Religion and Ecology 2022

     Gary Snyder's Grace  had readers consider gratitude and a restraint on doing harm. The idea that one must harm to live is one many wrestle with, some better than others. In simply existing, our shelters harm trees, our infrastructure harms habitats and tears up the earth, in drinking and purifying water we further damage habitats and cause drought. Our eating obviously causes harm as we must kill the organism to eat it, and even traversing the world we must inevitably step upon a plant or insect at some point. We may try to live a life of "non-harming" but eventually water this idea down to causing no unnecessary harm.     The idea of necessary and unnecessary harm is an interesting one as those of us writing these posts are lucky enough to be able to go their entire lives without considering what harm we may cause, even unintentionally. Some such as the Eskimo have rigorous teachings of mindfulness and gratitude, so that necessary harm is mitigated. T...

 As we head into the holiday season, I'm definitely feeling the pressures from overconsumption. I've spent the last few months going through all of my things, donating or giving things away to friends to try to declutter and clear my space. Now that we are in the holiday season, everyone is concerned with Christmas gifts. It's a lot of pressure to think about receiving more things, and having to buy gifts for others as a broke college student.  This is, of course, mainly a cultural problem. Not all cultures celebrate holidays that involve gift giving, and not all celebrations are centered around consumerist practices. I feel like I ask myself every year, "What could I do differently this season to escape all of this consumerism anxiety?". It feels almost impossible. I remember that we read something in class where a man was offered technology to help him with his work, but he didn't want it. He basically said that if you have technology, then you have technolo...

 I recently re-read part of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring , and was again amazed by the profoundness of her writing. The actions that we take have consequences. We learn this as a child, right? Why is it that money and power become convoluted to support actions that are damaging? Why is it that humans are so quick to alter the environment in service of ourselves without further considering literally every other living thing on the planet? I also think that Carson's understanding and explanation of the difference of time scales and concentrations in nature is interesting and provides a good crossover for environmental ethics. Pesticides aren't chemicals that go away quickly. They stay in the environment for a very long time. While they are technically naturally occurring chemicals and compounds, putting them into so many different ecological systems at such high concentrations is highly damaging. And they stay damaging for a long time. The use of pesticides is the reason tha...

I wanted to write a reflection on Thanksgiving since we recently had a conversation about giving and gifts recently.  Thanksgiving Day is celebrated annually as a national holiday in the North American continent on the fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving is all about reflecting on blessings and acknowledging gratitude. After all, in President George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation, he stated its purpose: “Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me 'to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety a...

 During our talk in class today talking about the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt, I found it particularly impactful considering our recent conversations about food and thanksgiving this past weekend. It's very interesting that the Israelites were willing to go back to slavery for the delicious foods they could find in Egypt, and, in many ways, I feel like this sort of metaphor can be extrapolated to reflect on how we choose to eat in the modern era. We have previously spoken about how modern ecological relationships are disturbed, if not fully broken, by the lack of access that we have to our surroundings in ways that are meaningful for our sense of place. We do not garden and know the kind of soil around us, could no longer predict the timing of the first frost, and use artificial lighting to further separate ourselves from natural patterns and occurrences. Food comes from the grocery store, or if you're short on time, it can come prepared from a restaurant or fast foo...

Hope Jahren’s The Story of More: How We got to Climate Change is a must read for everyone. The book explains how human habits (such as meat overconsumption) have led us to our climate disaster. The chapters are extremely easy for a non-scientific audience to digest even if they include lots of data because the author makes personal connections to the topics. The readability of this book is its biggest strength. However, Hope Jahren goes a step further than most and shares hopeful solutions to reduce our emissions. The most impactful example that I read was the understanding that the volume of waste created by privileged people could provide enough for the less privileged if resources were organized and allocated appropriately. The earth can provide for a growing population if less resources are wasted and the privileged use less--energy usage is a good example of this. Resource inequality is one of the single largest threats to the well-being of all people. I believe this all speaks t...

Gandhi is a historical figure who has come up a few times in my college career in leadership and social studies courses. However, Gandhi’s connection to the environmentalist movement has never been mentioned. The method of nonviolent protest practiced and detest of industrialized society can be connected to the environmental movement, but I would not say he initiated or supported the movement. Some could say Gandhi foresaw the ecological crisis of modern industrial societies with one of his best-known quotes, “the world has enough for everybody’s need, but not enough for everybody’s greed.” This quote demonstrates the need for sustainable lifestyles that do not strip the earth of resources. Gandhi emphasized simple living throughout his life, which certainly lends itself to an environmentally conscious attitude, but only as we interpret it in contemporary times. It would be an interesting research topic to study to what extent Gandhi influenced the environmentalism movement in India.

In my Ecology of Eden presentation on chapter 30 “Hot and Cool,” I posed the discussion question: Do you believe nature has the genes to survive this next global warming period? What about humans?  Personally, I believe nature has the genes to make it through the next global warming period and mass extinction; however, the species composition may look vastly different. Biologically, the environment will survive in whatever conditions, but it may not resemble an environment humans are used to. This is where the human alarm comes from. We are very concerned about things like the loss of biodiversity and droughts because those changes impact the human way of living. From an anthropogenic viewpoint, the changes feel monumental. For plants and animals, however, it is more black and white. The humans that survive the next global warming period will likely have to live in different areas of the planet and dwell in unfamiliar ways. Humans may have the genes, but I am hesitant to say they h...

Shawn Andrews’ writing on aboriginal Australians provides some perfect examples of thought processes and ways of life that would be beneficial to the land and those that rely on the land. The main features of this story are how Europeans devastated and attempted to erase the culture and presence of Indigenous Australians upon their arrival. All the while their injustices were looked at as something to be celebrated. This history shows the ways that Aboriginals were living in harmony with the land for tens of thousands of years without the help of the English. Not forgetting about these kinds of stories not only prevents them from ever reoccurring but also probably provides a sense of belonging to the land that was once fully his people. It would be beneficial to all if Australians were able to reinstate the thought process that the aboriginals had when it comes to land management. Although in our day and age it would be unrealistic because people are so used to having products that are...

Thoreau states that to go east would be to retrace our steps and that the west is a wild place while culture is of no use to us. He claims that we should reject Europe and move to the west and go wild Eisenberg shows this is fetishizing. There is no way we can go out into the wild and have this experience that Thoreau advocates without it becoming a culture. There is no use for us to try and live in harmony with nature or even separate nature and culture and make the opposites of one another. This preconception would only confuse the meaning of wilderness and wild with the word nature. No map could take us to "nature" even if it were a place. Wilderness can be found and rather than using nature to describe places we should use the word wild to describe places that are outside of our control. Everywhere we look is nature so it cannot help us when we say that we want to live in nature. Therefore it is problematic when we say we want to restore nature. Wilderness is a space that...

A new genre of literature has been emerging over the past decade known as Climate Fiction. Along with the formation of this genre, a debate on whether or not Cli-Fi is an appropriate way to inspire action among young adults has followed. One argument is that traditional ways of teaching students about climate change weren't very effective but with creative writing as a new pathway to science, it would become more accessible to students who are not typically interested. Other arguments claim that climate deniers will see fictional stories as proof that climate change is a farce , only being exaggerated for effect. I believe that teaching Climate Fiction in low-level schools may give young students an inaccurate or apocalyptic vision of their future and therefore make them feel hopeless as opposed to hopeful and encouraged to make changes. I believe that if we had started earlier to learn to love the land which provides us with so much this would not be an issue today. Much like th...

In the beginning section of John Muir’s essay titled  Wild Parks and Reservations , he goes into depressing detail about noticeable changes in landscapes, particularly plant life, in many different regions of the United States. As I read this section I found myself thinking that it seems somewhat similar to something you would see in an essay on the environmental changes induced by climate change today. One connection between the text and modern-day was between ecotourism and the quote "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity, and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers but as fountains of life." (721). Muir has taken the ideas of simplicity in life suggested by philosophers such as Thoreau and embodied them, although I think that Muir is a well-educated man that understood the complexities that exist...

I think that Eisenberg's classification of Mountain and Tower is a great way to understand our relationship with nature. I agree with him when it comes to the discussion on the middle ground and how difficult it can be to find spaces where the prioritization of one does not create an imbalance. I enjoy the way that he talks about modern-day Greece's Arcadia and the juxtaposition between that actual place and the lack of ability for us to achieve this music and love-centered realm. Even if we are to find ourselves in this Arcadia it is endlessly finite and will eventually be consumed. I found the section on Suburbia to emphasize some of the feelings that I already had about the suburbs. Our in-class discussions about the ways that people interact with one another in the suburbs reaffirm my disdain for that mode of living even if it is the modern midpoint between the Mountain and the Tower. I think that a major orientation of Eisenberg’s book is on the question of how can our soc...

Although Eisenberg critiques backpacking in his book, it is a form of homeless in which we journey out and then come back and restore our homes from the things we found. I think this may be considered a form of Earth jazz and a good alternate solution because there is no absolute solution to how we should live right now at this very moment. First, we must utilize things such as backpacking as a means to raise our consciousness and then go back to our homes with new knowledge such as land ethics. In this liminal stage of being homeless in the wilderness, you have to look for food and you have to look for shelter therefore it becomes utilitarian in a sense. Survivalists might say that they desire to be tested and measured by the wilderness while backpackers have what they need to survive in their backpacks. Using nature as a place that we try and return to as if it precedes culture as if it is something original, is a misconception. It is not possible considering that nature is a part o...

These chapters of Eisenberg’s novel tell the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s Conquest of the Cedar Forest. the Goddess Mother created Enkidu as a “double” of Gilgamesh to snare him, but Gilgamesh ends up using him to help destroy the Cedar Forest. Through this story ancient scribes shrewdly anatomized the needs that drive men to conquer nature. As Gilgamesh masters Enkidu he realizes that he has mastered himself and becomes self-aware. Eisenberg states “As he becomes self-aware, he becomes human: aware of his mortality, his finitude in time and space. Mastering Enkidu the king masters his own nature or nature in himself” (115) Eisenberg also Aspects of Christianity were taken from the Hebrew Bible and suited for people who live in the city and how Capitalism and Christianity go hand in hand.

Edward Abbey offers a unique perspective on the topic of development within our parks and monuments seeing as he was working in the west at the time of this increased "progress" and was able to cite many changes he had seen firsthand at the time of this writing. One of the main themes throughout many of his texts is a disdain for the presence of motorized vehicles within natural landscapes. More than most I have read regarding the increasing amount of pavement and windshield tourism at the time, Abbey was able to write about how the Park Service dealt with the monetary and political side of development. This insight seemed to lead him to believe that it should be the Park Service's job to pry the tourists out of their automobiles, out of their back-breaking upholstered mechanized wheelchairs, and onto their feet, onto the strange warmth and solidarity of Mother Earth even specifically stating in Industrial Tourism and National Parks that "This is the problem that th...

I read Summer on the Lakes by the transcendentalist Margaret Fuller recently and there are many mentions of Native Americans throughout her writing. Such as when she first mentions them on page 6 stating "For continually upon my mind came, unsought and unwelcome, images, such as never haunted it before, of naked savages stealing behind me with uplifted tomahawks" or on page 25 says "how happy the Indians must have been here! It is not long since they were driven away, and the ground above and below, is full of their traces”. After reading this passage I think that many of the spirituality and nature-based Native American religions had a huge impact on the transcendental movement. Do you think that there are there any direct connections that you can make between the belief system of a certain group of tribes in the Eastern United States and the way that transcendentalists believe we should view the world? I am always curious as to how Fuller being a highly educated woman...

I think that Gifford Pinchot's writing has been eye-opening to me. I always knew that he was considered a founder of the conservation approach to nature, but I had no idea that his thoughts would be so applicable to modern issues. It makes me feel like we have known how to go about sustainably utilizing natural resources for such a long time and yet we have let it get to the point that the damage is about to be irreversible. I think that at this point it has become abundantly clear to many young adults that to preserve many environments we have to maximize our conservation efforts and understand the concept of sustainable yields. Pinchot said it better than I can when he stated "recognition of the right of the present generation to the fullest necessary use of all natural resources" emphasizing that it is important that we should still utilize the natural resources that we need to sustain ourselves, while in my opinion, also incorporate Muir's idea that we need to set...

I enjoyed learning about the land ethics and economy of exchange ideas we discussed in class. I particularly enjoyed your lecture depicting the relationship between how some read the sacred text of their religion and are spiritually nourished while some read the text of the environment and understand how to live and survive with it. This is similar to what farmers do when they pick up, look at, smell and even taste the soil to know how they are going to best life in that specific environment. We want to learn from scientists, but we can also learn many different kinds of wisdom from art and religion. In this instance, the flora and fauna become the spirit of the place, and to know this place's spirit is to know you’re a part of a whole that is made up of many wholes. In light of this, our habitus reveals the relation we have with these fellow spirits of a particular whole, and looking at how someone lives in an environment reveals how people view that place's spirit.

In the section of Braiding Sweetgrass : People of Corn, People of Light , Kimmerer describes a creation myth originating from the Mayan people. In this myth, it is said that the gods attempted to use resources from the natural world to create humans. Not until the gods were able to create people from corn who were "wise enough to be grateful" did they end their attempts to create a perfect lifeform. Ultimately, they settled on the humans that were able to show appreciation and gratitude for the natural world. Most of the Native American creation myths that Kimmerer writes about have to do with expressing gratitude for the natural world and showing appreciation for the elements which created us. These creation myths highlight the necessity to be grateful for nature because it is the foundation of our lives. Thus creating a culture with the belief that the natural world is something that should be valued highly and not be taken for granted. This seems to be emphasized in Indige...

I find some of the proposed interpretations of Adam and Eve's story fascinating. I know one interpretation that we discussed in class is that land and our relationship with nature are cursed and will forever be detrimental because of the events in Eden. Religious stories and creation myths seem to play a major role in most religions' relationship with the natural world and everyday life. I feel as though most stories within religious texts involve some sort of nature-related themes such as the parting of the Red Sea or Animism and the belief that nature is possessed by spirits. I think nature is the basis for most religions because nature ultimately provides humans with everything we have. The most obvious example of tensions that have occurred because of differences in cultural beliefs are between colonizers and Native Americans. Many cultural heritage sites that seem to simply be a natural landscapes to the Christian settlers may have held great importance to Indigenous peopl...

The Native Americans throughout the Great Lakes of the United States are said to have lived by a set of teachings that they referred to as "Original Instructions". Although they were not instructions per se, such as Judaism's commandments, they acted as a way to orient themselves while coming of age. How these instructions apply to each generation of people varies greatly based on the interpretations at the time. The creation myths within the original instructions are perfect examples of stories providing a culture with their form of habitus. If you consider everything around you to have been provided by the combined efforts of many different living things then you would be more likely to cherish and appreciate those things. How these Native American groups of the Great Lakes viewed themselves within their ecosystem was entirely determined by the way that the Original Instructions explained. They integrated themselves into their land as if it was something to be grateful ...

I recently read Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay Nature and was particularly fascinated by the sections Commodity and Beauty . The trend that Emmerson identifies in these two sections which I found so interesting was how increasing urban populations and prioritization of work at the time had become detrimental to the soul. He begins the essay by stating "Let us demand our works and laws and worship" and goes on to write in the same opening paragraph that "Nature always wears the colors of the spirit. To a man laboring under calamity, the heat of his fire hath sadness in it." He seemed to believe that "country life" was the cure for the negative impacts that an "artificial and curtailed life of cities" had on the people. He states, "To the body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, nature is medicinal and restores their tone. The tradesman, the attorney comes out of the din and craft of the street, and sees the sky and...

For my HONR 490 class this semester, I chose to write my research paper on climate change in Russia. I was inspired by a scary New York Times article by Abrahm titled “How Russia Wins the Climate Crisis.” Essentially, Russia may be on the cusp of a revolution with the opening of northern lands for agriculture and northern shipping lanes for global trade. This is a scary prospect for the Western world, especially with the current state of Russia's political affairs. The argument of my paper presents the multitude of political, economic, and social reasons that Russia actually will not “win” climate change. While reasons like infrastructure, soil fertility, and xenophobia are all tangible reasons, I think it really boils down to habitat and habitus. The shifts climate change presents are a dramatic change to the habitat. Then, you add complications of changing the very way people dwell. This might open up opportunities for some who can adapt to a different lifestyle, but for many, it...

For my BIOL 518 (Biological Conservation Theory and Practice) class this semester, we often have tackled major questions that relate to the monetary value of natural resources. A 2018 estimate valued the earth’s natural resources at 24 trillion USD. I am not sure what number I was expecting, but it seems like no estimate can even come close to capturing the value of natural resources. While I concede it is theoretically possible to sum the value of physical resources (timber, energy, minerals, etc.), it is impossible to put a number to the value of ecosystem services such as clean air and water, fertile soil, pollination, and flood control. Where would you even begin? Plus, there are some ecosystem services that have no benefit to humans directly, but major impacts indirectly because nature is vastly interconnected. I personally view the attempt to value any resource or service a casualty of our deeply capitalistic, destructive society. No good can come from further attempts to exploit...

The book Fuzz by Mary Roach chronicles curious conflicts between human and wildlife. Each chapter centers on a plant or animal that puts a unique spin on its conflict with humans. For example, murder and manslauter by bears and elephants, vandalism by pests, and robbery by monkeys and birds. All of these examples have the same theme--criminal acts, from a human perspective. Plants and animals however follow no lawbook or even moral compass, they follow their instincts. The examples given in the book show feeding, habitat, and defensive behaviors for their survival that just happen to interfere with built human environments or crops. The conflict, although presented in a comical way in this book, is a serious issue that speaks to coexistence and respect of nature. Humans have beyond destroyed the natural landscape, yet are offended when animals encroach on this space. Plants and animals have a range, a habitat in which they are confined. Thus, these species must continue their way of dw...

For my research paper, I chose to write about the Chipko movement, which was centered around rural Himalayan women who hugged trees to prevent logging and environmental destruction. Their message surrounded the idea that trees are not commodities but living beings like humans that provide essential services to the local people. The most fascinating part of my reading was the Chipko connection to numerous Indian religious texts. Little did I know, The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and the Purana express great admiration, respect, and recognition of the value of trees. Specifically, in the Bhagwat Katha, Lord Krishna remarks that trees “bear the scorching sun, torrential rains and the biting frost” that protect humans. In the Mahabharata, Bhishma related trees to humans as he observes “Trees feel hunger and thirst, heat and cold. They have eyes to see and nose to smell. They drink water and feel it.” This religious connection spurred the local villagers to act and hel...

  In the film Koyaanisqatsi, endless imagery of an industrialized world is presented one after another with no dialogue, just a repetitive sound that seemed to speed up throughout the course of the film as the imagery did the same. The word koyaanisqatsi is derived from the Hopi language and is interpreted as ‘life out of balance.’ After watching this film, I became interested in the Hopi people and their language.  The Hopi language is a part of the Uto-Aztecan language family, more specifically the Northern group as the Hopi people are located in Arizona. In the Hopi language, the prefix koyaanis means “corrupted” or “chaotic” and the work qatsi means “life or “existence.” Thus, the direct translation is “chaotic life.” It is interesting they had such a word and it makes me wonder what chaos looked like for the Hopi people. It could have been related to the environment since they have lived in a very arid region, which is certainly challenging. It also could be connected to ...

 In my english class, we just finished a novel called Odds Against Tomorrow by Nathaniel Rich. This novel follows a main character named Mitchell who is a futurist, and he sells major companies on liability plans so they can't be sued if a natural disaster occurs. Low and behold, a major hurricane hits New York, where the novel is set, and Mitchell and other characters are caught in the middle of it.  The main thing I wanted to talk about after finishing this novel is how we understand temporality as it relates to environmental problems. One article I read about the novel noted how natural disasters and environmental problems are often treated like an issue of national security, or at the threat level of a terrorist attack. That is because our current understanding of disaster is shaped by past events, especially considering that the effects of climate change are so unlike anything we've known before. At the same time, this past understanding shapes how we approach the looming...

The film “Koyaanisqatsi” depicts the collision between the environment and technology.  Specifically, the technology that has come to dominant man’s interaction with nature.  “Koyaanisqatsi” is Native American for “life out of balance” and could be descriptive of the alienation that has occurred between man and nature.  As man has increasingly viewed itself as distinct from nature this has created an abstracted relationship.  Man and nature are not viewed as parts working in the same system.  This is problematic for a number of reasons.  One of these reasons is that man’s understanding of nature is skewed to only view nature as means to man’s ends.  In reality, man is a part of the same system that nature is and in order to operate in a beneficial way, man and nature must collaborate.  However, in our current state we are not collaborating with nature, in this way we have become out of balance of the natural equilibrium of the world.  ...

       Paul Shepherd argues that both civilization and history are part of the “myth of progress.”  Specifically they perpetuate “cosmic isolation” where humans separate themselves from other natural elements in the name of progress.  I think this relates to the alienation of humans from non-human living beings.  Through the process of civilization and the development of historical accounts, people have separated and distinguished themselves from nature.  The historical narrative of Manifest Destiny is based on man overcoming the unruly and uncivilized wild west.  This narrative paints a very dark picture of nature and portrays humanity as a savior.  However, the premise of progress is that there is one end goal that leads to the most beneficial outcome.  More specifically, progress is a linear path.  This has created a skewed view of what it means to “progress,” cultures that do not align with this notion of progress are viewe...

Upon my reflection of the Ecology of Eden and “Wilderness Trail”, I got to thinking about created places versus the wilderness. I know places like the Mariners’ Museum Park are created, manicured places, yet I still enjoy them. On the other hand, the National Parks I have visited seem like wilderness upon first glance. However, this class made me think about how my habitus was decided for me well before my arrival into the habitat. Even National Parks, highlighted landmarks and created trails determine one’s itinerary. It would be out of the ordinary to wander off the trail through the woods, perhaps you might even get in trouble for digressing from the created norm. Thus, in our urbanized world, have we ever explored a place in a way that was not already decided for us? Perhaps the trails dictate our physical paths, but we still have the power to decide our pace, what we choose to observe, and what we gain from the experience. In created places, I think it can still be up to us to de...

  https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27062022/religion-climate-change/ This article describes how some Rabbis are beginning to advocate for climate action and bring the problem of climate change to their congregation’s attention.  They are trying to “bridge the gap” between faith and climate.  I am interested in how western religions can adapt to incorporate more ecologically conscious views and practices.  I also think it is important to reconsider how religions dictate interactions with the environment.  For instance, the way that people interpret God giving dominion over the earth can have important implications.  For instance, does that mean that people are free to exploit and do whatever they see fit with God’s dominion? Or should humans work to cultivate this? I think this may be a point of contention that has significant ramifications on human-nature interactions.  For instance, if humans view themselves as a part of the dominion God created, ...

During the 11/15 class discussion of food, we talked about how humans have confliction over the food we eat but animals do not. There are many differences between humans and animals regarding food, however, I see one big similarity. Both humans and animals are skeptical about food and water safety. I have a cat who always has a water bowl available to drink from, but she always begs for the sink to be turned on to drink from. It is a natural instinct for my cat to not drink from a standing puddle of water because running water will always be the safer bet. If she was in the wild, a dirty puddle of water would threaten her life. Similar to her food, my cat will not eat her canned food if it has been sitting out for a while because, in the wild, a long dead animal quickly can become dangerous.  As humans, we do the same thing with our food and water. We both consciously and subconsciously know that food left out or sitting in the fridge for too long poses a safety threat. How many ...

We talked early on in this class about how the words we use to describe nature carry a lot of weight in how nature is perceived. This made me question the language we use to describe nature. Mother nature is a woman. The language used to traditionally describe women in a Western society often relates to gentleness, kindness, empathy, emotional, etc. I wonder if this gendered classification has caused much of the human destruction and exploitation of the Earth. Men have long sought to ‘conquer’ nature and do not consider the potential damaging effects. If, from the beginning, nature was described using ‘male’ related qualities such as strong, courageous, and assertive, would humans be so keen to destroy it? When you look at the complexity and strength of nature, it is anything but strictly kind and emotional. It is a ruthless and unrelenting struggle to survive each day due to fierce competition. I think we need to emphasize stronger language in relation to mother nature in order to gar...

For my HONR 490 class this semester, I was assigned a fascinating article about the threat of climate migration in the coming decades.  Here is the link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html   Coastal communities facing rising sea levels and arid communities facing unlivable droughts are on the verge of a massive uprooting. Small island nations have already had to take dire action and move from indigenous lands. I immediately made the connection to habitat and habitus when analyzing the issue of climate migration. Countries taking in climate refugees present major problems because, in a new habitat, refugees cannot maintain their habitus. People that have historically lived on island nations, living off the land and sea cannot just be uprooted and displaced to a landlocked country. Traditions, customs, and beliefs are all tied to the environment. I fear that this conversation is not given the important consideration it deserves in conv...

On page 46 of Turtle Island by Gary Snyder I found my favorite poem. The Wild Mushroom chronicles a mushroom hunting expedition by two people. I especially liked the lines:  “We set out in the forest To seek the wild mushroom In shapes diverse and colorful Shining through the woodland gloom” The imagery of bright mushrooms lighting up the forest is a perspective I had never considered. I learned a lot about fungi in my plant biology class last semester with Dr. Ruane. Up until that point, I had not learned much about fungi and their characteristics in other biology classes. There are endless applications of mushrooms in the food we eat and the medicine we develop, but you have to be careful because many species are poisonous look-alikes. This concept has always fascinated me in biology. Many species will adopt toxins to protect themselves, which is almost always connected to bright colors. For animals in the forest, bright colors are warning signals for toxicity, but for humans, w...

    A few weeks ago we discussed the differences in English and French gardens, functionality versus class. I have always preferred English gardens, wild and providing a more natural system for insects and wild plants to thrive in. English gardens, when done right, can benefit the already-existing ecosystem they are in rather than suck nutrients and preserve land for unnatural, heavily manicured plants like French gardens.      I had always wished I went to a school with English gardens, to me they create feelings of wild and unkempt growth in new environments. They are more physically appealing in my opinion and give the impression that resources are being used elsewhere. French gardens, on the other hand, speak of haughtiness and indulgence. CNU pours so many resources into its perfectly trimmed and spaced land, but there is nothing of substance. When I walk through the campus, it feels stale and lifeless. It feels like how I imagine a hospital would fee...

  https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/the-health-benefits-of-trees/ This article describes the body of literature that attributes spending time in forests and looking at trees with better health, both mental and physical.  Specifically, research has shown that people who spend time in forests have decreased symptoms of depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, as well as improvement in chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease.  I think it is interesting to consider the healing effects of nature.  Not only does nature have beneficial impacts on mental health but it also can help with diseases and illnesses that are often considered out of our control. This article made me think of how despite the multitude of benefits that forests bring to people we are rapidly deforesting the world.  For instance, the area I grew up in used to be filled with forests but slowly but surely they have removed many of these forests to build grocery stores and st...

  “Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of balance” "life of moral corruption and turmoil"; "Life as chaos" This is what the word Koyaanisqatsi translates to in English from the Hopi language. Out of the weirdest films I have ever seen, this by far takes the cake. Upon starting the film, I found myself submerged in this changing landscape that resembled more of a piece of art than a film or documentary. I perceived it to be an experience that extended to all of my senses, dulled the mind, and coaxed my inner being to think. The thoughts it provoked? I think the director Godfrey Reggio put it best, "Technology has become as ubiquitous as the air we breathe so we are no longer conscious of its presence." This sentence has leaked into my conscience. However, I believe Reggio would make a distinction between technology being that which humans have created such as forks, wheels, bricks, pencils, or bags, and the technology of electronics that we have come to be unable to ...

  Paul Shepherd connects the start of the environmental crisis, not to the industrial revolution, but to the development of the “food-producing revolution,” or when people began to settle and practice agriculture.  This is the root cause of our current crisis.  Shepherd attributes this to the methods used to farm and domesticate animals, specifically the “acquisitive proprietorship and territorial aggrandizement,” (Shepherd, P., 4).  Agriculture as a practice, in many instances, has come to mean man’s power over land.  While there are ways of interacting with the environment that allows for reciprocity and mutual benefit,  agriculture has perpetuated a culture of domination.  Agriculture can be linked to the mindset that many humans have of being exceptional.  The notion that humans can “control” nature for their own ends has gotten us into our current predicament.  In reality, the crisis we are enduring illustrates that despite the great e...

     A past class on Christianity introduced the idea of God naming and caring for us, and tasking us with naming and caring for animals. This relationship has always interested me, and it has been a while since the class so I would like to look at it through the lens of Religion and Ecology; comparing it to the food industry.      In the Christian mythos, one Biblical quote that makes the rounds is that “God knew you in your mother’s womb.”, He cared for and, in a way, named you, just as Adam and Eve were tasked to do for the animals God created. In Genesis this hierarchy is made clear, at the top is God, then man, then animals. Man is specifically said to be greater than animal, in charge of their wellbeing and given permission to eat them.      I made a post about some Christians seeing the earth as expendable as the rapture will take us from it, therefore they are justified in using it to its fullest extent. This brings me to my argument,...

  I think it is interesting to consider kitchen gardens as liminal spaces where culture and “nature” meet.  Gardens could be a way of returning to a more balanced and healthy relationship with nature where humans enter into a reciprocal relationship with non-human beings.  In particular, people can interact with nature in a place of mutual benefit.  The garden receives care and humans receive food and interaction with nature in a less manufactured setting.  So many of our interactions are obstructed by aesthetics.  For instance, the Great Lawn is a non-natural “nature” that offers aesthetic value, not because of the natural elements but because of the very unnatural elements.  This type of “nature” has blurred our interactions with nature as well as alienated us from what nature is.  On the Great Lawn, it is not a place of reciprocity or mutual benefit.  Humans pump it with chemicals and fertilizers so that it can look pleasing to the human...

  In an era where countries all around the world are looking to implement more sustainable energy solutions, Iceland is ahead of the game. Iceland works to harness the elements like wind, sun, and even ocean waves to utilize all of its natural resources to its full capacity. One of the goals Iceland’s government strives for is to live in a society with zero waste and sustainable development. One of the ways Iceland utilizes the magma from their volcanoes is to harness the immense amounts of heat and utilize it for energy. There are roughly seven major plates that make up the continents and the many minor plates that fill up the rest of the Earth. These tectonic plates are constantly spreading apart from each other at a rate of about two and half centimeters per year. Plate tectonics is the theory that our planet’s surface is broken up into several rigid sections of thick roc k. The friction between the shifting North American and Eurasion plates releases magma which causes an immen...

 On this day of class we explored two major ideas: gift giving and reciprocity. Dr. Redick acknowledged how a gift is only a gift if the giver does not feel obligated to do so or if they expecting something in return. We discussed the market economy exchange and how reciprocity is a big idea in society about how one should act in relation to societies standards. In my own expierence, I would certainly say I enjoy giving gifts to people, but it it is true that depending on who the person is that I am giving a gift to that I ocasionally expect something in return. This is depending on the size or quality of the gift as well. However, additionally in my own expierence the best gifts I have given to my love ones have felt the best to give if I wasn't expecting anything in return. Dr. Redick shared the story about hiking and how a woman invited him and his fellow hikers into her home and cooked them dinner and let them stay without expecting anything in return. When our fellow people in...

  One of the most interesting topics in class thus far was introduced by Gary Snyder and gone into depth by Professor Redick: DNA changing with our environment. I have looked into the science of this in CNU’s Biology classes, but never considered it on an ecological level. In a purely scientific standpoint, looking at how DNA changes in regards to genes and population pools, a larger pool of DNA is better. Having more genes to provide organisms with more of a chance is better. More organisms in the breeding pool means that for those with genetic issues, the healthy genes can make their lives easier and generally ensure a better chance of survival for them. Less DNA means that these mutations and genetic issues are more prevalent, and more likely to carry on for generations as there are less options to breed with. Generally, more genes are better. But, in the view of this class, let us look at DNA as having “genetic knowledge”.      The idea of “genetic knowledge” was...

  I think it is interesting to consider how a gift is only a gift when the giver does not feel obligated to give something. I think this pressure to always reciprocate gifts is entrenched in the market economy of exchange.  We have been conditioned to think that if we are given something, in any capacity, we must reciprocate regardless of whether that was the intention of the giver.  This takes away from the experience of giving for both the recipient and the giver.  We can no longer appreciate the action and the gift itself because it creates a sense of obligation.  I think this is particularly true when people think of giving gifts of the same value.  I have noticed when people place a “limit” on a gift exchange it takes away from the giving experience.  It makes people stressed to find the “perfect gift” within the price range.  In reality giving should be about the action itself not the value of the gift or creating a feeling of obligation....

  Today in class we talked about Merleau-Ponty and how he is famous for his conversation about our bodies in relation to philosophy. Through his exploration of this issue he explains both the pre-reflexive character that our original linkage with the world has, as well as the kind of understanding that our body develops with the world. A defining quote that represents this is, “my body is the fabric in which the objects are woven”. This quote explores a connection between our bodies and other creatures in the world. He also ties in his beliefs about our relationship with the natural world and the environment. Merleau-Ponty believes that our embodiment in the world means that we must be entangled with eating and drinking even on the most basic level. Additionally, we cannot relate to other creatures in the world unless we come to terms with our own embodiment and what it entails. According to Merleau-Ponty, there is no hard separation between bodily conduct and intelligent conduct. ...

     A topic that we brought up in class is one that I have personally heard in my circles as a Christian, infrequently, but it does happen. This extreme view held by a few boils down to: “Why bother saving the planet if the rapture will happen and we’ll all be taken away?”. This view, to be frank, makes me sick. In a religious perspective, we were given the planet to care for. We were placed in Eden, tasked with naming and caring for the plants and animals, and once kicked out, this job was then for the entire planet. It should be an innate, unspoken rule in the entirety of the Christian faith that we are to care for this gift. We are to show God, either repentance for our sins in the garden and after, or our devotion to Him, that we love His creation.      This selfish, anthropocentric view is what I have seen in many people regarding the planet and its resources, along with a nihilistic narrative that has persisted, crying “Why should we try and save the...

 Lawns There is nothing more in this world that I feel passionate about than the patchy green and brown .12-acre plot of front yard most Americans aim to have. I never understood the obsession behind having a pristine chunk of grass that others would fawn over. My love of plants didn't extend as far as the 2-inch blades of Fescues that shot up from the lawns of those who had the privilege and the time to dedicate to such a masterpiece. I think I had read in a book too young that the average American spends X amount of money on lawn care in a year. That sum of money must've been large enough for me to find lawns even more unattractive than they already were to me. However long I spent criticizing these people that chose to spend thousands of dollars on their own lawn care, I realize now that I never spent the time thinking about alternatives to lawns. In this class, I learnt that rock gardens with pollinator plants, or even better, pollinator gardens, could be an alternative for...

  https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/08/20/432911010/nature-may-have-a-profound-effect-on-our-religiosity This article examined how proximity to natural amenities, like national parks and hiking trails, impacts the level of religiosity in the surrounding communities.  The study discussed, found that in areas close to natural amenities the level of religiosity in the community decreased.  The researchers relate this to the “time competition effect” where on a Sunday people may have to choose between going to church or going outdoors.  This could be because of how some people have spiritual experiences when they are in nature.  Therefore, going outdoors serves as a spiritual experience for many people.  However, the article argues that there is a difference in the type of spiritual experience that people have in nature versus in a church or established religious practice.  For instance, religious experiences outdoors are more personal and subjective ...