Identifying With Nature, Defending Nature

Is it possible that if we each tapped into our inner Darwin, we could find the connections to nature to inspire to new and more effective green action? The Tom Joad character in The Grapes of Wrath said: "Maybe we're not all individual souls, but maybe we're all part of one big soul." Incredibly basic but within simplicity lies the secret: If we look upon all living things as part--along with ourselves--of one collective soul, would it become impossible to live in denial about ocean trawling, forest clear cutting, mountaintop removal mining, factory farming, and more?

If so, this psychic shift might be best started with the younger generation. Whether they're our kids, our students, our neighbor's kids, or the kids we baby sit, they need our guidance to help them choose an environmentally conscious life. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) recommends kids be given a daily time "for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world. This can take place in a garden, a backyard, the park down the street, or any place that provides safe and accessible green spaces where children can learn and play." The NWF reports that children who regularly spend unstructured time outside:


* Play more creatively

* Have lower stress levels

* Have more active imaginations

* Become fitter and leaner

* Develop stronger immune systems

* Experience fewer symptoms of ADD and ADHD

* Have greater respect for themselves, for others, and for the environment

Who knows, you may be nurturing another Darwin, Thoreau, Carson, or even a whole new breed of earth-friendly revolutionary...

Posted by KRCKEY on 4:03 AM. Filed under defending, defending nature, Garden Tips, identifying, nature . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0