Aldo Leopold
by Philippe
January 2nd, 2006
A few days ago I was going through some old books to do research for a speech, and I came across one in particular that I haven’t read in quite some time. I must confess that, as much as I enjoy reading, I rarely get an opportunity to do it. But this book made me pause and sit down. A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, is the product of almost two decades of work by a man who spent his life in the environmental field and is an icon to the conservation community.
In his last essay, ‘The Land Ethic,’ Aldo challenges us to, "change the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it," to shed our arrogance and accept the fact that we are all part of a wider system.
Simple though this may seem at first, it holds grave implications for all of us. As soon as we accept that land is part of our community, we must accept that it not only has economic value, but inherent value as well. As my grandfather once said, "all things animal, insect and plant have intrinsic value and the right to existence for their own sake, not because they offer value to humans."
Is it so impossible for us to view our natural world as a partner, rather than a resource? Many so-called "primitive" civilizations did so and survived for thousands of years without changing the natural cycle of life around them. Such a balance has eluded us many times, often with grave circumstances. I remember six years ago I was in Papua New Guinea on a research expedition with Dr. Eugenie Clark. We were there studying a species of sand diver fish in Milne Bay, off the eastern tip of the island. The diving was gorgeous as we spent three weeks plying the waters and exploring the many islands and innumerable reefs of the bay. I remember trading with the many local communities that dotted the islands. They would paddle out to the boat in dugout canoes and take our sugar and rice in return for fresh fruits and vegetables. These people managed to live in harmony with the land and especially with the ocean. Whenever I saw a piece of trash float by, left by other boats, I felt terribly ashamed that we were not able to do the same.
A few years later I was at a biodiversity conference in the Caribbean. One day in particular we were talking about fisheries management, or in this case the lack thereof. As I watched scientists bicker over methodologies and hypotheses, my mind drifted back to Leopold’s land ethic. Something was missing from all of these proceedings. There was no talk of responsibility and stewardship — a problem which is endemic to our society today.
Time and time again we have seen that the destruction of habitat or the extinction of a species lead to poverty and destitution, not economic prosperity. We are tied to every living creature, in one way or another, and none of us can live without a healthy planet.
Remember … EVERYTHING you do makes a difference …
February 18th, 2006 at 2:04 am
Dear EarthEcho and fans,
I think you bring up a great point about the destruction of animal habitats and plant species being directly linked with poverty and exploitation among the developing communities they are located in. I have recently read about a program called the Shuar Sustainability Project. According to John Perkins, Founder of Dream Change (http”//dreamchange.org, http://www.JohnPerkins.org) and author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, the Shuar’s “request was for assistance in developing sustainable income generating projects that would be compatible with protecting their Amazon rainforest home.”
If you are more interested in a description of how the globalization game - the race to dominate in a global empire - has lead to destruction not only of our ever-precious environment, but also human lives, communities, and cultures, than you might also be interested in the work of John Perkins. His “DREAM CHANGE (DC) is a world wide grass roots movement of people from diverse cultures and backgrounds dedicated to shifting consciousness and promoting sustainable lifestyles for the individual and global community. The objective of inspiring earth-honoring changes in consciousness is accomplished through programs that educate and foster environmental and social balance. DC was originated to encourage new ways of living.” -www.dreamchange.org,
I just thought EarthEcho and DreamChange might be compatible somehow, or complimentary. Both organizations focus on fostering and expanding our consciousness as individuals to include corners of this earth, and communities theron, that depend on the decisions we make as consumers. So many people in consumer societies seem too far-removed from the real sources of wealth: the virtual slave-labor of both people and environmental geography. For instance, there is a section of Amazonian rainforrest in Ecuador that is being sliced up via loans and contracts, regardless of the possible species (including humans) which may be living there. This is happening in order to obtain the oil that lays beneath the forrest floor and deepen the pocketbooks of energy company executives.
I think it’s great to see that more and more organizations like yours - dedicated to change (in the environmental realm as well as the socio-economic one) seem to be cropping up nowadays. Finally, we are asking ourselves: wthat happens to the people who had to migrate from forrest land they had lived on for generations? The small stipends these people are paid to work for the contracting companies are not nearly enough to live on, but consumers justify this by telling ourselves that it’s “better than nothing”. What happens to the plant and animal species in areas which we haven’t even discovered or studied yet? If we aren’t exactly sure what may be in there, how can we be sure we wouldn’t be destroying something vital to life on earth? Might there be clues or keys to immunizations or cures for diseases growing in rainforrests and hiding beneath the ocean floor? What happens when these too get destroyed in the effort to dominate the global empire? These questions don’t even begin to delve into the intrinsic values of life (plant, animal, as well as human) or its order on earth, but how can inherent value be quantified out of subjectivity?
I guess what it comes down to is only one question. What is really be better for humans: to keep exhausting our resources and forcing ourselves to conquor new ones, leaving ourselves vulnerable in the process - or to be better stewards by protecting and maintaining what we already have, possibly fostering multi-national friendships instead of wars in the process? Try to ask George W. Bush this question - I dare you. Meanwhile, I suppose anybody visiting this site would answer that question the same way… which means that work like yours really is generating a dialogue - not just between non-profit organizations, but among people, students, friends, strangers, cousins…and that’s how it has to start, right? Sharing information is the first step to instigating change, and I think your organization is doing a good job of that so far - just by providing a forum for discussion like this. Thank you for all your hard work, the endless hours of listening, reading, research, networking, educating, and fundraising you are doing. I am sure you will go down in the history books as people who helped.
Sorry to get so preachy. Initially, I just wanted to share some info that might be useful, but I just got done reading Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (International Studies was my minor in college) and I have to admit, I can get a little carried away when I find projects like these that seem to bring it all together. I think there are a lot of people who might consider themselves “environmentalists” or “humanists” who don’t necesarily grasp the full significance in linking the two. Thanks for letting me chime in.
PS - sorry this is so disorganized. I blame ADHD…
Peace.
February 7th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
that sounds like a good book, Ill try to rent it from the library. :)