Borrowing Land

A little while ago we had kind of a radical realization about our perspective around real estate and land ownership.  We don’t see purchasing real estate as actual ownership; rather, purchasing the right to borrow the land for a while.  We are part of the land’s story, not the other way around.  Our role as humans is so desperately short compared to the eons the land exists.  We also strive to maintain the humility of accepting that trying to control nature is a fool’s errand.

In 1962, Rachel Carson wrote:

“The history of life on earth has been a history of interaction between living things and their surroundings.  To a large extent, the physical form and the habits of the earth’s vegetation and its animal life have been molded by the environment.  Considering the whole span of earthly time, the opposite effect, in which life actually modifies its surroundings, has been relatively slight.  Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species - man - acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.”  

This is one of many radical (at the time) ideas she set forth in her groundbreaking book Silent Spring.  This revolutionary work was the pebble creating the ripples that led to the modern environmental movement, the passing of many environmental protection laws, the banning of DDT, and the founding of Earth Day.  The impact of her words are far more reaching than what can be listed here or quantified in any way.  The initiation of a day of recognition, such as Earth Day, may seem slight when held up next to all of the other ways our world has benefitted from Carson’s work.  However, the significance of Earth Day is proven by its endurance for 55 years as the most unifying force for those concerned with the preservation of our planet.

We have always felt a special connection to Earth Day.  Our guiding purpose to leave the land better than we found it aligns with Carson’s message and the Earth Day mission.  By recognizing and celebrating Earth Day each year, we hope to encourage others to dig deeper than the novelty of planting a tree one day a year.  As we go about our daily work conserving land and wildlife habitat, and creating spaces for outdoor recreation, we are committed to leaving the land better, and inspiring others to do the same.  The notion that the Earth is the main character, and we are but supporting actors helps us keep the perspective that Carson was suggesting: that humans should fit themselves around nature, rather than engage in the futile attempt to mold nature to our will.

We hope that Earth Day is a reminder that our role as humans is to serve the planet, not dominate it, and to find ways to create and sustain beneficial interactions between all living things.  We are only part of this story for a short while, and the legacy we leave will be determined by our actions today, and every other day.