection of living organisms and ecosystems. As a part of this biosphere, it is our responsibility to uphold the land ethic and regard the Earth with respect.

Cause and Effect: Applying Leopold’s Land Ethic to the Modern World Jack Mahoney While Aldo Leopold was unable to foresee the effects of today’s environmental issues, many principles of his essay “The Land Ethic” from A Sand County Almanac still can give reflection to how we live today. Leopold’s land ethic calls for an expanded understanding of community and a reframing of humans as members of this community rather than owners of it. Leopold speaks about the emergence of this land ethic as an evolutionary process, one which will naturally emerge. Although Leopold lived nearly a century ago, his essays in A Sand County Almanac are still relevant to modern day environmental problems.

Leopold writes that we must extend our definition of community to include those things that he defines as land, which includes soils, plants, animals, and crucially water. We therefore must care for the water and its health like it is part of our community. In reflecting over this, along with our tour of Lawrenceville’s own water supply, I have come to realize that supplying water to even a population the size of a school is a very complex task, which requires considering the environmental effects of every decision made, such as what chemicals to put in the water and what type of fuel to burn to power the boilers. While it’s easy to simply think that all water is the same and comes from the same place and has similar impacts, the reality is that bottled water is 2000 times more energy-intensive than tap water2, and it also has an egregious effect on the environment due to pollution from extracting and delivering it. The first step in fixing these issues is helping people understand them through education.

Leopold understands that ignorance can blind people to environmental issues, as he says in the “Good Oak” essay in A Sand County Almanac, mentioning that the “two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm” are “supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery [and] that heat comes from the furnace.” Leopold recognizes that when people are disconnected from the sources of things like heat and food, they lose care for the effects of the issues surrounding them. By extending Leopold’s spiritual dangers to water, it's clear that education of the issues surrounding water usage is the first step in lowering humanity’s negative environmental impacts regarding water usage.

While Leopold didn’t live to see the long-term effects of some modern environmental justice issues, he was a transformative figure in the recognition of land as “a community to which we belong” which is a founding step in the fight for environmental justice. In today’s world, it is shown that issues such as water quality, flooding, and climate change have a greater impact on overburdened 2

For more information, visit https://phys.org/news/2009-03-energy-bottle.html

communities. These issues are long-term and deep-rooted in cultural pains.

Therefore a third party coming in and ‘fixing it’ wouldn’t do much; instead, we need to open the floor to local communities by allowing easier participation in decision-making events, thereby increasing affected peoples’ representation in the struggles that they best understand.

Another way that A Sand County Almanac deepened my understanding of humanity’s effect on nature was through reflecting on his “Thinking Like a Mountain” essay. Leopold’s “Thinking Like a Mountain” essay allowed me to reflect on the unforeseeable consequences of many of our actions. In many cases, humanity solves one issue but causes even more issues to form because their solution to the first problem disrupted the natural system. In Leopold’s example, the extermination of the wolf population directly led to a new issue: an unstoppable overabundance of deer. A similar example in our modern world is the issue of impervious cover’s harmful effects on our waterways. When constructing urban areas, city planners historically wanted to get water out of the area as quickly as possible. However this doesn’t let water soak into the earth, and so it rushes away, carrying all kinds of pollutants into natural waterways and preventing groundwater recharge. This single solution, just meant to get water out of a city, causes countless issues in water quality.

To conclude, through reflecting on Leopold’s essays from A Sand County Almanac, I have gained a deepened understanding of how water relates to the global community and the best way that people can help. As members of the global community, we, as people, naturally develop an ethic to the land which guides us to restrain from our instincts of exploiting the land in competition.

Through my own personal development of a Land Ethic, I have been able to use my interest in science in order to understand how my actions can impact the Earth.

The Scale of Life: Spots on A Fish Fly Mustafe Osman In A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold's vision of a land ethic is a more precise and concise definition that presents what he calls the land as part of the community. Leopold's definition expands that of a community to include not only humans, but also all other parts of the land such as the soils, waters, plants, and animals that form what Leopold calls “the land.” The author highlights the value and shows that the land certainly deserves respect from humans. He emphasizes how the land is part of a community and needs to be treated with dignity and respect. Because as humans, we are members of a community, we must cooperate and compromise with other people for a community to thrive.

Thus, by his logic, if we are not cooperating with the rules of protecting the land, our communities are no longer thriving.

To further Leopold's idea of community, polluting the land is the same as disrespecting parts of our community. If humans are respecting the land, some parts of our community should not be experiencing degraded water quality.

Leopold states, “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” A thing is right when it respects the environmental well-being and the social well-being of the community. For example, I was surprised by the clear floating water in The Stony Brook Creek in Hopewell when I compared it to the lower Shipetaukin Creek, here at Lawrenceville. In a biotic index, I found a Hellgrammite, a type of fly larva, in The Stony Brook. It's a dull-colored larva with feathery gill clusters along the sides and I was shocked to see how beautiful this creature was. On top of this creature, small black and brown spots appeared. This level of scale shows where life exists if water is respected, because of the communities that live in it.

If the water supply is polluted, I would not have been able to see the Hellgrammite. By polluting waterways we are extirpating millions of creatures that live in them, and that does not align with Leopold’s definition of a land ethic.

If we are not treating this larva as we are treating other people, then we are not respecting the land. Care for people cannot be separated from care for the land and a land ethic depends on these interconnected caring relationships.

Leopold’s land ethic also made me pay attention to the food that I eat every single day, and what it takes to produce it. The production of food and its movement from one point to another is not easy, and it takes a lot to just put food in your mouth. I spent a day at the Big Red farm, and I realized that broccoli or pork in Irwin do not just appear there, but it takes so much water, sunlight, time and effort to produce. For example, a pig has to eat tons of grain to produce calories for a human to consume. A pig has to drink loads of water for the

entirety of its existence. The pig has to eat and consume so much food for one person to get 10% of the calories that the pig produces. The resources it takes to produce the same amount of food is much less for a plant-based diet than a meat-based one. Also, millions of people who work in these farms are getting paid less than the minimum wage. Regardless of this, they come out every single day, Just to provide food for people like me. This is a pressing social issue that is directly related to a human’s food supply. I had no idea what was happening behind the food that I enjoyed on the table. Thus, paying attention to these connections humans can better respect what Leopold calls The community.

In conclusion, Leopold’s definition of land ethic challenged me in ways I would not have thought of the food that I eat or the aquatic macroinvertebrates in water. Visiting the Big Red Farm and experiencing what it takes to produce food was an eye opening experience that showed me what farmworkers go through daily. A farm is hard work, and many people enjoy a ready meal while they have no idea how much work went into producing a single plant. Thus, caring for the Earth and what lives and grows above it is the same as respecting yourself. When we treat well those who work in farms, we are essentially respecting the food we eat and the environment that it grows in. Leopold wants people to live on the land as plain citizens and that shows respect for other creatures and everything above it. He wants nature and people to coexist as a community, not as two separate entities.

A Walk for Water: Taking a Journey through the Lens of Aldo Leopold Maddie Rygh In confronting the contemporary environmental issues of industrialization, pollution, and more, it is imperative that we humans analyze our current situation and develop a solution to remedy the downward spiral of the Earth. In his book A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold describes the proper treatment of the Earth.

Defining it as a Land Ethic, Leopold emphasizes the necessity for a profound respect for the land which includes soils, water, plants, and animals. Today, we must take on the necessary task of applying his ethic to modern environmental issues, seeing as our degradation of the land has not only harmed the lives of the organisms that live in nature but has also negatively impacted the living conditions of humans. As humans spend more and more time indoors on screens and less time outdoors, our appreciation for the earth has waned; this has contributed to the creation of an environment in which our water supply is threatened as corporations and humans use unnecessary water and contaminate clean water. Thus, the core concept that is necessary to begin a campaign to improve the issue of a diminishing water supply is an appreciation for the land, and we can foster this appreciation through spending more time outdoors. Our journey towards a healthy environment holds similarities to a walk through the woods: each step of the walk correlates to a step towards remedying our water issues. Yet, a common occurrence in walking is getting lost and having to take backward steps, which, in our metaphor, take the form of littering or other disrespectful acts towards the land. While these backward steps may seem discouraging, and we may find ourselves looping in circles, the final destination remains, reminding us that we just need to keep getting closer—one step at a time.

In order to begin the walk, one must reflect on their relationship with nature, Analyzing how one interacts with nature, benefits from nature, and harms nature in everyday life. Through reflections such as these, one may realize the important role that nature directly or indirectly plays in day-to-day life through being a source of food fuel, energy for homes, and everything in between.. As I reflect on my interactions with nature, I make note of the peace I feel when immersed in nature and the healing that nature presents. These feelings vary for each person; however, each feeling contributes to an appreciation for the land. Spending time in nature teaches one to not solely view the land as a commodity but as a crucial part of our community and an equal. Through viewing the land as an equal, one will not solely take from the land, but also give back to the land. The concept of equality with the land is crucial in addressing the issue of our diminishing water supply, as we see corporations and humans use the water, and not only fail to

give back to the land but additionally harm the land as well. If corporations continue to utilize a large amount of clean water, whilst the factories produce waste that contaminates the remaining clean water, we will see a rapidly diminishing amount of clean water.

The next step in our walk after establishing an appreciation for nature includes taking action to better the environment. In the issue of water supply, this can be done by reducing litter, which often ends up in streams and other water sources, contaminating them and impairing ecosystems. Another step that can be taken is using eco-friendly soaps, which reduce the number of microbeads and chemicals present in water in our sewage systems. While these small actions may help to improve the environment, drastic changes are also necessary in tandem with individual acts. Policy changes are crucial in helping us reach our final destination, and one can advocate for such change through contacting their local municipal government. The action of advocating for policy changes ties into the concept of our appreciation for the land, as one must dedicate themself to bettering the land in order to see beneficial outcomes. The Shipetaukin Creek, the source of water that runs through the Lawrenceville campus, shows direct results of pollution and littering, specifically coming from the parking lot. Exhaust from cars, trash from students, and other pollutants enter the creek through flooding or surface run-off The Lawrenceville School has taken direct action to remedy this issue, planning to reconstruct the parking lot to include non-impervious surfaces instead of the asphalt for the ground of the parking lot. The non-impervious surfaces allow for the infiltration of stormwater into the ground, reducing the amount of pollutant-collecting stormwater that enters the creek.

These solutions work to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our water, leading us yet another step closer to reducing water waste and improving the quality of our water supply.

It is critical to recognize that backward steps may occur and that the hard effort put in to improve the environment may, in fact, have negative consequences. Although taking steps backward in our quest for a better environment should not be accepted, it should also not deter people from actively working for a better environment. A notable example of a backward step is wasting treated water. While most people do not know the process that water goes through to reach the state of treated water, the treatment process is complex as many chemicals are added and nonstop work is required. By wasting treated water, one wastes all of the resources that are used to make clean, treated water, whilst additionally reducing the limited supply of clean, treated water that is available. A case study of a backward step is shown through the condition of the Assunpink Creek, a portion of which flows past Amtico Square in Trenton. At this location, Assunpink Creek is the victim of illegal dumping and

garbage, leaving the creek in a state where immediate action was necessary to support local residents in counteracting the tons of garbage and litter destroying this ecosystem. Backward steps can occur in many more forms; however, the implications of all backward steps remain the same: backward steps distance us from our goal of healthy land and a flourishing water supply. Although we should try to avoid taking backward steps, they serve the purpose of teaching us how we can continue to improve and which paths we should avoid in the future.

Within the metaphor of comparing the journey to solving our diminishing water supply to a walk, the individual steps that one takes highlight the importance of appreciating, respecting, and giving back to the land. An appreciation for the land can be developed in many ways; however, the most efficient way is spending time outdoors. Any activity outdoors—from a bike ride to a walk to even just sitting and observing—fosters a deep connection with the land. After developing an appreciation, one must take the next step in the walk, which is actively working to improve the land through conservation efforts such as contacting one’s local government. Lastly, an important item to note in our walk is that we might find ourselves walking in circles or taking backward steps.

These backward steps may harm the land, but as always in a walk, they can be counteracted through more forward steps. Throughout this journey, the final destination looms over those partaking in the walk. This final destination, a healthy land, no longer trashed by humans and wasted, must be reached.

Creating a Land-Human Community Lily Schweinfurth In his book, A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold utilizes his personal experiences with the natural world to propose a land ethic: a philosophy that teaches people to respect the land and nature around them. His ethic points out the immorality in an entirely anthropocentric standpoint and reminds me to connect with the land and all of its biotic and abiotic beings from an equal standing, rather than one of superiority. Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic deepens my understanding of contemporary environmental issues through altering the Western perspective of “community” to include the land and its living and nonliving inhabitants. He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging an equal standing between all natural entities—including animals, rivers, and humans—in order to ethically navigate these issues.

In a community, there must be active engagement among members in order to foster healthy relationships. Leopold maintains his viewpoint that engaging with the natural world is fundamental in understanding its beings and fostering a mutual respect; in this sense, the role of an active community member is to immerse themself in the land and form a profound connection with its beings. Today, finding time to form this connection is difficult as much of once densely forested land has become pavement, grand mountains have turned into forgotten mining sites, and pristine rivers have been marred by pollution.

However, one cannot advocate for and discover a true respect for the land without establishing this connection. Workers at the Watershed institute in nearby Hopewell, New Jersey, have utilized the Stony Brook Creek to enable others to form that connection. Through maintaining the water’s health, building green infrastructure around the facilities, and teaching visitors about their impacts on the land, the Watershed Institute has enabled their own community and communities nearby to immerse themselves in nature through their dedication to environmental education and relation with the Stony Brook Creek along with the Delaware River watershed and other watersheds.

Leopold’s timeless philosophy highlights the importance of fostering a community between land and humans that encompasses all living beings and an equality among them. He notes that in order to preserve an ecosystem’s ecology, it is necessary to understand that each being in the ecosystem is a fundamental component and must be viewed as an equal and deserving being, not a commodity. Today, it is imperative to apply this aspect of his philosophy when confronting environmental issues such as water pollution. At the Assunpink Creek at the Amtico Square site in Trenton, illegal dumping in an underserved community led to a necessary cleanup. In this case study, the community living in

this area worked with many partners who understood the rights of the creatures that live off of the creek along with the rights of the people to healthy water.

Groups of people can strive to achieve this environmental equality through actions such as listening sessions, where residents of an area can voice their opinions and concerns regarding various topics like developing the capacity to manage the pollution of the Assunpink Creek. Urging for the maintenance of these natural sites can also make way for positive change in communities and ensure that all voices can be heard and understood in order to give everyone an equal standing. On behalf of the animals and rivers that cannot speak for themselves, it is vital that humans act as environmental stewards and advocates, such as those who acted to repair the health of Amtico Square’s Assunpink Creek. In combating environmental issues, we must contemplate the rights of all natural entities, abiotic, animal and human, to health and equitable resources.

Leopold stresses that each member of a community must be able to restore what they have harmed or give back to redeem what they have taken in order to foster a sustainable relationship between humans and nature and ensure a healthy balance of the land. Leopold often addresses the “shovel” which he uses as metaphor for both human’s “progress,” which has harmed the land for our own benefit, and as a means for giving back—the shovel can be utilized to plant trees and serve the land. Seeing as the shovel is a metaphor for the capacity of humans to both harm and help, Leopold is asserting that humans must find ways to benefit or repair the land and its ecosystems after causing harm. In a case close to home, the Shipetaukin Creek, which passes through Lawrenceville, has been the recipient of numerous kinds of water pollution.

Through parking lot run-off and flooding, fertilizer with excess phosphorus and nitrogen has infiltrated the water system and impaired the water’s quality. In following Leopold’s ethic of giving back to the land, community members of the Lawrenceville School plan to reduce impervious surfaces at the parking lot next to the creek. Although taking this step to restore the water is not a requirement, this is a valuable component in a healthy and effective land ethic.

Although Leopold lived in a time that faced highly different issues than we confront today, his ethic is adaptable to all time periods and can be used as a lens to view environmental issues. His book draws on personal experiences which have shaped his relationship with the natural world, and he asks his reader to analyze their own relationship with the land around them. Leopold’s land ethic expresses the significance of immersing oneself in nature, finding an equality among all members of a human-nature community, and giving back in the same manner that we take so that our actions can be sustained; his ethic preceded and gave way to the core principles of the modern day sustainability movement which is so often brought up in contemporary cultural, social, and political settings.