Dr. Jeremy Solin shares how he connected to the land and made it his business. We make meaning by seeking associations with the land. Aldo Leopold saw it this way: "When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect." When we see things through the eyes of what we love, to protect it and sustain it. We then have a model that asks us to act in a way that represents our love for the earth, to protect it, and to pass it along to the next generation.
Guest writer David J. Backes shares the wisdom of Sigurd F. Olsen who is as relevant to connecting to nature today as in 1987. In the advancement of climate solutions, Backes describes how "hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up."
"Spirit" is a true autobiography of Joe Lombardi's youth as a camper and counselor at a camp in the rolling hills of eastern Pennsylvania for children from urban Philadelphia.
We learn through personal experiences. In turn our verve for whatever we learn is contagious. The author discovered photography as a means of expressing her love for the natural world. Up at 5:15 AM, she would go to Bard Lake and discover the moments of sunrise and the natural world in that time frame. Her discoveries encouraged others to join her and a whole community of early risers was born to uncover the majesty of the morning in the context of the natural world. Her perspective of what Environmental Education entails confirms the field has much to offer educators and students alike.
Luis Camargo, the founder of Organizacion para la Educacion y Protection Ambiental, describes the pillars for a nature-based regenerative education in this blog post.
If we could only listen to the time...the wind, the water...the trees telling us how time is passing, we would all be more grounded, happier and tranquil. Rolland Smith's words remind us nature is a balm, a salve and a necessity for our very being.
Storytelling matters! In the words of Dr. Eric Umstead, professor of Special Education: "I wasn't good at anything that required memorization and was taught in a direct fashion. I suppose it was my want to spend time on things that mattered to me or someone took the time to explain how it mattered to me. For better or worse, that's why I always try to tie content that matters to stories to people can connect."
This is the first of a series of thought-provoking articles by Luis Camargo that addresses how we might move toward a world of connected people, to the Earth and one another.
Rolland Smith shares how nature is an integral part of our being and how we are nature. That perspective helps us think that "all things are truly connected." Seeing, feeling, and knowing makes us better citizens of our world.
Each of us has the ability to find a place in the natural world that calms us, provides us with peace, that rests us from the vicissitudes of life. Marghanita Hughes shares how she has found places in nature that provide respite. Persons who teach environmental education need to use the natural world in their own lives as a model to others. Others must see in us there is great value in seeking nature as a way to promote tranquility and mental calm. Perhaps this is a good way for others to see the value of seeking nature to promote their own personal quiet.
