Human-Nature Connections—
Building a Bridge to Support Us All

Two graduate students, Alyssa Graham and Chiara Arellano, are spending the summer in Door County to learn from community members about the local connections between socio-economic and environmental issues. Graham grew up in Texas, but has spent every summer in Little Sister Bay with her extended family, and she credits the land and community with developing her deep love of nature. When Graham met Arellano, a California-native, in a Masters program in Barcelona studying political ecology and environmental justice, the two decided to collaborate and bring their thesis research to our unique peninsula community. Both Graham and Arellano have based their research on the following conviction: human activity is rapidly outgrowing the sustainable limits of our environment, and at the same time, many of our core social needs are going unmet despite this unlimited growth. So if what we’re doing is not working for us or our environment, how might we change course? What would a future that balances living well economically look like alongside living well ecologically? 

Graham’s research focuses on the perceptions and narratives of the working class regarding public policies and the connections between environmental stewardship, socio-economic well-being, and strong community bonds in Door County. Conservation and sustainable living are often at odds with the constant need to develop more land, extract more resources, and grow industry production. On the other hand, many people rely on these to put a roof over their heads and food on the table. So how do we limit economic activities that degrade the environment without causing economic suffering for ordinary people? Or better yet, how do we build a local economy that actually encourages environmental stewardship while meeting everyone’s material needs? Graham’s research explores what this question means for Door County through interviews with working class and rural folks to ask what their relationship is to the land, economy, and community, and how they view policies designed to promote ecological and social wellbeing. Through these interviews, Graham hopes to understand how the community might collectively imagine a future Door County that is sustainable and equitable for all.

Arellano’s research investigates how local traditions, practices, and values of Door County’s working class communities have been passed down through generations and how we can build on them for a more sustainable future. Oftentimes environmental solutions are framed as new and possibly burdensome practices to incorporate into one’s life. But what if certain answers are already present in the way our communities have been living for generations? Arellano is interested in the role that a strong community plays in moving towards this balance, and finding examples of how many of these underlying values and practices have existed in working class communities for generations. Arellano’s research interest stems from her own working-class background–she’s seen firsthand how strong community ties lead to practices of reciprocity, repairing and reusing materials, sharing one’s time and labor, prioritize hard work that serves the land and community, and simply taking care of each other in times of need. In her research she hopes to learn how these themes show up in Door County community members’ day to day life, and how the strength of their community could help teach us new ways of living. She’ll be working closely with one or two core community members as they move through their daily life in Door County, conducting follow-along interviews along the way.

Throughout their research they will be collaborating with the Door County Environmental Council and the Peninsula Pulse to share their work with the community. They hope to make their projects a collaborative effort that centers Door County community members’ voices, thoughts, and priorities.  

If you would like to share your experience or thoughts on any of these themes, please feel free to reach out to Chiara or Alyssa at chiarellano27@gmail.com and alyssagraham1021@gmail.com.