Understanding the need to remain sustainable
The first time I ever saw the city or University of Guelph, was move-in day for my first year of university. I hadn’t taken any tours, or researched the layout or demographics. I had just always known that this was where I wanted to live out my 20s, and I never really considered anywhere else to break away from home. In retrospect, this seems quite foolish, “What if you’d hated it?” friends often ask, but, sometimes, following your gut works out just fine. Things turned out wonderfully, and I fell in love with both the school and the city.
Guelph is big enough that there are always new friends to make and new places to explore, but small enough to run into familiar faces everywhere you turn – which I love. There is plenty to do and see, without the claustrophobic hustle-bustle of the big leagues like Toronto. As with many others, I’m captivated by the university campus – breathtaking in its nature, history, and architecture, and possessing qualities that simply cannot be found elsewhere. From the Arboretum and endless ivy blanketing Johnston Hall, to the magnificent parks and agriculture throughout town, Guelph has provided me (and many others) with a natural refuge from the constant urbanization occupying much of Canada.
My love of all things Guelph also fuels my darkest fear; I dread that Guelph is becoming, or will become, the carbon-copy urban centre that blurs the distinction of many surrounding municipalities. Driving down the south end of Gordon Street, I see growing subdivisions encircled by tidy blocks of strip malls and off-white infrastructure where, just a few short years ago, pretty fields used to lie. The excitement of the new Costco’s opening was palpable last year, and Guelph has become a paradise for housing developers who seek to satisfy the university’s bloating numbers, with student housing and condominiums galore.
Many may label me as anti-growth. The truth is, I AM anti-growth. What people fail to understand, however, is that this does not equate with being anti-progress. I have never understood humanity’s obsession with constant growth. Everything must always be bigger, faster, and stronger. This mentality, in my opinion, has led to the demise of our environment and even our social structures. It happens just slowly enough for us not to realize how we are changing, until we look back one day and ache longingly for the 90s, when we played with the birds after school rather than tweeting like them all day.
To be successful, a town, business, or institution does not have to perpetually expand. This is especially true for Guelph, which prides itself on its rich agricultural history. While money will likely always enslave us into choosing the most economical decision – whether or not it is consistent with our values – it would be nice to think that some minds are old-fashioned and aware enough to realize that we are slowly destroying what remains of planet Earth. Whether it is the tearing down of historical buildings in the name of saving a few bucks, or expanding into farmland so that we can increase our cookie cutter housing and roll in piles of dough from developing fees (get it?), we forgo even the discussion of alternative action, because it is not the easiest or most profitable. Ironically, we do not take the same approach to our beloved iPhones, where having the newest-yet-almost-unchanged version is paramount to maintaining our “social” status.
What I would love to see is more respect – for the environment, for history, and, most importantly, for the future. The “leaders” in charge today – including newly elected mayor Cam Guthrie, who is for some reason adamant in eliminating “the Guelph factor” (perhaps we can channel the Brampton factor? Vaughn factor?) – give little heed to the future, because it won’t be theirs to manage by the time consequences take effect. As a young citizen whose voice is often dismissed as uninformed or irrelevant, this offends me. Politicians should care, and citizens should care – if not for themselves, then for their children.
I would love to live out my life in Guelph or nearby. I would love to contribute my taxes to keeping the local economy strong – to ensuring a high quality of life for my neighbours, and to protect and preserve the limited nature that remains around me. These things are not at all mutually exclusive, and, in fact, I believe they can thrive in unison. However, it is heartbreaking to think that I may have to leave Guelph some day – to escape what may have become another GTA suburban replicate.
Growth does not equal progress. By definition, it cannot continue endlessly – there is limited space – limited in this city, in this country, and on this planet. In science, uncontrolled growth has a name – cancer. The Earth is experiencing its own version of this ailment now, and it is our job to ensure that we keep growth in check. It is my sincerest hope that those in charge of Guelph’s future keep in mind what our beautiful city represents, and what defines it so differently from the rest of Ontario. The Guelph factor, indeed – I love it.