Ecological Conscience Research Articles

Ecological Conscience and Peace in the Social Doctrine of the Church

In a time when wars emerge again with their devastating effects, both material and spiritual, there is an indispensable need to build a peace-making culture based on ecological conscience. After highlightening the transdisciplinary process of emergence and development of an ecological conscience through the prophetic insights of scientists, philosophers and theologians, the recent contributions of the Social Doctrine of the Church are summarized with their content of innovation and faith in both a peaceful human society and a sustainable planetary community. Suggestions for ecolinguistic developments and improvements in favor of ecological conscience and peace-bulding attitudes are both recognised and advanced as meaningful tools for positive “framing” in a communication society. Innovative conceptual terms, like natural capital, biosphere, noosphere, anthropocene, ecosystem services, sustainability, integral ecology, ecological spirituality and ecological conversion are recognised as typical eco-linguistic emergences arisen within a context of holistic framing of reality. They constitute the eco-linguistic cascade that has innovated the recent development of the social doctrine of the Church such as that expressed in the Encyclical Letters and in The World Days of Peace Messages for building a culture of peace based on ecological conscience. The Church’s contribution to the advancement of ecological conscience has been exemplary for providing human beings with the necessary spiritual energy to become “peace operators.”

Negotiating Ecological Relations Amongst Inclusive Heathens

An investigation of Winterfinding, a harvest feast, as conducted by Vindisir Kindred, a small group of contemporary Heathens in southwestern Ontario, shows how the development of ecological conscience is involved in ritual practices that negotiate meaning and environmental values. Ritual practices such as this that include animal sacrifice can embody an ecological conscience through physical practices that embed tacit learning of how to relate with others, human and otherwise. Ritual feasting and practices of making offerings in this community of contemporary Heathens is in the process of negotiating ecological relations. Participating in such practices can contribute to the formation a pro-environmental disposition and orientation, although what this means for participants continues to evolve.

Ecological Conscience in Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things

This paper analyses how the twin protagonists reflect their ecological conscience despite modern development in Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things (1997) from an eco-critical perspective. Roy's narrative revolves around the frightening image of River Meenachal after the rapid development of the tourism industry in Kerala, India. The novel projects the interconnection of human beings, plants, and animals with River Meenachal. But the pollution into the lifeblood invites numerous hazards into nature. The encroachment toward the river occurs with modern materialistic development in India. Its immediate impact falls badly on plants, animals, and human beings. These issues in the novel invite a systematic exploration with the eco-critical insights proposed by Aldo Leopold and Paul W. Taylor. As a qualitative applied research, this paper draws on ideas from Leopold's concept of “Land Community” and Taylor's “Bio-centric Outlook”. An ecological conscience is the only way to get out of the complexities caused by modern development. Harmony and integration with nature render the vibration of ecological sublimity to the protagonists. Their reflection secures the ecological future of Kerala, India, as well as other parts of the world.

Inclusive Heathens Practice Ancestor Veneration, But Not Pride in Ancestry

Ancestor veneration need not entail a focus on biological ancestry, but inclusive Heathens are troubled that white supremacists are attracted to Heathenry because of a perceived connection between ancestor veneration and pride in ancestry. The Canadian Heathens of Raven’s Knoll identify themselves as inclusive, and endeavor to exclude racists from their groups and events. Previous research has often distinguished between folkish (often racist) versus universalist (not racist) practitioners of Heathenry or Ásatrú. Inclusive Heathens welcome people of all backgrounds so long as they do not discriminate against others on the basis of spurious categories such as race, gender, or sexual orientation. Inclusive Heathens venerate a variety of ancestors, not just ancestors of blood or biological ancestors, but also ancestors of affinity or imagination, and ancestors of place. This contributes to a sense of relatedness and moral community beyond the intrahuman, and the development of ecological conscience at Raven’s Knoll.

Reconstructing the Procession of Nerthus

Primary data gathering for this work included participant observation research at the procession of Nerthus at Well and Tree Gathering in May of 2018 and 2019 at Raven’s Knoll, a privately-owned campground and dedicated Pagan festival site in eastern Ontario. It draws upon a larger research project on inclusive Canadian Heathen ritual practices and environmental values. Well and Tree Gathering includes Pagans of various types, but is largely run by Heathens, and prominently features the Heathen deity Nerthus. Practitioners conduct a reconstructionist revival of the procession of Nerthus based on Tacitus’ description of such events in Germania, which included human sacrifice. Contemporary Heathens revere Nerthus as a primordial power, process her veiled figure through the campground, and give her offerings in a sacred body of water. Giving these offerings operationalizes the values of inclusion and sharing, and contributes to the formation of ecological conscience through relational ontology.

Formation of an Ecological Conscience: A Christian Imperative

Formation of an Ecological Conscience: A Christian Imperative

Reviving the unique potential of recreational fishers as environmental stewards of aquatic ecosystems

AbstractRecreational anglers have been key players in aquatic conservation, but this role is increasingly obscured. Other environmental sectors are now more visible stakeholders engaged with biodiversity. Recreational fishing has relevant environmental and moral implications, but these can be resolved via improved governance and management. More difficult is replacing the stewardship capacity provided by anglers. When analysed against a novel environmental stewardship framework based on place and identity, care, knowledge and agency, we find that marginalizing anglers could diminish aquatic biodiversity conservation. This outcome is likely because excellence in recreational fishing involves habituation of skills and ethical imperatives associated with sustainable and responsible use of fish populations. These dimensions are probably not so pertinent and correspondingly less developed in other nature stakeholders. Importantly, catching and killing wild animals catapults anglers into a food web and associated ecological conscience that most other outdoor activities cannot generate. As a result, recreational fishing often engenders feelings of care and responsibility for aquatic systems that support personal well‐being, bridging the stewardship value‐action gap through development of local assessment, management and evaluative competencies and associated agency. Transdisciplinary cooperation with scientists, managers and policymakers can unleash the stewardship potential of recreational anglers and engage their capacity for the common good.

Plurinational state and ecological conscience in Bolivia: The case of the 2019 forest fires

In 2019, Bolivia suffered one of the worst forest fires in its history. The rapid advance of the flames provoked reactions in defence of the environment hitherto unknown in Bolivian society. Encouraged by a peaceful march of lowland indigenous communities, a broad spectrum of social actors expressed their indignation at the destruction of the forests and demanded more governmental action. The spontaneous emergence of ecological awareness during the fire crisis allows reflection on the progress in constructing the symbolic state, a state in the “heads” and imaginaries of citizens (Bourdieu, 2014). Social demands during the crisis reflect new expectations placed on a plurinational state respectful of the rights of nature. By ignoring the ongoing ecological catastrophe, the government placed itself at the margin of an emerging symbolic order to which it had previously contributed and of which it is a product. Resumen: Estado plurinacional y conciencia ecológica en Bolivia: El caso de los incendios forestales de 2019En 2019, Bolivia sufrió uno de los peores incendios forestales de su historia. El rápido avance de las llamas provocó reacciones en defensa del medio ambiente hasta ahora desconocidas en la sociedad boliviana. Alentados por una marcha pacífica de las comunidades indígenas de las tierras bajas, un amplio espectro de actores sociales expresó su indignación por la destrucción de los bosques y exigió una mayor acción gubernamental. La emergencia espontánea de la conciencia ecológica durante la crisis de los incendios permite reflexionar sobre el avance en la construcción del estado simbólico, un estado en las “cabezas” e imaginarios de los ciudadanos (Bourdieu, 2014). Las demandas sociales durante la crisis reflejan las nuevas expectativas puestas en un estado plurinacional respetuoso con los derechos de la naturaleza. Al ignorar la catástrofe ecológica en curso, el gobierno se situó al margen de un orden simbólico emergente al que había contribuido previamente y del que es un producto.

The Mexican Ecological Conscience: A Predictive Model

Recently, the number of Mexicans who buy sustainable products has been increasing, which has led to sustainable trade. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine which variables have a greater effect on Mexicans’ intention to buy green products, their ecological awareness, or moral obligation, and, in turn, to determine the degree to which moral obligation is affected by ecological awareness. A sample of 690 Mexicans was obtained, and a PLS–SEM model was applied for data analysis. The results confirmed that both a moral obligation and ecological awareness explain the intention to purchase green products, with ecological awareness contributing the most to the intention. Furthermore, the findings showed that moral obligation is affected by ecological awareness. The originality of the article is that it contributes to the consumer behavior literature by providing an insight for companies that manufacture sustainable products to understand and promote environmentally conscious consumer behavior. However, there are some limitations that can be addressed in future research.

Properties and applications of cellulose regenerated from cellulose/imidazolium-based ionic liquid/co-solvent solutions: A short review

AbstractAn improvement of ecological conscience currently has increased the consciousness of researchers in reducing the processing time and cost of solvent for the dissolution of cellulose. Latterly, ionic liquids have been employed to process cellulose as they are recyclable and nonvolatile. Besides that, biopolymers such as chitosan, chitin, starch, protein, and cellulose acetate can also be processed by using ionic liquids for diverse applications. In this short review, examples of imidazolium-based ionic liquids that are commonly used for the dissolution of cellulose are implied. Furthermore, examples of organic liquids that are utilized as co-solvents for ionic liquids were revealed. In addition, examples of imidazolium-based ionic liquid/co-solvent mixtures utilized in the dissolution of cellulose and other biopolymers are also demonstrated. The properties and applications of cellulose and its blends regenerated from different types of cellulose/imidazolium-based ionic liquid/co-solvent solutions are also shortly reviewed. The information acquired from this review gives a better understanding of the changes in the properties of regenerated cellulose and regenerated cellulose blends. In addition, this short review serves as a model basis for the creation of novel applications of regenerated cellulose and regenerated cellulose blends by utilizing imidazolium-based ionic liquid/co-solvent mixtures.

The eco-trend as a new tendency in the fashion industry and its influence on modern design

The aim of the study is a rationale for the concept of eco-design in the modern fashion industry. General scientific and special methods of scientific research were used in the work on the article, such as methods of scientific abstraction, analysis, synthesis, systematization, generalization of special scientific literature and Internet resources on certain theoretical provisions of the topic. Literary-analytical, visual-analytical methods and system-structural analysis are used. The influence of the trend of eco-fashion on modern design is reflected in the activities aimed at the development of objects of material culture in the fashion industry, which correspond to the concept of ecological conscience. In this aspect, there are such directions of eco-design: production of clothes from eco-materials, waste recycling, zero-cut waste; creation of clothes, which has a long period of non-aging and so on.

Predictive Sustainability Model Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior Incorporating Ecological Conscience and Moral Obligation

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of research on consumers’ green behavior in emerging markets. This study aims to determine the variables of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) that influence green purchasing intentions in Mexico. Into the model, we incorporated ecological conscience, moral obligation, and willingness to pay as additional variables. A sample of 300 consumers was obtained through an online survey and data were analyzed statistically using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that perceived purchase control, ecological conscience, and moral obligation directly influence purchase intention. The study contributes to the current literature by strengthening the existing knowledge about the factors that influence the purchasing behavior of green products in emerging countries.

ARBOREAL POETICS IN HOWARD NEMEROV�S �THE THOUGHT OF TREES� AND LUIS H. FRANCIA�S �LESSONS OF A TREE�

This paper discusses arboreal poetics in two contemporary poems The Thought of Trees by Howard Nemerov, an American poet and Lessons of a Tree by Luis H. Francia, a Filipino one. The objectives of this research are first to identify how Nemerov and Francias vegetal poetics conveys ecological views; second, how their vegetal poetics evokes ones ecological awareness to conserve biodiversity and to consume material goods sufficiently. These behaviors help to reduce the exacerbation of climate change phenomenon. This research used qualitative methods, in which the data were words and taken from the two poems and from several sources on trees, climate change, ecopoetry as a kind of criticism belonging to environmental humanities. The result shows that both poems anthropomorphize trees as indispensably interconnected and coexistent with any life forms and the physical environment. This further impacts on humans growing ecological conscience not to objectify but to conserve vegetation in particular and other natural resources in general through his sufficient consumption of the material goods for ones living necessities.

O Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR) à luz do princípio do protetor-recebedor

O Cadastro Ambiental Rural, com a novel Lei Florestal (Lei n. 12.651/2012), ganhou contornos que enfraqueceram a tutela do meio ambiente natural, cuja máxima proteção deveria ser inerente ao instituto. A facilitação que o cadastro obteve em termos de inserção de dados não está diretamente atrelada à efetiva proteção da área tida como reservada. Assim, faz-se necessário o manejo de institutos de origem principiológica (v.g. o pagamento por serviços ambientais) para dar efetividade ao desiderato do constituinte originário, que objetiva ver implementada uma equidade intergeracional pela sociedade brasileira, a fim de que todos possam, em certa medida, ter um acesso equitativo aos recursos naturais disponíveis e, assim, garantir um desenvolvimento sustentável a partir de uma concepção clara da função socioambiental da propriedade rural. Para tanto, necessário que se estude a sistemática principiológica que incide sobre os institutos em voga, a fim de bem aclarar o arcabouço normativo que regulamenta a aplicação dos instrumentos de tutela do meio ambiente natural, para então ser possível aferir que se afigura urgente o manejo de ferramentas que estimulem a proteção de cada bioma existente no território nacional por uma via inversa, ou seja, pela adoção de práticas voluntárias mediante a concessão de estímulos ao protetor, a fim de que, em um futuro próximo, seja possível vislumbrar a consolidação de uma consciência ecológica que seja suficiente para perpetuar o acesso igualitário dos recursos naturais a todas as gerações.

Picture Books for Children of Early School Age for the Purpose of Environmental Education

Abstract Environmental education is gaining more and more significance, not only because of the wasting of natural sources but also because of the polluting of the environment. The aim of environmental education is not only the knowledge or a line of facts which a child should learn about the environment, but also building proper attitudes and a positive relation towards the environment. It’s important to practice literature to develop an ecological conscience. It’s possible to accomplish a connection of literature and education on three levels: on the basic, on some higher and on the highest one. On the basic level, picture books and illustrated books for children process ecological themes more from the cognitive and less (or almost not at all) from the poetical point of view appeared. Exactly because of that, they are called a cognition type of picture books or illustrated books for children. The aim of this paper is to describe picture books with ecological themes and also to analyse functions of each picture book taken in the account. Six books were selected: Sunčica upoznaje činčilu (eng. Sunčica meets chinchilla), Brdo na kraju grada (eng. Hill at the end of town), Priroda priča... (eng. Nature talks), Nauči poštivati prirodu uz kravicu Šaricu (eng. Learn to respect nature with Šarica the cow), Zatvori vodu! (eng. Shut the water off!) and Zraka trebam, hitno! (eng. I need air, now!).

The Meaning of Free Trade Law in Four Acts

Free trade law can be approached in its contemporary form through the multilateral scene provided by the WTO or bilateral agreements, such as the recent CETA. These different conventional and institutional frameworks are intended to promote and secure international trade. Their purpose is therefore no stranger to the exercise of economic freedom of movement, even if these structures remain strongly contrasted in their substance and the ways of exercising them differ on a global scale. What exactly these freedoms mean is potentially a concern for everyone. The ordinary citizen, the political or economic leader, the investor, the intellectual, the state, the intergovernmental organization, regional integration, the non-governmental organization, may all wonder about the direction and objectives set out in these free trade mechanisms. The question I would like to address here is how the legal expert is able (or not) to grasp this search for meaning. What options are open to lawyers in an attempt to make their way through this eminently philosophical questioning? This paper proposes a progressive answer in “four acts: Neoliberal unconsciousness (I), Fundamental and hypothetical standard (II), The space of flows (III), Ecological Conscience (IV).

Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethics in Paul Seed’s Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster

“The Land Ethics” is taken from a part from A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. It articulates a philosophy that reveres nature and grants it moral status as a part of the community. Leopold argued that humans should conceive their relationships with nature differently. On seeing this fact, ethics focused on humans and property, he urged us to enlarge the community to “include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land.” The land, then should be preserved and protected. Doing so is right. Not doing so is wrong. “Aldo Leopold says, a land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of the land” (Leopold). Aldo Leopold work brought forth the idea of ecology and revolutionized natural resources management. He passionately introduced a land ethic, a way of seeing our actions on the landscape through a moral lens. Using this ethic, he helped drive consideration of human actions in a more complete and thoughtful manner that effectively valued ecological function rather than simply justifying all action based on human desires. Paul Seed’s Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster is based on real life incident. This movie was released on December 12, 1992 in USA, directed by Paul Seed, produced by John Smithson and David M. Thompson, and distributed by HBO channel. Exxon Valdez oil spilt, the tanker left Alaska on March 23, 1989, at 9:12 p.m. carrying more than 53 million gallons of oil. Just three hours later, after the ship ran into a reef, thousands of gallons of oil spilt in the sea. The sum of oil spilled was sufficient to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool (see. fig. 1). It is the worst environmental disaster in history. “As a result,

Living in paradise: The ecological conscience of contemporary Anglo-Guyanese fiction as seen through the examples of Dark Swirl, The Ventriloquist’s Tale and The Timehrian

ABSTRACTThis article discusses the ecocritical dimension of contemporary Anglo Guyanese fiction and the challenge it poses to anthropocentric philosophy and economic exploitation of the land and minorities, as well as to the environmental insensitivity of today’s world. Through a reading of novels by Cyril Dabydeen (Dark Swirl, 1996), Pauline Melville (The Ventriloquist’s Tale, 1997) and Andrew Jefferson-Miles (The Timehrian, 2002), the article explores the differences in the anthropological and holistic conceptualization of nature and looks into the (im)possibility of reconciling the interests of the urban Guyanese population with the world view of the Amerindian inhabitants. The article underscores the characteristic features of a Guyanese discourse on Nature that mark it out as being unique within Caribbean literatures. It presents each novel as an individual call for ecological justice for the Guyanese interior and shows contemporary Guyanese fiction as a potent ground for future ecocritical literary investigations.

Ritual Matters

Karl Polanyi (1944, 1968) argued that the 'disembedding' of the economy from society entailed a curtailment of social constraints on economic transactions. This disembedding coincided with what Max Weber (1946) called disenchantment, and the erosion of cognitive-experiential reciprocity between humans and nature. Following Lynn White Jr. (1967), many scholars of religion and ecology have argued that losing the sense of divinity immanent in the world caused the modern devaluation of nature. But the loss of ritual practices is key to this. Integrating Roy Rappaport's (1968, 1979, 1999) understanding of the regulative ecological functions of ritual with a processual understanding of ontology following Norbert Elias (1939, 1978, 1989) suggests that reviving ritual gifting practices may be a vehicle for ecological conscience formation and the social-ecological transformation of modern society. Removing the rituals surrounding the giving of gifts removed crucial informal governance structures from pre-modern cultures, resulting in a general collapse of meaning structures in modern market societies, producing a pervasive individualized ontology and what Elias (1991) called 'the society of individuals'. A revival of ritual gifting practices that re-enchant human relations with other than human persons, such as found in what Graham Harvey (2006, 2016) has called 'the new animism', may revive relational ontology and shift modern society toward a more sustainable path by re-embedding the economy in society.

Nature and Well-Being in the French City: Desire and Homo Qualitus

Over the last century, the discovery that human activities are adversely affecting the biosphere appears to have had an impact on the way individuals envisage their living space and conduct their day-to-day activities. They have become aware of the essential role played by nature, in particular on their well-being, becoming Homo qualitus. In this global context, French society has become greener. Nature and the city appear to be forging new links. This paper explores these different hypotheses. Firstly, it seeks to show how the French society is developing an ecological conscience, and how plants and vegetation are occupying an ever more important place in French cities. Secondly, the paper focuses on the representation of nature in society and the evolved forms of nature throughout French urban history. Thirdly, it explores the hypothesis that nature is a signifi cant component of city dwellers’ well-being, using the results of two fi eld surveys conducted in spring 2012 and spring 2017. It also analyses the meaning of, and desire for, nature by the inhabitants. Lastly, the conclusion will underline the way in which the satisfaction of the desire for nature and the willingness to preserve the environment exposes nature to a real risk to be instrumentalized.