Taste Them Strawberries... -Crystal

Blogging in Kaikoura, NZ

Class 362 Tourism and the Environment 

            So far I am still baring witness to the flurry of tourism here in NZ. Campervans, motor homes, and rental cars dot the landscape masking their environmental footprint under eco-tourism. And in a way I have self-disgust at my own participation. Can I kick myself out of this beautiful country to leave it be?

            Everywhere we go contradictions are taking place. There are massive water taxis justifiably leaving their trace, going back and forth carrying heaps of people to the “protected” national park, Abel Tasman. Is it protected? Is it not being covered by the residue of fuel on and around the borders of this park, polluting the water and the air?

            I see this hive of tourism, the outsiders creeping in, this tourist, myself a tourist, only wanting to take a harmless look at the splendor of this land and the naïve repercussions that are taking place all around and it is hard not to feel ashamed in this awareness.

            However, something dually is taking place. In the midst of the tourism there is another observation to be noted. I have started to notice the existing efforts that this country already has in place in regard to sustainability.

            Every time I got to the bathroom for example, I feel immense satisfaction to flush, knowing there is an option for the ½ flush for business number 1 and a full flush for business number 2. In my mind I try to do the math, trying to guess how many million gallons of water this feature has saved. Not to mention the lack of single-use paper towels available in these restrooms.

            Finally, a greater deal in my own observation of the high environmental cost of outsourcing that takes place in America, to the point where the 8 year old girl that I nanny has questioned why everything is made in China, (an awareness that is startling) is that much of the product in NZ is made in NZ.

            I can’t tell you how many containers I have turned over in the last month to find information about the product and stumbled too upon the made or manufactured in NZ information.

            Thinking in terms of culture, I can’t help but feel the sense of national pride in this labeling. As these citizens similarly pride themselves so much in their All Blacks rugby team by displaying their waving flags out front of their homes and having All Blacks postal stamps, so too do their products embody a similar national pride. These labels declare in a sense a bold statement that their jobs stay at home supporting their own people and in doing so likewise creates the largest act of sustainability that I have seen thus far.

 275 Thoughts on Leadership

            “The Leader who is centered and grounded can work with erratic people and critical group situations.” This Tao quote from chapter 26 captures quite perfectly the need for a leaders absolute centeredness when leading participants who are on edge When our group of rock I and II student s went out climbing in Paynes Ford on the South Island, a lot of feather were ruffled, myself included.

            Learning new skills that include putting your own life on the line can quickly alter your stat of happiness on the rock that you’re climbing to an intense state of being on edge and a invoke a nervousness in regard to your competency at keeping yourself safe.

            In my own situation, at the top of my third lead climb where I would rappel myself down alone for the first time, my boyfriend belaying my at the bottom got the brunt of my edginess but luckily, as a good leader he did not react but kept his calm.

            Once on the bottom, I was relieved to know that others were feeling the same rush of fear but that their reactions were kept in check by the people coaching them through.

            “Appearing Foolish,” chapter 89 of the Tao seems to mirror the instant feelings I felt when tow of our group members Dane and Tim too the lead for a day in New Zealand’s Abel Tasman National Park. Naming themselves team “Ramrod,” and declaring that there was no agenda or plan for the day left myself and other group members in a spiral of type-A personality chaos.           

            At first I laughed in haste thinking that team Ramrod just couldn’t organize themselves to actually make a plan for the day. I mean all we had planned for the day was a hike up to Cleopatra’s Pools, a nice spot on the river with a natural waterslide.

            At one point, I remember asking them when we should all expect to leave and I got three different answers! But then I heard Tim mention how all of our activities were so structured and that it was making people grumpy and we just needed to have a “free day.”

            So for myself, at the end of the day I realized, “the best work seemed idiotically simple.” Even if it was just relaxing into a structure-less day; a type of leadership that I was unaccustomed to.

            My last observation of our group of 12 leaders was the initial burn-out we all were seeming to experience after 3 weeks of trekking, tramping, camping, experiencing early days and being crammed together without necessarily wanting to be. We were all feeling a bit ungrounded to say the least.

            But slowly, one at a time, people broke off from the group. They took time to be silent and conscious. And slowly coming back together I realized that “…consciousness works. It sheds light on what is happening. It clarifies conflicts and harmonizes the agitated individual or group field.” Thank you Tao.

            375 Being My Own Leader

            “Nobody knows all the answers... but if you’re aware of what is happening you can act accordingly.” And “A person does not have to join a group or be a wise leader to work things out.”

            These are three quotes fro the Tao of Leadership that seem to resonate with my self -leadership style and the areas that I am currently working on.

            Feeling like a leader should “know all” has kept me from wanting to lead. I have great expectations from leaders and for the knowledge base that accompanies these great individuals.

            However, as we packed for our own Abel Tasman see kayaking trip, a self-regulated experience and we were in a kayak with only one other person on a vast open sea, feelings of autonomy and self-knowing became more clear.

            I realized that I had managed my packing right that bagging all of my things for an over-night camping trip was in fact a good idea due to water leaking through the lids of their holding containers. I realized that my bug repellent, 100% deet or death as I like to call it was also a good idea, as well as eating quinoa for 3 meals a day might not be.

            No body knows all the answers but when you take the role of a leader in your own being, you start to realize the answers do come. They arrive from experience and as you become more aware of your surroundings you will in fact figure it our accordingly, even if through trial and error.

250 Signing the Mental Waiver

            It’s the end of a long climbing day. A man goes for one last route. It’s a long one. He’s tired. The belayer is tired. A miscommunication occurs and suddenly the climber is on the deck dead. The belayer is sued. Is this fair or just?

            When I think of outdoor education and all that it entails, fear and risk are part of the equation. In my own mind, every time I engage in an activity, especially climbing, whether bouldering or sport, I often sign a mental waiver for myself. What does this mean exactly? Just like going to a climbing gym for the first time where one reads all of the risks and liabilities and is then left to decide whether it is worth the potential risk or consequences accompanied by participating in the desired activity, signing the dotted line is up to each individual. Signing that line also releases any additional party from responsibility for potential harm or death.

            I believe that when I sign that mental waiver for each activity, I then am solely responsible for any inevitable outcomes. And with that you can rest assure that I am on my toes, eyes pealed and ears open for any type of moments or instances that might pose a potential risk. I am always double-checking my belay partners before ascending routes, as well as making sure communication is loud and clear.            

            I believe that if people engaged in activities where any level of risk potential was a potential and did so completely self-responsible and aware, any fatalities that occurred would be the result of that small margin of human error. Although this is unfortunate, if all parties have signed a mental waiver, no single person could be held liable and therefore could be justifiably sued.