I think that it’s easy to forget about nature as we’re speeding down the Deerfoot at one hundred kilometers per hour, or when we're working at a computer in a downtown office tower. I think that our society would be more inclined to protect and care for the environment if we felt more of a connection with it. The environmental damage that has been ongoing for years often shows only subtle signs, such as in the smog hovering over the city. The more visible damage typically takes place far away in locations like Alberta's oil sands. It’s very easy to forget about the thousands of birds killed every year in bitumen lakes in northern Alberta when it's not happening within sight. If the Glenmore Reservoir was filled with bitumen, I’m sure we’d see some quick public action.

In San Francisco, Richard Register (author of EcoCities) and his organization EcoCity Builders has, over several years, reclaimed a few blocks of land in Berkley California. Volunteers have succeeded in re-opening a buried creek, and have planted all forms of local vegetation. The small area has since attracted an impressive range of birds and insects. I would imagine that people living in the area must also feel a connection to the small section of nature in their neighborhood.