This past Friday, I had the pleasure of attending Dr. Peter Newman’s Sustainability Showcase series talk, eating a yummy (and sustainably packaged) lunch, and having a nice chat with the Melissa all in the matter of an hour. While I always enjoy seeing the PLA faculty out and about on campus, I do want to focus the rest of this blog on the first listed activity (which Melissa also attended!)… Peter Newman’s (Recreation Parks & Tourism professor and department head) presentation on creating meaningful and sustainable experiences for visitors to the United States’ fantastic National Parks. Peter’s focus in research is primarily on just that, offering guests to National Parks a healthy, memorable, and natural experience of nature and the wilderness. While some argue whether or not wilderness still exists in the United States, we will move along under the assumption that natural spaces still can offer “wild” experiences: the pristine silence of a snow-covered forest, the ebb and flow of an uninterrupted migratory flock, etc, etc. The element of nature that Peter Newman honed in on in his presentation was one that took me by surprise: sound. When I’ve discussed or learned about pollution and sustainability, the topics that stick with me most often are air pollution (due to greenhouse gases) and water pollution (whether from industry, landfills, leaks, etc.), but rarely is the topic of sound pollution brought up.

Therefore, it was quite refreshing to hear a presentation focused primarily on natural vs. human-made sounds and their impact on our health and well-being. Sound pollution, which as shown on the following map, is something that all of us have experienced, whether it be the whooshing of traffic down Atherton St (conveniently located right next to my bedroom window) or the hammering, clinking, and clacking of the various construction projects going on downtown.

(Source: National Parks Service)

Sound is something that is very hard for us to turn off, and as Peter’s presentation set forth, human-made is especially hard to do so in natural environments. As the above map shows, there are very few places in the United States where we can experience “natural” quiet, and therefore be able to experience nature at its most natural. Essential to an enjoyed natural experience of nature in our National Parks (say that one 10 times fast), as shown by various studies, is being able to take in the landscapes without the interruption or chatter of other humans. Newman’s research pointed towards other humans as being one of the factors found most commonly annoying (I don’t think this is the most precisely scientific word to use) to other park visitors when their experiences were interrupted. From this, one thing that we can all do to improve our experiences of nature is to tone it down, take it in, and accept some quality quiet time as we spend it surrounded by whatever natural environment we so choose.