I am not going to summarize nor comment too much on the following materials. I would just like to invite you to engage with and be disturbed by these ideas! Enjoy and critically reflect! Ecological enlightenment!
1. “Soil, soul and society” Satish Kumar – Be the change!
2. We are Nature | Satish Kumar | TEDxSaoPauloSalon
3. “Small is beautiful” Ernst F. Schumacher
This book led to a mind shift in thinking about ecology and to an environmental movement in the US and worldwide. Absolute must-read about the correlation of economy, ecology, and the entire system of our functioning in this world. Mind-blowing!
4. “What is Education For?”, David Orr, Context Institute, 1991
“It is worth noting that [the destruction of the planet] is not the work of ignorant people. It is, rather, largely the result of work by people with BAs, BSs, LLBs, MBAs, and PhDs”
5. “Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World”, David Orr
6. Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect, David Orr
7. Ecoliteracy & Ecological Education: Dr. Orr at Schumacher College
8. Sustainable Education: Re-visioning Learning and Change, Stephen Sterling
9. “Silent Spring”, Rachel Carson
10. “Normal is over”, Renée Scheltema
I would to like to quote each line from this award-winning documentary. In brief, it investigates ”the financial and economical paradigm underlying our planetary problems, while offering various solutions to reverse the path of global decline.” Perhaps we should see the bigger picture of interdependences?
”Normal is over” challenges the idea of economic growth by asking a question on infinite growth on a finite planet with finite resources. An Australian environmentalist, Paul Gilding, explains that since the ”Earth is full, economic growth, the model on which we base everything in terms of our progression as a society, is dead. […] When things aren’t sustainable, they stop. It is a matter of this decade.” According to ”Normal is over”, economic growth could basically be defined as “grabbing the resources of society”.
Dr. Shiva, an Indian environmentalist, claims that ”ecology and economy come from the same root of oikos, our home. Taking care of the home is the responsibility of ecology as the science and of economy as the management. They should have been doing the same work.” We need to realize that we don’t own Mother Earth, we belong to Mother Earth. This documentary calls for eco- and circle economy systems, different consumption models, and communities comeback!
11. “Tomorrow”, Mélanie Laurent, Cyril Dion
12. “Cowspiracy”, Kip Andersen & Keegan Kuhn
13. A teacher growing green in the south bronx
14. Cohabitat Foundation – sustainable building
15. A selection of environmental books
16. A selection of environmental place based education
17. Education with hands, hearts and heads: Satish Kumar at TED
18. Okja
19. Animals Should Be Off The Menu debate (Phillip Wollen)
My resolutions/ actions:
- avoid animal products, palm oil, fast food chains, supermarkets, chain stores, and generally any companies and corporations exploiting people
- instead buy from local farmers, producers and stores
- instead grow your own food
- instead make your own food
- recycle and reuse things
- avoid any sort of plastic (straws, plastic bags, plates, utensils, cups, bottles)
- instead use your own cotton bags and reuse bags for shopping, carry a reusable water/coffee bottle/container, bring food in reusable containers
- avoid wasting food and water
- instead share with others or compost
- recycle
- avoid traveling by car or plane (so difficult)
- invest in renewable energy sources
- ride a bike or carpool
- take initiatives to clean lakes, woods, any spaces
- plant trees
- be minimalistic – have less things
- research
- educate others
- protest & resist
- affect & change policies
Fulbright PhD Adventures in Gatorland 