We believe that education is the key to an ecologically conscious and thriving future. In this article, you can read about what ecoliteracy actually means and why we find it crucial to talk about.
When was the last time you were alone in a completely natural environment, walking in the woods or sitting by the sea? Was it yesterday? Years ago? Never?
We are all part of nature, we belong to nature!
Ecoliteracy is a term that can be interpreted in many ways and is challenging to define in one sentence. For the purpose of this article, we will define ecoliteracy as the ability to understand the natural systems that make life on Earth possible. Eco-science, eco-intelligence, understanding nature and the ecological approach are all part of it. We, humans, are part of a complex system that has worked in harmony for hundreds of thousands of years. One of the reasons for this is that its elements are related, connected and depend on each other. In this ecosystem, we cannot separate ourselves from other living elements, like animals, trees, plants, or even the air, water and soil. There are many signs of isolation that can lead us to a vague understanding of the consequences of human intervention in environmental processes that have sustained life on this planet for millions of years.
When we feel connected, we do not harm our immediate or distant environment. This is because, according to simple logic, we would be harming ourselves. And why would we do that? This systems approach naturally extends this interconnectedness not only to animals, but also to plants and inanimate matter such as water, minerals or air. Although we agree with all these facts, we are becoming increasingly disconnected from our environment and from each other.
We are building an environment around us in which there are fewer and fewer living “things” – compared to the total possible diversity. In recent years I have been in many cities where I had to walk several kilometres to discover a small piece of land and its associated living systems. So it is difficult to feel like an integral part of nature on a daily basis.
The other interesting phenomenon is that humanity has reached a level of consciousness where we can observe and understand what is happening to us – even on a global level. There are nature-connected tribes who live as part of a rich and interconnected biodiversity. However, they do not live this way because it is their choice after considering many aspects, or because it has proved to be the most exciting after many spiritual experiences, but because it is the only reality for them, the particular community they are born into and its norms of living in co-operation with nature. What they clearly understand is that if they do not respect and be humble towards their environment, they will not survive.
We are living in an age in which, due to human creativity and readily available resources, we have a great potential to destroy natural systems, as well as to raise awareness of the importance of the ecological approach to thinking on a global scale. Of course, in a materialistic world, this is not a small sacrifice, but never before in history did we have so much freedom of choice. Choosing “well”, towards a sustainable ecosystem, would mean sacrificing our “comfortable” lives and drastically reducing our consumption. Are we, are you, ready for that?
We have no time to blame others for the current situation, but we have time to learn how to become more ecoliterate every day and inspire others for the same.
The full article appeared in Coyote Magazine. If you would like to read the entire article, click here!
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