Ecologist questionnaire: how much do you know about where you live?

The Ecologist

1st May, 2004

‘If we could think locally, we would take far better care of things than we do now. The right local questions and answers will be the right global ones. The Amish question, "What will this do for our community?" tends toward the right answer for the world.’ Wendell Berry

1 What species is the nearest tree to your front door?
2 Is it native to your area?
3 How far away is your nearest mobile telephone mast?
4 How many of the items in your house could you make yourself?
5 Where is the nearest source of electrical power to your home?
6 What time did the sun rise this morning?
7 How many days till the moon is next full?
8 How many of the vegetables in your fridge could have been grown within 30 miles at this time of year (the ideal distance according to the National Association of Farmers’ Markets)?
9 From where you are reading this, point north.
10 Name five resident birds in your area.
11 Name five migratory birds in your area.
12 Think of your most expensive possession. How many days would it keep someone living on a dollar a day alive?
13 When was your home built, who built it and where did the material come from?
14 What was on the site before your home was built there?
15 What is the name of the person that cleans your street?
16 What is the origin of your town/village/borough's name?
17 How many generations back in your family can you name an ancestor? And where did they live?
18 What...

 

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