Since Natalie requested...

...I think I'll talk about our trip to the Chattooga Conservancy since no one else has yet.

Yes, Buzz's composting toilet, solar panels, and Native American-inspired former home (how did he live there for so long?) impressed me. However, what impressed me most was his down-to-earth nature (I really didn't mean those puns). I've worked at a nature conservancy before, and one often meets truly angry people who, while well-intentioned, often isolate their audience with vitriol. I mostly saw Buzz as a man who does want environmental change to occur, but he's also a hunter who majored in forestry. As he said, in order to actually change a community from within, one has to work with them, not above them.

I also found myself thinking about his daughter and the life she must lead. What an interesting background she'll have as she goes through school! Riding horses bareback, getting a knife for her birthday (I would be scared to handle that thing, let alone give it to an eight-year-old), going down to a nearby creek to pick up artifacts. And all while living in Georgia without air conditioning. While I thought Buzz did go a bit overboard when talking about our "apathetic generation," I do agree that his daughter's generation will be growing in a world quite different from the one we did. I enjoyed his positivity and also remain hopeful, although a little apprehensive, for the future.