BLOG |
by Liz Entler My project is a building model of Armstrong Hall on the MNSU Campus with more non-human animal friendly features. Earlier in the year I was inspired to make a 3D model of a project we had done. I want there to be a real connection to how beautiful it can make our campus if we were to implement these features into all the buildings, new and old. If we were to implement these changes, we would be making minor changes but could result in major ones. The lives of non-human animals and human animals alive would be improved and in result would be helping the Earth also. Our architecture makes us completely forget that we share this Earth with other beings. We are forced to see the world in a value-hierarchical way, as C.L. Glasser explains in her chapter of Animals and the Environment. As human animals we have forced our way into land that doesn’t belong to us giving us a hierarchical stance against the non-human animals that own this land. Beatley and Bekoff explain in City Planning and Animals that if we were to include features into our buildings, we would be bringing attention to the ones we share this land with. If we were more aware of the non-human animal life that we were destroying, we would incorporate these features much faster. But, because we believe in building a faster economy, we don’t think about the lives were destroying and homes were taking away. And in result make us human animals care more about the non-human animals more. Which would result in less pollution and the better treatment of non-human animals. We can change the world in a night, but small changes over a long period of time would eventually make a big change. This id was based off an activity done in class where we drew Armstrong Hall with features that incorporate non-human animals. I was inspired to do this project because I, personally, would love a campus that would incorporate more features that allow us to co-habit with non-human animals. I become a happier person knowing that we are doing whatever possible to make it easier for non-human animals to live among us. Reading City Planning and Animals also helped inspire me to think about our footprint on the lives of the non-human animals we share this Earth with. Learning how much of an impact we have on them has changed the way I see our cities and towns and has only made me want to make a difference. I wanted people to see how realistic these changes could be on a model building of Armstrong and hopefully inspire these changes somewhere on campus. The MNSU campus is already very spacious and green with its gardens spread sporadically. And hopefully add a pond or make the area around the bell tower more animal friendly instead of aesthetic. Knowing that our campus has the capability to change in this way is encouraging. Students have a lot of control over how our campus looks and if we were to try to implement these changes we could. These changes would be one small step for human animal, but one giant leap for non-human animal kinds lives. It improves the lives of non-human animals by incorporating them into our daily lives. The addition of a green roof helps expand the amount of green area for non-human animals to pollinate flowers and live in peace away from human animal traffic. And the addition of more ponds allows for a larger biodiversity around the campus. As Beatley and Bekoff explains, turning off the lights or having a “lights-out” time during migration periods of birds so that they may be able to fly in peace. Incorporating this practice on the MNSU would result in less bird catastrophes. Adding more places for the birds and bats to rest in houses spread around the campus would increase the bird and bat populations and give them a safe place to stay. Making the non-human animals more visible to us would make us more aware of their existence. And if we were more aware of them then we would lessen our speciest views and we would learn to see them as C.L. Glasser explains that we need total liberation in order to reach the liberation of animals and the Earth. If we were to incorporate that sort of thinking on campus, students would take that lesson into their own lives, improving the lives of non-human animals around them. Bibliography Beatley, Timothy, and Marc Bekoff. City Planning and Animals: Expanding Our Urban Compassion Footprint. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2013. Glasser, C.L. Animals and the Envirnonment. Routledge, 2015. Author Bio: Liz Entler is a Sophomore at Minnesota State College, Mankato majoring in Zoology. She has loved animals for as long as she can remember and has strived to keep them happy and health. Liz spends her weekends working at a The Paw making sure everyone’s companion animals are safe and sound while their caretakers are on vacation. She enjoys spending all her time with her beloved friends, Matilda; a 12-year-old yorkie/papillon, and her 3 cats; Betty, Plomo, and Panther. Comments are closed.
|
ABOUT
This is a website about nonhuman animals, written by human animals taking a Society and Animals class at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|