Ecological Ethos Research Articles

Creation as Sacrament: An Orthodox Contribution to the Cultivation of an Ecological Ethos

Creation as Sacrament: An Orthodox Contribution to the Cultivation of an Ecological Ethos

Inclusivity in Cultural Dialogue: A Study of Ecofeminst Symbolism in Ilanko Atikal’s Cilappatikaram and Terry Tempest Williams’ When Women Were Birds

This paper aims to study the ecological ethos of interconnectedness present in Ilanko Atikal’s Cilappatikaram and Terry Tempest Williams’ When Women Were Birds by closely examining the ecofeminist symbolism within these works. Additionally, it seeks to compare and contrast the ecological consciousness portrayed in both texts. The paper endeavors to demonstrate the importance of women’s participation in revitalizing the voice of the planet and underscores the significance of women’s voices in cultural discourse to facilitate transformative change.

Autonomy as the self-realisation of an environmental identity

This article addresses the question raised by the Anthropocene of rethinking the concept of autonomy which, in the conditions of the new geological epoch, is subject to a crisis of legitimation. It explores the ‘strong hypothesis’ according to which nature is a necessary condition of our qualitative experience of the world and a constitutive relation of autonomy defined as the self-realisation of individual identity. With this aim in mind, the article attempts to rethink the concept of recognition in order to conceive a recognising attitude of nature in the form of love of nature as a form of adequate recognition. Rethinking recognition can serve as foundation of an ‘objective’ theory of autonomy, that is, a theory that explains how nature can be defined as a condition and constitutive relation of autonomy. The article, therefore, proposes to reformulate the concept of autonomy as the self-realisation of an ecological or environmental identity in the form of the self-realisation of an ecological ethos, that is, an attitude of respect and care for nature. This enquiry, ultimately, is a contribution to the task of rethinking the basis of our conceptions of autonomy and freedom in the Anthropocene, so that the idea of autonomy can legitimately constitute the central value of the social transformation that is needed to face the ecological crisis.

North of Carmel: Jeffers, Bringhurst, and the Ecological View

This article proposes that the works of the modern American poet Robinson Jeffers and those of the contemporary Canadian poet Robert Bringhurst are linked by an ecological ethos. Although specific instances of Jeffers’s influence occur here and there in Canadian literary history, the connection between Jeffers and Bringhurst is more substantial, if not immediately obvious. It consists in an aesthetic and intellectual affinity—in a shared poetic terrain that is a conceptual equivalent of the western North American geography they have in common. (Jeffers was a Californian poet; Bringhurst is often associated with the Pacific Northwest.) The poets are comparably concerned with wilderness, which in their works is not always remote or uninhabited but rather characterized by the peripheral place of humanity. In attending to parallels between the authors’ works, the article suggests that reading across the border between Canada and the United States brings into view significant literary connections.

Making Practices in Pursuit of Ecological Ethos: Learnings from Three Ecovillages in Australia

Ecovillages, communities in which people integrate self-built houses, shared facilities, organic farming, composting, and self-governance into everyday practices, serve as laboratories for ongoing experiments in sustainable living. While topics like sustainability, simple living, and making are well discussed in the HCI community, we aim to investigate what socio-environmental issues are identified in ecovillages and how and with which ethos makers address these issues in their making practices. In this paper, we present findings from an ethnographic investigation around sustainable making by focusing on the endeavours of three ecovillages and highlighting their ethos to draw out lessons for HCI researchers. We discuss the relationship between making practices and sustainability from four aspects: space, material, network, and meaning, and provide lessons and implications for the HCI community.

A Postcolonial Ecocritical Reading of Mahmoud Darwish’s “The Red Indian’s Penultimate Speech to the White Man”

Inspired by the tenets of postcolonial ecocriticism, theories of settler colonialism, and indigenous ecologies, this study examines the connection Mahmoud Darwish establishes between the colonized people and natural elements in his poem “The Red Indian’s Penultimate Speech to the White Man” while making reference to Native American oral traditions and Chief Seattle’s speech. This article argues that Darwish’s poem expresses an inclusive perspective that requires appreciation of the interconnection between the national and ecological struggle of the colonized. The analysis in this article is premised on Darwish’s dictum in this poem that the resistance of the colonized against loss of homeland is also a resistance against loss of nature; that is, Darwish seems to argue that the ecological ethos is inherent in the resistance of colonized people against settler colonialism. In “The Red Indian’s Penultimate Speech to the White Man,” Darwish expresses consciousness of a history of colonial domination that aggressively exploitated natural resources and destroyed natural habitations that natives had nurtured and depended on for their subsistence over the years. In other words, the poet represents the central ecocritical argument that environmental issues are integral to the existence of colonized peoples.

Zambian Protestant Ecumenism and the Quest for Eco-Justice: A Case Study of the Council of Churches in Zambia

This paper maps the trajectory of eco-justice discourse in Zambia with specific reference to the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) as one of the most significant ecumenical structures in the country. Foregrounding the notion of eco-justice, this paper seeks to answer the question, namely, in what ways do religious resources (read: institutions) engender ecological ethos? Such a question is explored in light of the widely recognised inextricable link between environmental degradation and justice as expressed in the concept of eco-justice. Therefore, through documentary analysis, the paper delineates the theological basis of CCZ’s advocacy for eco-justice and underscores the potential of ecumenical institutions as sources of religious social capital. While underlining the role of religious resources in shaping people’s attitudes and behaviour towards the environment, the paper offers a critique of ‘prophetic voice’ by drawing attention to the need for clarity on the distinctive contribution of Christian resources in addressing ecological degradation. Keywords: Eco-Justice, Council of Churches in Zambia, Religious Social Capital, Prophetic Voice, Ecotheology, Stewardship, Environmental Impact of Mining in Zambia

Book Review: Priests of Creation: John Zizioulas on Discerning an Ecological Ethos by John Chryssavgis and Asproulis (eds.)

Book Review: <i>Priests of Creation: John Zizioulas on Discerning an Ecological Ethos</i> by John Chryssavgis and Asproulis (eds.)

Spiritual Practice and the Art of Ecological Living

Arguably, responses to the ecological crisis need to go further than renewable technology and emissions policy to embrace deeper and wider changes in ideas, attitudes and behaviour and more broadly cultivate an art of ecological living. This article discusses two sets of spiritual practice that contain within them seeds that implicitly cohere with an ecological ethos and therefore might be conducive to cultivating an ecologically sensitive way of living. These are the spiritual exercises of Greek and Roman philosophical schools, especially as understood by Pierre Hadot, and the contemporary practice of Christian meditation. This article discusses three aspects that, despite acknowledged differences, are common to both the ancient spiritual exercises and contemporary Christian meditation: the way they aim to transform the whole of the practitioner’s life, resonating with ecology’s broad and holistic scope; the centrality of paying attention, enabling the practitioner to be grounded in the present time and place which in turn facilitates greater awareness of what is other to us; and the advocacy of an ethic of self-restraint, countering the ideology and practice of constant growth and consumerism.

Consumption of traditional handicraft fashion: Motivations, intentions and behaviours of Chinese consumers

Traditional handicraft apparel espouses ecological ethos and symbolises the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. Owing to its distinct attribute of being handmade, it forms a characteristic branch of slow fashion and denotes a sustainable trend in the field of fashion design. However, slow fashion consumption research is relatively scarce. To gain further insights into the reasons, motivations and intentions of Chinese consumers related to the purchase of traditional handicraft fashion, the slow fashion consumption literature was referenced in this study, incorporating the theories of planned behaviour and self-concept. Moreover, structural equation modelling was used to scrutinise the consumption of traditional handicraft fashion. Results revealed that both self-concepts and perceived behaviour control (PBC) significantly impacted the consumption of conventional fashion. However, the internalised traditional cultural identity derived from the actual-self-aspect revealed a negligible relationship with traditional handicraft fashion consumption. In comparison, a significant impact was evinced by self-image enhancement from the ideal-self-aspect. Moreover, the reasons for PBC had the most significant influence on the consumption of traditional handicraft fashion compared to other considered factors. This study explores a specialised theoretical conventional handicraft model fashion consumption based on the mature theories of planned behaviour and self-concept, thus contributing to a sub-field in slow fashion consumption research. It also identifies and elucidates the factors that are pivotal to the revival of the traditional handicrafts sector in China and provides theoretical direction to improve the product planning and marketing of traditional fashion brands. • Since fashion consumption has explicit characteristics, the planned behaviour theory and self-concept need to be combined to do deep analysis of sustainable fashion consumption. • Both self-concepts and perceived behaviour control exert a significant impact on the consumption of traditional fashion. • PBC were found to exercise the strongest influence on the consumption of traditional handicraft fashion of Chinese consumers. • Self-image enhancement from the ideal-self-aspect has a stronger impact on intention than the internalised traditional cultural identity derived from actual self-aspect.

Ecoscenography conversations1

The global ecological crisis calls for a new approach to theatre making that overturns the ‘take, make and dispose’ production model that has become so intrinsic to the performing arts. Ecoscenography is a burgeoning movement that interweaves creative, environmental, social and cultural aspects of performance design to produce ecologically sensitive and evocative spatial experiences. The neologism has its roots in Australian fringe theatre and freelance design practices, many of which take pride in shoe-string budgets, site-specific, ad hoc and non-traditional forms of theatre making. Ecological re-considerations of performance design have emerged through these grassroot experiences which continue to be a vital foundation for Australia’s thriving theatre community. Nevertheless, there is still very little written about sustainability in the performing arts (both in Australia and beyond), particularly from the perspective of the scenographer. This dialogic article is a conversation between two Australian-based scenographers who are passionate about bringing an ecological ethos into performance design. The article explores Ecoscenography ‘in conversation’ by drawing out common perspectives and experiences to demonstrate how an ecological ethic can inspire the performance maker’s creative process. We discuss our trials and tribulations of sustainable practice, from our first engagement with the topic, to our aspirations for the future of the field. The result is a candid, tangible and personal account of what it means to be an ecoscenographer in an increasingly turbulent (but hopeful) world.

Phytosociological and Floristic Survey of the Sacred Grove Thekkumbhad Thazhe Kavu, Kannur District, Kerala, India

Conservation of nature and natural resources has been an important part of cultural ethos, especially in remote rural and indigenous communities in many parts of the world, including India. These communities consider themselves connected with their biophysical environment in a web of spiritual relationships. Sacred groves are the relic forest segments preserved in the name of religion and culture. These groves are mostly associated with temples and are also culturally important. They manifest the spiritual and ecological ethos of rural indigenous communities. Many taboos are associated with sacred grove which helps in managing resources well through ritual representation. Different festivals are organized, where the local communities reaffirm their commitment to the forest and the deity. Sacred groves, in general, are a valuable tool of biodiversity conservation. The sacred groves as the treasure of repositories of a variety of plant species, the present study is conducted to find out the plant diversity in the sacred grove, Thekkumbad Thazhe Kavu in Kannur district, Kerala. 15 species present in this Kavu are least concerned, and they are Acanthus ilicifolius, Achrosticum aureum, Aegicera scorniculatum, Bruguiera cylindrica, Caryota urens, Cyperus ratundas, Fimbristilis ferrugenea, Kandelia candel, Lindernia crustacea, Lindernia tenuifolia, Ludwiga hyssopifolia, Pandanus odorifer, Panicum repens, Rhizophora apiculata and Rhizophoram ucronata. The species Caryota urens securing higher IVI of 38.835. The species of least significance (lowest IVI) were shown by Derris trifoliate, Emilia sonchifolia and Rhizophora apiculata. Based on IVI score made by this species it is understood that these are poorly established species in the communities of the study site.

Ecological global citizenship education: a reframing

A reconceptualization of education for sustainability and global citizenship education (GCE) is proposed, considering evidence from the United Nations decade of education for sustainable development (ESD) and from research with policymakers and adult educators in Wales. In this reframing, global citizenship education is foregrounded, and the model is underpinned by an ecological ethos, where webs of interconnections are highlighted. The model is informed by critical and holistic adult education, and it includes a focus on relational learning and on the affective domain, where emotions are recognised and valued alongside the rational and cognitive. These elements are supported by an ethic of care, which is introduced as a starting point for making what can appear as abstract concepts or remote issues, immediate and relevant to learners’ lived experience. The synthesis of the various theoretical perspectives embodies an inclusive ‘ecological global citizenship education’, where educators and learners are supported to engage with difficult and emotive topics. Dialogue is proposed as the method at the centre of a pedagogy that is critical and humanistic, and that facilitates and supports the often-uncomfortable learning as we honestly and critically examine ourselves and our world within a learning community.

From the ethology of animals to the human ecology

The title “From the ethology of animals to human ecology” acknowledges both the theories of evolution developed in numerous scientific fields of science, and the academic achievements of Konrad Lorenz and his partners, the development of which are shown through the order of studies they published, from the scope of classical ethology and the row of humanities, to philosophy and human ecology. Lorenz conducted an ethological examination of human culture, thereby uncovering its biological bases, its dynamics, social pathologies and means for overcoming them. Thanks to this Lorenz gained an insight into the character of the crisis of contemporary civilization, described and diagnosed it, presented the causes and proposed a cure. Lorenz recommended mobilizing efforts to create an ecological ethos for those surviving on Earth. Today it isn’t possible to predict the future of Homo sapiens on our planet, however, it is our duty to prepare for our struggle to survive. It is not only about survival but also about the preservation of the human way of life. This is a matter of biological and spiritual survival. Therefore, Lorenz’s ethological humanism takes on the mantle of a new ‘evolutionary humanism’.

¿Puede ser ecológico el estilo moderno de vida?

Se trata de responder a la pregunta sobre la posibilidad de un estilo de vida ecológico en las condiciones de la vida moderna; es decir, teniendo en cuenta la condición técnica y económica del hombre, la tecnologización de la sociedad, la nueva cultura económica basada en el crecimiento económico, la ilimitada producción y el imperio del consumo. Como vía de solución se propone una ética universal de la responsabilidad solidaria para un ethos ecológico, capaz de superar el habitual dilema entre los valores del biocentrismo y del humanismo.

Kościół a ekologia ludzka

Artykuł omawia problematykę ekologii ludzkiej w kontekście nauczania Kościoła. Samo sformułowanie „ekologia ludzka” podkreśla, że człowiek ma naturę, którą winien szanować, i którą nie może manipulować według swego uznania. Kiedy mówimy więc o obowiązkach wobec przyrody, to musimy pamiętać, że są one związane z powinnościami wobec osoby ludzkiej. Człowiek jest bowiem odpowiedzialny za środowisko życia. Chodzi zasadniczo o poszanowanie godności osoby ludzkiej, która zakłada szacunek do życia od momentu poczęcia do naturalnej śmierci. Należy więc uznać godność wszystkich ludzi bez możliwości ich marginalizacji. Na szacunek zasługują wszyscy, niezależnie od zdrowia, pozycji społecznej czy wieku. Papież Franciszek apeluje więc o szacunek wobec ubogich, chorych i niepełnosprawnych, migrantów i osób starszych.Wypracowanie etosu ekologicznego wymaga edukacji. Należy w niej zwrócić uwagę na harmonię wewnętrzną z samym sobą oraz solidarność z innymi. Istotna jest tu postawa wstrzemięźliwości pomagająca żyć według paradygmatu „bardziej być”, niż „mieć”. W wychowaniu nieodzowne jest też formowanie wrażliwego sumienia pomagającego otaczać szacunkiem zarówno środowisko przyrodnicze, jak i środowisko ludzkie.

Wandering and Ecological Ethos in 'A hora e vez de Augusto Matraga'

João Guimarães Rosa locates nearly all his fiction in the Brazilian sertão, the vast, semi-arid backlands of Brazil's interior, yet surprisingly few studies exist regarding Guimarães Rosa’s environmental attitudes or the ecological ethos present in his work. Pressing environmental concerns in Brazil have nevertheless inspired new readings of Guimarães Rosa's work that consider the ecological consciousness latent in his fiction. Guimarães Rosa's well-known novella, "A hora e vez de Augusto Matraga," reveals a powerful ecological ethos by modeling the concept of wandering—a way of relating to nature and to others. The story demonstrates that acquiring aesthetic sensitivity and developing ecological understanding occur simultaneously, and they work together to establish social and communal harmony.

Ecological Management and Indian Ethos - A Review

Environment plays a very significant role in human civilization. Human beings have close relations with the biosphere in which they live. The whole environment and ecology consisting of earth, air, water, plants and animals provide the necessary and sufficient conditions for sustaining human life. The last few centuries have been dominated by human beings, and are referred to by some scholars as ‘anthropocene’, or a period of human domination over the planet. This domination has impacted the planet, leading to the rapid depletion of wildlife and their habitat. In the last few decades, growing human populations and their consumption levels, accompanied by greater need for water, electricity, metal, food, housing and other luxury items has led to the quick erosion of other species. This loss of species has been guesstimated by various scholars at anywhere between one per hour to one per day. Although human beings are considered the most intelligent life form on earth, they are responsible for most of the damage done to planet earth. Developing countries as well as developed countries alike are all suffering from environmental pollution. Therefore, today environmental problems have been the object of discussion everywhere from village to parliament.

An Ecotheological Exploration of the Thought of Arthur Peacocke

AbstractAgainst a background of increasing concern over climate change and other instances of ecological degradation, this paper aims to explore two ideas in the thought of Anglican theologian and biochemist Arthur Peacocke in relation to their ecotheological promise. First, Peacocke’s understanding of ‘emergence’ affirms the diversity of the created world and makes possible the understanding of Jesus Christ as the emergence of a new reality; these concepts resonate with the value given to biodiversity in ecological thought. Second, the idea that God expresses Godself through the material world in the process of creation, together with an emphasis on the biophysical composition of Jesus Christ, allows a high claim to be made for matter which resonates with an ecological affirmation of the value of the natural world. By asserting the prevalence of diversity and the value of matter, Peacocke’s thought provides a theological framework which coheres with an ecological ethos.

Non‐Anthropocentric Narrative Strategies in Recent Experimental US Fiction

AbstractThis article pinpoints a genre of contemporary experimental fiction that troubles normative ethical and representational demarcations between human and nonhuman life, aggregating in ecologically posthumanist, non‐anthropocentric perspectives. After offering an overview of current ecocritical debates around humanness and naturalness in the Anthropocene, the article considers two contemporary novels from the US that employ formal devices and self‐reflexive narrative strategies to disrupt the assumed primacy of the human. Addressing problems of human‐driven environmental disruption, biodiversity, and nonhuman personhood, Mark Z. Danielewski's Only Revolutions () and Evan Dara's The Lost Scrapbook () offer concrete examples of such strategies. Simultaneously deconstructive and reconstructive, these texts excoriate reigning Western discourses about Nature while imagining less deleterious sorts of relations humans might forge with the natural nonhuman world. Moreover, while the realist narrative strategies associated with traditional “nature writing” are largely absent in these experimental texts, their attention to concrete environmental risks and ethical quandaries diverges from postmodernism's purported treatment of the natural world as a mere arena of discourse subject to perpetual deconstruction. Instead, the self‐reflexive, antitotalizing, and contingent qualities associated most frequently with literary postmodernism and poststructuralist critique serve to unseat the presumptions of classical humanism, offering alternative ways of trying to know and relate to the nonhuman world – or even suggesting that not knowing constitutes an ecological ethos in itself. “Critical anthropomorphism” is a strategy and trope already present in the seminal ecological writings of Henry David Thoreau and discernible in Only Revolutions. Rather than re‐inscribing the centrality of humanness, it imagines the extension of personhood to nonhuman life. Meanwhile, in Dara's novel, the natural world figures as both radically other from, and inextricably connected to, the human: as such, the former stands in what Caribbean poet and critic Édouard Glissant would call “opaque relationality” to the latter. An ethos of opacity thus constitutes a second, radically non‐anthropocentric narrative strategy in this experimental fiction. Narrative opacity offers decentered, contingent accounts of human interactions with the natural world rather than hierarchically ordered or taxonomically precise ones, effectively troubling the presumptions of epistemological control and stewardship over the nonhuman that dominate in traditional nature writing.