Essential Knowledge

McKibben describes how the internet serves to isolate the world’s youth from surrounding environments; children play outside less frequently, and subsequently know less about surrounding bioregions. For example, such a child might have difficulty ascertaining the source of the drinking water consumed nearby: knowledge critical to the survival of the human race, which can be gained through local agricultural practices. McKibben’s plan calls for sustainable and dependable practices that build community and evolve locally, allowing for greater agriculture overall. The bioregional quiz emphasized how what ought to be commonplace knowledge is sometimes lost by way of social isolation. Local fauna and flora, extinct or otherwise, are no longer noted with much-deserved attention; even knowing the orientation of the cardinal direction "North" may render a challenge to the modern youth. Residents of a bioregion rarely know the full potential of the land contained therein, in terms of minerals, crops, and other resources that are commonly imported from other centralized sources. Though centralized agriculture appears to be efficient at the outset, the skill and knowledge generated by years of experience tilling the same soil and experimenting with a variety of plants cannot be replaced by universal methods and synthetic fertilizers. Even Nash’s “island civilizations” seem viable and beneficial when examined in the context of McKibben’s teachings and how little is known of the immediate environment by the common inhabitant.