10 ESSENCE January 13, 2010

DENVER CARERE
Re-enchantment: A Path to Sustainability
Similarly, Carolyn Mer- faculty member’s experience of re-en- ing to positively transform a natural context for the type of experience
chant’s The Death of Nature describes chantment and their personal commit- area, does not necessarily positively needed to repair the human/nature
In general, the topic of consumerism this historical tipping point in terms ment to sustainability, as measured by transform the relationship between relationship. Higgs notes: “Without
is addressed from a “behavioural” of moving from an organic to a me- their sustainability-related household humans and nature. the ability to distinguish a good proj-
perspective - that is, from the belief chanical metaphor of nature. The habits. In his book Nature by Design, Schoolect from a bad one..., the ecological
that everything can be defined scien- effects of the Scientific Revolution’s But insofar as increasing numbers of Environmental Studies Director restoration movement..., risks losing
tifically through an observation of be- displacement of the organic meta- of people are living in urban areas, Eric Higgs discusses the possibility of
its strength of purpose.” In light of
haviour. Thus, there is no underlying phor were twofold: first, nature came leading to less frequent exposure to the professionalization of ecological our living in a society geared towards
distinction between concrete actions to be perceived as an inanimate ma- natural areas, let alone the type of restoration, such as practices becom- professional specialization, it is likely
and intuitive feelings. Granted behav- chine rather than a living organism; pristine areas known for eliciting the ing codified and restricted, and tech-volunteer and participatory-based,
ioural psychology goes much deeper second, nature as a machine meant sacred, the context of the experience, niques becoming proprietary. Though rather than professional restoration,
than this. Nevertheless, it still seems that it could be rationalized, manipu- for many people, must shift: enter I cannot do justice to the rigour and will be the one needing to articulate
environmentalists have attempted to lated, and ultimately conquered. In ecological restoration. William Jor- complexity of his argument here, its raison d’etre.
address consumerism by producing short, nature became desacralized, in dan III – who coined the term “res- essentially restoration practice and There are an abundance of local op-
a conditioned response - including turn removing any prior cultural con- toration ecology” – is among a grow- results (that is, ecosystems) become portunities to get involved with res-
feelings of fear and guilt - in con- straints against its destruction. ing number of thinkers arguing that commodities, possibly even bought, toration-related opportunities. Many
s u m e r s t h ro u g h of our most beloved
their continuous urban parks and
pairing of consum- natural areas, such
erism with images as Beacon Hill Park,
of environmental Rithet’s Bog, and
destruction. Rather Colquitz Creek have
than this top-down informal weekly or
approach, which monthly volunteer-
has thus far failed ing groups. The
to produce any se- Municipality of Saa-
rious shifts in con- nich’s Garry Oak
sumer behaviour, Restoration Project
why not try an al- (in part founded by
ternative approach, Brenda Beckwith)
one that focuses on offers volunteers
the positive aspects the opportunity to
of humanity’s rela- help steward nine
tionship to the en- different municipal
vironment. parks, in addition
In 1981, former to education and
University of Victo- training. If your
ria History Profes- interesting in urban
sor Morris Berman agriculture, local
wrote a book titled farms such as Hali-
The Reenchantment berton offer com-
of the World. Its the- posting workshops
sis states that the and other fun activ-
primary problem ities in exchange for
confronting modern a few hours of farm
civilization is an is- help. Or if you like
sue of meaning: the me and you want
split between fact t o re s t o re y o u r
and value rooted in parent’s backyard
the Scientific Revo- (landlords seem
lution has corre- to be increasingly
sponded with a loss open to this idea
of ultimate meaning too!), then consider
in Western Civiliza- joining the Native
tion - a situation Plant Study Group’s
characterized by salvage program or
the feeling of “dis- Saanich’s Native
enchantment.” Plant Salvage Pro-
Prior to modern gram. Instead of
science, Berman ar- letting our Camas,
gues, there was no Shooting Stars,
distinction between Slough Sedge and
the discovering Oregon grape get
knowledge (e.g. sci- bull-dozed, why not
ence) and discover- enhance urban bio-
ing how to live. In diversity by finding
the sixteenth cen- them a home?
tury, however, Des- There an infinite
cartes’ declared a number of “rational”
categorical distinc- reasons to change
tion between hu- our behaviour. But
mans and nature. it is hard to sustain
Soon this dualistic IMAGES IN NATURE BY MILA CZEMERYS AND NICOLE FONG behaviour when it’s
philosophy would be articulated into The implication for consumerism participation in ecological restoration sold, and traded – a clear extension based solely on facts and figures, not
a coherent worldview by Galileo and – the theme of this issue – is that re- offers a unique and beneficial oppor- of a dualistic worldview where na- to mention guilt and fear. As one of
Newton, ultimately causing a pro- enchantment with nature at a deeper, tunity to reconnect or “re-enter” the ture has only instrumental value to the Piedmont Project founders Barlett
found paradigm shift in both the re- more intuitive level might offer an natural world. The emergence of a humans. stated, “we need a stereoscopic view:
lationship of humans to the rest of the alternative path to addressing ques- worldwide volunteer movement to A similar issue was addressed in we need reason and re-enchantment.”
cosmos and within Scientific inquiry tions of sustainability. That is, a redis- restore natural areas is one indica- Brenda Beckwith’s “Grassroots Res- There is something truly special about
itself. Put simply, human “subjects” covery of the sacred, beginning at the tion that humanity is changing their toration” class this reading break, planting a tree and watching it grow,
now inquired into an “objective” individual level, may act as its own relationship to the natural world. The where she asked: “What is Good Res- about participating in the recovery of
world out there; moreover, this objec- “cultural constraint” in terms of en- level of intervention necessitated by toration?” For example, can we de- a living system. Ecological restora-
tive world - categorically distinct from vironmental protection. For example, restoration represents a stark shift velop non-ecological parameters of tion offers a promising path for the
thinking human subjects - included the “Piedmont Project” at Emory Uni- from the former “preservation ethic” measuring restoration success, such integration of humanity – body and
not only the biosphere but the human versity is using direct experience of of many environmentalists, where as rediscovering a historical sense of minds – in this greater system we
body as well, therefore diminishing nature as part of its broader initiative the well-being of a natural area was place? While these latter questions live in. As Harvard Emeritus Profes-
the status and validity of intuitive to positively influence faculty com- inversely proportional to the level of represent the qualitative or “soft” sci- sor E.O. Wilson states that “The next
and non-rational forms of knowing mitment to sustainability in research human interference - a clear extension entific elements, necessarily infused century will, I believe, be the era of
in Western consciousness, such as the and teaching; moreover, preliminary of prior dualisms between humans with an element of subjectivity, they restoration in ecology.”
experience of enchantment with the research indicates preliminary re- and nature. That being said, direct nevertheless must be articulated if the
natural world. search indicates a correlation between interaction with nature, though aim- ecological restoration is to provide a