Living with the Land, a critique of the ride at Walt Disney World

Disney World. One of the most dreamt about places on the planet. The Make a Wish foundation probably takes more children there than anywhere else an earth. It’s “where dreams come true” and all of that jazz. It is also run by a company that seeks to make profits, a company that misleads thousands of college students into internships in which they end up picking up garbage each year, among a ton of other (more horrible) atrocities.

I didn’t want to go to Disney World. I’d been to the Magic Kingdom when I was 18 and hated it then, but on a family vacation to Florida everyone agreed (minus me) to go to Epcot. It sounded like the park that would make me the least sick to my stomach (which isn’t saying much) and my parents were paying so I went. I thought that maybe the miniature versions of different countries around the world might be interesting and educational. I figured that at worst I would just grit my teeth and make it through the day. That was until I saw the “Living with the Land” ride.

Let’s start by describing where the ride is located in the park. It would, of course, make sense for it to be surrounded by native plants and greenery and packed dirt paths (not destroying the land with concrete). This was not the case. The ride was in a mall like complex complete with a food court. I could not even catch a glimpse of the sky as I got into line for it.

My family was excited, thinking that this ride would cheer me up. They think of me as some sort or another of an “environmentalist” and spend most of their time rolling their eyes at me. I stood in line drinking out of my reusable water bottle and taking in my surroundings. Throughout the day I saw no one else NO ONE ELSE at the entire park with a reusable water bottle of any sort. Granted this isn’t a direct reflection on people’s character, but when combined with the fact that they were smiling blindly at Disney World it didn’t add to my mood. The zig-zagging line for the ride had only a 5 minute wait (another testament to the interest of people when you figure the Test Track car ride had a 20min wait at that time). The walls of the waiting area were covered with painted quotations of the environmental variety. I was reading them thinking that most of the authors would have likely disagreed with being quoted on a Disney World wall when I saw a quotation from an unlikely source. George Bush. YES, GEORGE BUSH. I about fell over. I took a picture of it just to prove it because I assumed no one would believe me.

The ride was a boat ride, in chlorinated water (I said, right when the ride started “well avoiding chlorination would be one way to live with the land”). The boats traveled through tunnel type areas with video screens that showed agriculture through history. It then said that our current ways of agriculture aren’t the best and that new ways of agriculture have to be established. That’s when we were taken into Epcot’s greenhouses. Below are pictures of these. One of the things they are doing in the greenhouse is growing plants that aren’t even in soil, where they merely spray the roots with the nutrients needed. Correction, they don’t spray anything, a machine does.

We learn of course the fish farms are a healthy way to raise fish that cannot live in the wild any longer (don’t these fish look healthy?) Why they have captive alligators is beyond me also (except maybe as a food source as well).

The end of the automated ride talked about how with these advances people are sure to find a way to sustain themselves with new advanced technologies in agriculture and everyone walked out of the boats with a ‘feel good’ impression. They even share that the fruit raised in the green house is used as food throughout Epcot (well I’d HOPE so) though what percentage it contributes they fail to mention.

Here’s Disney’s description of the ride: Living with the Land is a 14-minute boat ride in Future World at Epcot theme park that explores agricultural advances in the rain forest, Africa and beyond.

Set sail on a voyage of discovery through living laboratories as you cruise past the American plains, a tropical rain forest and the African desert to witness the latest developments in aquaculture and desert farming. Float by experimental greenhouses—where produce is grown for Epcot restaurants—and take a fascinating first-hand look at an aqua environment, the Aquacell, with alligators and fish. The greenhouses grow crops native to many cultures, including rice, sugar cane and bananas.

This thought-provoking ride will leave you amazed at the wondrous ways scientists are helping farmers prepare for the food needs of our world's nations.

Here’s a video that shows the building the ride is in and the ride itself I have transcribed the audio of the ride below. Comments in parentheses are mine.: link

Welcome to a voyage of discovery and awareness of the richness, the diversity, and the often surprising nature of living with the land. Our journey begins as dramatic and sudden changes are sweeping over the land. The approaching storm may seem violent and destructive to us, but to nature (because we of course aren’t a part of nature) it’s a new beginning in the cycle of life. Beneath the surface of the land roots trap water extracting precious nutrients and minerals. These elements, when combined with sunlight, create the diverse and living systems of our planet. One of those living systems is the rainforest, home to one of the most amazing concentrations of life on our planet. These dense and beautiful forests cover only a tiny portion of the earth’s surface but they contain more than half of its plant and animal species. Rainforests are also extremely rich and productive living systems providing us (only us, of course not animals or other living things) with oxygen, food, medicine, and other elements essential to our lives (yet again, only our lives, not other species or the planet as a whole). (I love how they fail to mention here the fact that the rainforests are being destroyed at an alarming rate, because you know, this is Disney’d environmentalism and there is no sadness allowed here). In the dessert, nature has created a very different, but no less beautiful living system. And although this arid landscape may seem lifeless, it is very much alive. The plants and animals that have learned to survive in these harsh conditions make use of what little water they can find and avoid the scorching rays of the relentless sun. (A mention of the destruction and irrigation of the desert would fit well here as well, but yet again, it doesn’t happen). The American prairie once appeared as desolate as the desert, but over time the rainwater and nutrients gradually penetrated the hard surface of this land. The hooves of the mighty buffalo helped create the rich soil that would one day become home to the American farm. (Way to selectively forget to mention the Native Americans that were driven off the land [along with the buffalo] to make way for the farm). Of all the forces at work on the land humans have had one of the most profound effects. The need to produce food for a growing world led to the enormous use and sometimes overuse (sometimes?) of the land. In our search to grow food, we often fail to realize the impact of our methods. Today we are learning to live with the land. Discovering better ways to grow food that will assure both human and environmental well being. We are growing food on desert seacoasts by developing and growing plants that thrive on salt water. Here at Epcot we are learning to reduce the need for pesticides by using natural predators like ladybugs and wasps to control pests. In Japan we’re learning that by adding …(couldn’t hear here)…How will we meet tomorrow’s needs for food production and still respect the needs of the land? Some of the answers are just ahead. (There was not an announcer person talking in the ride when I rode it. The automated voice just described the plants and fish we were seeing). (The end of the ride was also the automated voice talking about behind the scenes tours of the green house at Epcot).