This piece explores the tension between humanity’s power to destroy nature and nature’s ability to remind us of our fragility. Capitalist, colonizer, and neoliberal agendas embolden certain individuals in power to take from nature, harming it in the process. However, we seem so small and insignificant in the face of natural disasters – events that are increasingly becoming human-caused due to climate change. I suppose that this piece reflects the complex ways we view hierarchies and power within nature, and how we place ourselves within these systems.

“Leave no trace” is the principle that guides how we should have a minimal impact on the environment when we interact with it. However, this can lead to the erasure of complex relationships that Indigenous peoples foster with nature. The reciprocity that stems from their Traditional Environmental Knowledge is something to be learned from, as it allows for sustainable and climate-resilient practices.