One means of getting active is by doing and encouraging others to do the
International Earth Day Activity and sharing the experience via e-mail on
some list, such as this one.
I'd be interested in helping to coordinate this. Anybody interested? The
concept and results of the activity are found in the following release,
that people may share with others if they want.
For Earth,
Mike Cohen
Subject: Earth Day: What the World Needs Now Is:
"Holy Mother Earth,
the trees and all nature are witnesses
of your thoughts and deeds"
-Winnebago Tribe
NEW BOOK AND ACTIVITY:
A Reconnecting With Nature Activity Restores Personal and Global Balance
Many dedicated activists for environmental and social causes say they are
motivated by a profound love of life, nature and Earth. "Every person,
and every form of life, is born with that love," according to Dr. Michael
J. Cohen, author of the new Ecopress book "Reconnecting With Nature:
Finding Wellness Through Restoring Your Bond With The Earth"
Dr. Cohen says that most people's innate love of Earth has been squelched
by the "civilizing" process that teaches us to excesssively separate from,
exploit and conquer nature, including our sensory inner nature, our "inner
child." This year, activities from his Reconnecting With Nature book will
be used on Earth Day to reverse the squelching process and its adverse
effects.
"Significantly, most adults can not unashamedly say that they love the
Earth," notes Dr. Cohen. "That shame translates into our runaway fears,
apathy and problems." He says, "We can not simply ask people to love the
Earth and, out of that love, act in behalf of sustaining life and balanced
relationships. The plea seldom produces action because people are no
longer conscious of that love and its global ethic."
Dr. Cohen directs Project NatureConnect, the Applied Ecopsychology program
of the Institute of Global Education, a United Nations Non-Governmental
Organization.
To help reestablish a responsible relationship with nature Cohen has
contributed a potent ecopsychology exercise from Reconnecting With Nature.
Via the internet, it is being shared globally as an International Earth Day
and Ecopsychology Activity. The activity enables people to rationally and
emotionally reconnect with Earth. Cohen says, "This sensory reconnection
nurtures and rejuvenates our innate love of life. That love and its ethic
once again registers in our consciousness and becomes a vibrant guide our
psyche."
Cohen finds that, "Earth connectedness overcomes apathy. It unifies
people. It motivates the participation needed to sustain personal,
environmental and social relationships in balance. If we want to achieve
such relationships, it is wise to restore our love for them. "
The free Earth Day Activity is located at
http://www.pacificrim.net/~nature/earthday97.html or by requesting it from
activity@infofree.com. Hard copy is available by sending a self addressed
stamped envelope to Earth Day, P.O. Box 1605, Friday Harbor, Washington
U.S.A.
The International Earth Day Activity is one of 23 additional ecopsychology
activities presented in Reconnecting With Nature. Results from doing these
activities are eye-opening. Larry Davies, an alternative school counselor
in Vancouver, Washington reports: "During Dr. Cohen's Reconnecting With
Nature workshop with one of our recovery groups, we visited a trashed
natural area next to the student's proposed new school. The area was
slated to be paved as a parking lot, and we did the nature reconnecting
Earth Day permission activity there. As a result, the student's felt that
the area, like themselves, wanted to recover from the abuse it received
from society. They sensed that, like them, it had been, in their words:
'hurt, molested, invaded, raped and trespassed,' 'It wanted to become
healthy or die,' 'It felt trashed and overwhelmed, 'It had no power, it
needed a fix or help to recover.' Since then, the area and their inner
nature has given them permission to enlist the support of social and
environmental agencies to save the area from becoming a parking lot.
Instead, the garbage will be removed and it will recover as an indigenous
natural area. It will be nurtured and nurturing, support wildlife, be an
educational and therapeutic nature sanctuary for the school and a host for
doing more applied ecopsychology activities.
The students recently wrote and received a grant to help make this vision
of theirs a reality. Here's what they said in the grant's vision statement:
'We are a recovery group based on reconnecting with nature. In our recovery
efforts, nature plays a major role. We have choosen a small piece of
wilderness that reflects us as a community. This wilderness community is
being choked by alien plants and stressed by pollution, abandonment and
major loss. We, too, are being choked by drugs and stories that pollute our
natural self. We feel abandoned by our society and cut off from nature
which fills us with grief. As we remove the foreign garbage, blackberries
and ivy from the area, we work on removing the toxins from our lives. As we
plant healthy trees we also learn new healthy ways to survive. By
protecting this ecosystem we find the strength to open our minds, hearts,
and souls for the survival of our Mother Earth and ourselves.'
The students in this nature reconnecting program have quit using drugs.
Their test scores show significant improvement in the areas of self-esteem,
depression, stress and sleeplesness. Every student's attendance and
academic progress has improved. Reconnecting With Nature has proven to be
a valueable preventative tool for the recovery of people and Earth." said
Mr. Davies. "Many other people also report increased wellness from doing
the activities."
The March 1997 issue of Prevention Magazine contains an article that
further substantiates the use and value of Reconnecting With Nature.
Descriptions, samples and reviews of the book are located at
http://www.pacificrim.net/~nature/newbook.html In addition to being in
bookstores, Reconnecting With Nature is also available by postal, e-mail or
telephone orders to nature@pacificrim.net, 360-378-6313, or write Book
Department, P.O. Box 1605, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
Project NatureConnect
Institute of Global Education
A United Nations Non-Governmental Organization
Department of Integrated Ecology,
Box 1605 Friday Harbor, Washington 98250
(360) 378-6313
Dr. Michael J. Cohen, Chair
E-mail nature@pacificrim.net
http://www.pacificrim.net/~nature/
Program information: program@infofree.com
"Earth Day is the first holy day ... and is devoted to the harmony of
nature... The celebration offends no historical calendar, yet it transcends
them all."
- Margaret Mead
*Earth Day is celebrated on March 21 in some place and April 22 in others.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Dec 07 2000 - 23:22:12 PST