By Isabelle Molitor, Marketing Outreach Intern Summer 2026
I first heard the phrase “attention economy” in my second semester of environmental ethics. My professor described a world in which our attention was something that could be turned into a commodity, something economically valuable. I think this concept is becoming increasingly more relevant, as the things we dedicate our attention to have the potential to shape our behaviors and the topics we care about. Scrolling through social media platforms, every click is designed to captivate your attention instantly to prevent you from scrolling to the next image or video. Scrolling through attention grabbing media becomes addicting. However, my professor also reassured us that there is hope. Our level of connection with nature has been found to be a negative predictor of internet addiction. In other words, turning our attention to nature can free us from the attention economy cycle.
Isabelle gardening with her family as a child, a formative childhood nature experience.
Place attachment influences how connected we feel to nature. Can you recall a natural space from your childhood that still remains magical or special in memory? For many people, feeling attached to a special place, usually within nature, can foster pro-environmental behaviors. While it is challenging for me to identify a single place in nature that I am most strongly attached to, my childhood nature experiences had a significant impact on decision to pursue a career related to natural resources. However, it wasn’t until I began to take classes in environmental ethics that I realized many of my peers have experienced the same thing. They could cite very specific reasons for their choice in major and career, with most relating to childhood nature experience, time outdoors with their families, or relevant experiences in their early education. While anyone is capable of caring for the environment at any age, building a foundation of consideration and compassion for nature in childhood can be a highly motivating factor in lifelong dedication to conservation.
The field of environmental ethics is complex; however, two concepts that have fascinated me the most are Stephen Kellert’s “Biophilia hypothesis” and Aldo Leopold’s “Land Ethic”. For Kellert, biophilia is the theory that humans have an innate biological and psychological preference for nature. Biophilia implies that feeling connected with nature has strong emotional and physical benefits to humans. This perspective has become applied through biophilic design, in which built spaces are designed to resemble features of the natural world. For example, incorporating more natural light, colors, and plants to a room to reduce stress levels, or nature based patterns and imagery in a doctor’s office to promote healing.
Attending university in Wisconsin, it is a challenge to find a natural resources class that does not mention Aldo Leopold. Leopold’s work significantly influenced conservation and natural resources management. One of his most popular ideas is the “Land Ethic”. This ethic is rooted in Leopold’s concepts of community, as he argues the natural elements of the Earth should be part of the same community as humans. With the Land Ethic, plants, animals, soil, water, and humans are all connected, and we have a moral responsibility to care for the land as we would each other. I believe Leopold’s Land Ethic is important because it demonstrates how the benefits of feeling connected with the natural environment go beyond a positive outcome for humans. Expanding your sense of community to include the land creates a reciprocal relationship, positively influencing human physical and mental well-being, but also fostering conservation practices that directly benefit the land.
The prairie at Carl and Myrna Nygren Wetland Preserve photographed by Isabelle.
Isabelle standing next to sunflowers she helped grow.