Field Trip!!

On Thursday, October 4th, The First Year Seminar: Local Choices, Global Effects went on a field trip to the Nature Museum located in Chicago. The focus of this museum is primarily education. Since many of its audience do not have a PhD in ecology or other nature related degrees, the museum itself is very simple and easily understood. The museum itself has many sections: the wetlands, the river systems, the butterfly exhibit, the wilderness walk, the going green area (complete with a under seven children’s section), a green rooftop, a reptile exhibit (not open until later this month), and a gift shop.’
My favorite exhibits were the wetlands and river systems. These two exhibits (situated next to each other since they are very alike) have three dimensional models full with flashing lights, pouring water, and sound effects. One particular model even has a narrator explaining the model, while lights flash on the area that is currently being explained. These models are full of color and effects that would attract a young child, and yet the content still holds the attention of the adult. Another favorite model of mine is the city irrigation system in which there is a model of a city (with skyscrapers) complete with water canals. Above the city, there is a “cloud” in which rain pours down (after pushing a button) and you get to see which directions the water flows, how fast, etc.
To me, the green area with the kitchen was probably most related to what we were doing in class for the waste management project.. The exhibit shows diagrams of what you should/should not recycle, how to best avoid wasted energy in your kitchen, and the like. However, I do believe that the wetlands/river system exhibit could relate more to what we are doing for this next presentation on sustainable living because it has to do with how our communities are built, how long those communities will last under certain conditions, what is necessary for planning the construction of a community and so on. These two exhibits helped me expand my thoughts on what sustainable living actually means. Before I was focused on food and the growing of plants, but in reality, sustainable living is more than what we put into our bodies, but what we put into our communities, and where we put those communities. It is very logical to think that communities located on what were once marshes and swamps will not last as long as communities built on higher ground, and are thus not as sustainable.
Overall, I enjoyed myself during our time at the Nature Museum. If I were to do it again, I would do everything the same (except maybe take more pictures). Also, I would definitely recommend this museum for the FYS Exploring Chicago class, if they have not already visited.