Hello, my name is Patrick Lightheart. I am currently enrolled in a local community college in an Environmental Science program. Several years ago I decided that I would like to change my profession of 30 years in the construction industry to something I felt a little more passionate about. In the mid-70s when I started in the construction industry it wasn't so much about a passion but more about learning a respectable profession that would pay the bills. As technology evolved my profession of being a skilled craftsman slowly took on a new role in the service sector due to prefabrication of many of the products we used. That inner sense of satisfaction when completing a skilled task by hand slowly faded into a eerie feeling of compliant slave waging in efforts to eke out a meager existence with little to no moral or ethical fulfillment.


There was no moment of epiphany or great internal discovery that led me to environmental science. I would say my environmental aspirations stem from something that most all of us have intuitively. The enjoyment of nature. As for myself, my appreciation of the natural world from the overall biosphere to the personal environment of one's own individual space is not solely focused on any one particular aspect. I find from those who choose to save wolves, to those wishing to preserve large sections of land for their personal hunting pleasures have one thing in common; an inner sense of natural splendor. Throughout my travels from the giant redwoods in Northern California to the rocky landscape of the Superstition Mountains in Arizona or Glacier National Park in northern Montana; they all leave me feeling part of some larger spiritual connection to existence itself. Intimate moments such as these with nature are virtually indescribable. One must experience these moments for themselves.

Choosing environmental science seemed to be a natural fit for me. The environmental issues that we face today are broad and complex, but does humanity have a firm grip on the linchpin? I guess only time will tell. I welcome your insight and opinion on any issues relating to the environment, from the debate between preservation and conservation, or perhaps issues on bioremediation, or even the opinion that global warming doesn't exist; that were just at the end of an Ice Age. As for myself I don’t buy into that one. Looking forward to hearing from you.