Common Nature

We all share a common nature. Caring for the environment is caring for ourselves. Caring for nature is caring for each other which includes our family, friends, communities and all the plants and animals that make life possible in our neighborhoods and in fact on our entire planet Earth.

The DuPont Environmental Education Center and Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge is a place to learn and explore the mysteries and science about our mutual interdependency with all living beings. Our relationships with each other and the natural world determine the quality of life that we can create for ourselves now and for future generations.

Environmental issues are also economic, social and political issues. Our local, state and Federal policies and laws guide our development for either increasing or decreasing the health of all habitats and especially our urban environments. The emerging fields of educational about Environmental Justice and Nature Advocacy seek to create a world that is equitable and sustainable for humans as well as for plants and animals. This means supporting efforts to ensure clean air and water plus reducing toxins and protecting native habitants.

The development of the Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge demonstrates the positive results of effective long term care and restoration of a once critically distressed habitat. We can all make a positive contribution to care for nature and increase the health of our environment. Many local and international organizations are devoted to creating a justice and sustainable world. The following web links offer several opportunities to further explore these topics:

Earth Charter
http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/pages/The-Earth-Charter.html

Center for Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Delaware
http://ceep.udel.edu/ceep.html

United Nations Millennium Declaration
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/millennium.htm

Declaration of Interdependence
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/About_us/Declaration_of_Interdependence.asp