Week Nine---Ecosystems and Deep Ecology ....

What do you think of the "eight-point Deep Ecology Platform"? ....On paper, it is a beautiful set of ideals, but ideals are not meant to be realized, but rather, give us direction. I consider myself someone who is concerned about the well-being of the environment. I also carry around a bit of irrational guilt for being part of the race of beings, humans, who have tinkered too too much with our environment, tweaking it to fulfill immediate "needs" while disregarding the bigger picture. Once upon a time, we did not know any better ....but now we do. As humans, are we headed for self-destruction? This seems to be the case. But only a race of beings that longs to live forever, literally trampling the ground beneath its feet (our planet) in a race to 'live fully', would ever conceive of something called "self-destruction." Plants and animals do not diligently, willingly work towards their own demise---they take what their environment offers and adapts. They know no other way of being. I was looking out the window yesterday, observing the weather. Cloud-bursts. Sun. More cloud-bursts. I thought about what the world would be like if humans ever found a way to harness the Weather. We could make rain, clear the skies of clouds, generate wind ....and how this "power" would more likely become a terrorist weapon of mass destruction rather than a tool of 'good'. Humans would flood each other out before they would send rain to remedy a deadly drought. (By the way, my faith in the human race is not always so downtrodden.) Thinking about the Deep Ecology Platform, I have strong concerns about it erring on the side of fundamentalism. It takes the 'green movement' a step further, however, this step is more like a leap---it makes law what I feel should be personal choice (Tenet #6). It would be a drastic measure. However, it can not be denied that the environmental situation of our planet is drastic and that people are not making conscious choices. Tuning into my faith in humanity, I think there are some simple laws that could be put into place that could evoke and further inspire greater change for the health of the environment. For one, outlawing plastic bags. An intermediary step would be to charge people for plastic bags, and charge enough (a quarter?) so that people would rather re-use a bag or see that they do not actually need a bag. Human habits would change and the enforcement of a "no plastic bag" law would seem less drastic, and may not ultimately be necessary. There are ways to reach people, to get your message across without using force. People could come to this realization on their own: that humankind is an integral part of the environment .....perhaps this is my own idealism speaking.

Can you explain why "Ecosystems are both strong and fragile"? ....Ecosystems are communities. Tightly interwoven, made up of living and non-living elements. Each element is vital and the relationships between these elements is symbiotic. One seemingly small change, in effect, can cause an ecosystem to collapse. It is fragile in this way. Ecosystems are strong however, in their ability to adapt to change. Most humans do not see themselves as part of the ecosystem, but rather, as the ruler of the ecosystem. This approach to our relationship with nature has arguably caused our planet more harm than good. Ecosystems have integrity, and hopefully humans will one day have more integrity when it comes to respecting their mother, Nature.

How would you assess the "end goals" of Social Ecology (SE)? ....I feel that there is an "exposing" tone to the Social Ecology movement---it attempts to reveal and address our society's deeper motives and greater goals. It seems to glare upon society with a suspicious eye, ready to point the finger at corruption. And more than less, rightfully so. (For example, who is the biggest environmental polluter in this country---the US Military.) But more, The SE movement acknowledges that societies reproduce themselves through their practices, and this can not be denied. From an SE perspective, ecological problems are rooted in social problems, and by focusing on social problems, ecological issues, in tandem, will be dealt with and on a deeper level. In my understanding of SE, one of its core concerns is man's attitude of "domination" ....domination of nature and domination of each other. And coupling this with capitalism, hierarchy and a scarcity mentality---we have the state of the world as we know it. I feel that SE makes some good points and I certainly share many of its ideals, albeit it all a bit "utopian."