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| Culture, Society and Theory
This is a selective section of interdisciplinary resources recommended by greenarts.org or by colleagues and other individuals involved, working or contibuting in some way to the arts and ecology. For the sake of organization, an attempt has been made to divide works into categories, though overlap can be significant in many areas.
Aesthetics
Deep Ecology:Practices
Ecofeminism
Ecopsychology
Ethics
Land Ethic and Bioregionalism
Sense of Place
Maps and Mapping
Spiritual Ecology
Economics
Education
History
Museum Studies
Language
Literature, Poetry and Fiction
Politics
Social Ecology
Human Ecology-Philosophy
Science
Biological Diversity
Systems Thinking
 ...for a good listing of books deemed "popular" on the environment and ecology across disciplines including fiction, non-fiction and children's books, link to http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/ecology.
Aesthetics
Note: Aesthetics here is defined here very widely from the traditional definition of a sense of beauty to a new paradigm of awareness and activism.
Fisher, Philip. Wonder, the Rainbow and the Aesthetics of Rare Experiences. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1998.
Griffin, Susan. Can Imagination Save Us? Utne Reader, July/August, 1996, 43-46. First published as To Love the Marigold: The Politics of Imagination in Whole Earth Review, Spring 1996.
Haeg, Fritz and Diana Balmori. Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn. A project by Fritz Haeg. New York: Metropolis Books, 2008.
Edible Estates is an "ongoing series of projects" primarily across the U.S. facilitated by Fritz Haeg (artist, architect and educator) "to replace the front lawn with edible garden landscapes responsive to culture, climate, context and people."
Not to be missed are Haeg's Preface and Diana Balmori's introduction entitled "Beauty and the Lawn: A Break with Tradition." Essays by Haeg, Michael Pollen, Leslie Stem and Rosiland Creasy provide insights into the history and development of the lawn as an American institution and explore/challenge its viability today. Most of the book profiles the Edible Estates Regional Prototype Gardens and provides "Reports from Coast to Coast" chock-full of logs and narratives of citizens describing their projects and experiences in transforming their lawns. There is a section on on how Haeg selects candidates for the project, and how readers can establish their own edible estate. Also included is a Plant Hardiness Zone Map of the U.S. Mainland, a Regional Planning Calendar, statistics on the lawn and its effects, institutional resources and a bibliography. There is a good deal of useful information and cogent thought here, brought together by the excellent design of the book, making the contents very accessible and readable.
Table of Contents:
Full-frontal gardening / Fritz Haeg -- Why mow? The case against lawns / Michael Pollan -- The great grid / Lesley Stern -- My house in the garden / Rosalind Creasy -- About the Edible estates gardens -- Garden #1 : Salina, Kansas / Stan Cox -- Garden #2 : Lakewood, California / Michael Foti -- Garden #3 : Maplewood, New Jersey / Michelle Christman -- Garden #4 : London, England / Fritz Haeg -- Zone 10 : Los Angeles, California / Lisa Anne Auerbach and Louis Marchesano -- Zone 10 : Pasadena, California / Christopher Brandow -- Zone 8 : Austin, Texas / Justin Bursch -- Zone 8 : Austin, Texas / Kelley Green -- Zone 8 : Austin, Texas / J Muzacz -- Zone 7 : Narbeth, Pennsylvania / Leah Swann -- Zone 7 : Richmond, Virginia / Chris Edwards -- Zone 6 : Needham, Massachuetts / Dorothy Stark -- Regional planting calendars.
Marx, Leo. The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1964.
A classic text including many literary and art examples in an examination of the development of the pastoral aesthetic/ideal in the American experience which included awe, confusion and/or opposition in the face of rapid industrial growth.
Ross, Andrew. "The Ecology of Images" in Torgovnick, Marianna, ed. Eloquent Obsessions: Writing Cultural Criticism. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1994. 183-207
"Debate...on the ecological role and character of images...use of images to tell ecological stories...ecology of the image industry itself considered in all aspects of production, distribution, and consumption". Explores ideas such as the "ethics of seeing".
Tuan, Yi-fu. Topophilia : A Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes, and Values. New York : Columbia University Press, 1990.
Deep Ecology : Practices
Deep Nature. Studio Potter, Vol. 19, December 1990, 18-75. (16 article special section).
Macy, Joanna and Brown, Molly Young. Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World. Gabriola Island BC, Canada and Stone Creek CT: New Society Publishers, 1998.
With a message from the Dalai Lama and forward by Mathew Fox.
J. Macy, a writer and workshop leader, with M.Y. Brown, a workshop leader and trainer provide a philosophical basis and practical applications for rejoining with the natural world including how to come out of ecological apathy, developing a new consciousness, recognizing and working our emotions, and adopting systems thinking. Practices include individual and/or group ritual, games, exercises, mediations, events and developing guidelines such as the one for "communicating our concerns and hopes." One case study documents how architect, Rosa Lane conducted a Council of All Beings at Tilden Regional Park near Berekely, California as part of her planning process for a new park building in 1998
Macy, Joanna and Fleming, Pat. The Council of All Beings in Alan Drengson & Yuichi Inoue, The Deep Ecology Movement: An Introductory Anthology. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 1995.
Naess, Arne. Deep Ecology and the Potters in (sic) Our Planet. Studio Potter, Vol 20, June 1992 , 39-9.
Reclaiming (Reclaiming Community Resource Collaborative)
A non-profit international religious organization centered in the San Francisco Bay area using a tradition of witchcraft that began in the 1980's "working to unify spirit and politics." Holds public rituals and other events; offers classes including intensive study at witch camps. Web site is educational and detailed with articles and essays related to this particular practice. Publishes books and music and a resourceful online magazine Reclaiming Quarterly.
Sacred Earth Network : Exploring the Roots of Sustainability Through Deep Ecology and Indigenous Wisdom
A non-profit organization of scientists, educators, activists and others working out of Petersham, Massachusetts. Through workshops, expeditions and indigenous exchanges "SEN strives to empower people to work in defense of the biosphere and to create a sustainable culture" through the beliefs "that all of nature is sacred and must be treated with respect and honor, and that humanity must quickly restructure its relationship with the miraculous, interconnected liviing system that is our Earth." Web site includes an archive of activities and testimonials, a newsletter, calendar of events and a web list of related organizations.
Ecofeminism
The emergence of ecofeminist theory has had a significant impact on environmental artists, especially women artists and their work. The following is a selection of some influential writings.
Adams, Carol J. Ecofeminism and the Sacred. New York: Continuum, 1993
Diamond, Irene. Fertile Ground: Women, Earth, and the Limits of Control. Massachusetts: Beacon Press, 1994.
Diamond, Irene and Orenstein, Gloria Ferman, eds. Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1990
"Twenty-seven notable authors form diverse cultures on the cutting edge of thinking about the environment give us their views on the serious plight facing our planet...With the birth of the women's movement in the late 1960's, feminists took apart the basis used to justify men's control over women and by extension of the earth. Explores alternatives to the traditional "woman is to nature as man is to culture" formulation, offering a more creative sense of identity which embraces all people and things. Of particular note is Irene Javors's essay on the urban goddess..." From Cassandra Langer, Feminist Art Criticism: A Annotated Bibliography. New York: G.K. Hall, 1993.
Ferry, Luc. The New Ecological Order. Translated by Carol Volk. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.
Gaard, Greta Claire. Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1993.
Gaard, Greta Claire. Ecological Politics: Ecofeminists and the Greens. Philadelphia: Temple Unversity Press, 1998.
Griffin, Susan. Women and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her. New York: Harper and Row, 1978.
"A virtuoso piece of feminist writing. The form is an intricate dialogue between a patriarchal voice and a chorus of women and nature. The patriarchal voice insists that we are separate from nature, and indeed superior to it, while the women's voices explain how we are all embedded in nature. Ultimately, the analogy between women and nature gives rise to a new way of seeing and is enunciated in a section entitled "Her Vision." These meditations laid esssential groundwork for women artists and their expressions on the subject." From Cassandra Langer, Feminist Art Criticism: A Annotated Bibliography. New York: G.K. Hall, 1993.
Haraway, Donna J. Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature. New York: Routledge, 1991.
King, Ynestra. "Feminism and the Revolt of Nature." Heresies, 4, no.1 (Issue 13: Earthkeeping/Earthshaking: Feminism and Ecology, 12-16.
"Discusses radical feminism, ecology, and social feminism in the context of the dialectic of dualism, arguing for integration of traditional women's ways in order to transcend men's denial of their female selves as projected in nature. Concludes that ecological feminism is about reconciliation of the world that is nondualistic." From Cassandra Langer, Feminist Art Criticism: A Annotated Bibliography. New York: G.K. Hall, 1993.
Lippard, Lucy. Overlay:Contemporary Art and the Art of Prehistory. New York: Pantheon Books, 1983.
"A provocative sociopolitical exploration of contemporary artists' renewed interest in ritual, myth and civilization. A well-balanced application of "femmage"....and fascinating expositions that raise questions concerning the meaning of the nature/culture debate in relation to spirituality from prehistoric times to the present day." From Cassandra Langer, Feminist Art Criticism: A Annotated Bibliography. New York: G.K. Hall, 1993.
Mellor, Mary. Feminism and Ecology. Washington Square, N.Y., New York University Press, 1997.
Merchant, Carolyn, ed. Ecology: Key Concepts in Critical Theory. New Jersey: Humanities Press, 1994.
Merchant, Carolyn. Radical Ecology: The Search for a Livable World. New York: Routledge, 1992.
Merchant, Carolyn. The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology and the Scientific Revolution. New York: HarperCollins, 1989 (with new preface). First published San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1980.
"An important and complex book, exploring the historical connection between women and nature, men and science, from the middle ages to the present. A must for anyone interested in the ecofeminist movement and the sexual politics of exploitation and gender when it comes to "Mother Earth." From Cassandra Langer, Feminist Art Criticism: A Annotated Bibliography. New York: G.K. Hall, 1993.
Navaretta, Cynthia. "Helene Aylon." Women Artists News, 14, no.1-2, Spring/Summer 1989, 40-42.
"Reviews Aylon's antinuke installation project SAC and Rescued Earth/Endangered Earth Sac ", in which artists visited thirteen nuclear sites collecting an rescuing desecrated earth. The eco-activist project culminated at a rally at the U.N. In the same issue see Jeanne Claude Christo, "Can We Shrug This Off?" (p.41) concerning Aylon's trial of 29 August 1988, which touches on the destruction of this project through the negligence of Richardson's Fine Art Handlers Co, San Francisco. Aylon's trial accents the double injustice that environmental and political activists generally experience at the hands of a patriarchal legal system." From Cassandra Langer, Feminist Art Criticism: A Annotated Bibliography. New York: G.K. Hall, 1993, 199.
Norwood, Vera. Made From this Earth: American Women and Nature. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1993.
Plant, Judith, ed. Healing the Wounds: The Promise of Ecofeminism. Philadelphia: New Society, 1990.
Plumwood, Val. Feminism and the Mastery of Nature. London: Routledge, 1993
Shiva, Vandana. Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development. London: Zed Books, 1988.
Sturgeon, Noel. Ecofeminist Natures: Race, Gender, Feminist Theory and Political Action. New York: Routledge, 1997.
Warren, Karen J. Ecofeminism: Women, Culture, Nature. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1997.
Warren, Karen J. Feminism and Ecology: Making Connections. Environmental Ethics, Vol. 9, 1987.
Zimmerman, Michael E. Feminism, Deep Ecology, and Environmental Ethics. Environmental Ethics, Vol. 9, 1987
Economics
Hawkin, Paul. The Ecology of Commerce. New York: HarperCollins, 1993.
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Education
Orr, David W.. Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment and the Human Prospect. Washington, D.C. ; Covello, California: Island Press, 1994.
Orr, David W. Ecological Literacy: Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World. SUNY series in constructive postmodern thought. Albany: State University of New York, 1992.
Museum Studies
Davis, Peter. Ecomuseums: A Sense of Place. London and New York: Leicester University Press, 1999.
Davis, Peter. Museums and the Natural Environment.
London ; New York : Leicester University Press, 1996.
Examines how "environmentalism has changed the ways that museums, especially natural history museums, perceive themselves and their roles in society."
Ecopsychology
Shepard, Paul. Nature and Madness. Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 1998.
Originally published as Nature and Madness: An Investigation of Ecology and Psychohistory. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1982.
Ethics
Art and Altruism: Aesthetics and Ethics. The Structurist, No. 41/42, 2001-2002. (14 article special issue)
A rich selection of essays widening the definition of aesthetics to caring. Articles directly related to ecology include: Stan Rowe. Earth Awareness: The Integration of Ecological, Aesthetic and Ethical Consciousness; Edward Goldsmith, Art and Ethics; Abraham Akkerman, Altruism and Egoism: The Garden and the Citadel ; Kalle Lasn, Re/Design; and the First Things First Manifesto 2000 (reprinted from Adbusters no. 27 Autumn 1999) signed by graphic designers, art directors and visual communicators proposing design prioritites in a renewed commitment to addressing environmental, social and cultural crises.(md)
Art and Morality: The Relevance of Art. The Structurist, No. 10, 1970.
Anthology of articles on the theme of art and morality.
Bennett, Jane and Chaloupka, William, eds. In the Nature of Things: Language, Politics and the Environment. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1993.
Ereira, Alan. From the Heart of the World the Elder Brothers' Warning. New York: Mystic Fire Video, 1991. A BBC TV production in association with the Goldsmith Foundation.
"Deep in the mountains of Colombia, the Kogi tribe (Kagaba Indians), descendents of an ancient Tairona priesthood, "call themselves the Elder Brothers of the human race, and are convinced that we, the Younger Brothers, will soon destroy the balance of life on Earth. They believe that the only hope is for us to change our ways, and have set out to teach us what they know about the balance of mankind, nature and the spiritual world."
Jonas, Hans, trans., in collaboration with David Herr. The Imperative of Responsibility: In Search of Ethics for the Technological Age. Translation of Prinzip Verantwortung. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984, 1985.
Points to the development of a new ethics in conjunction with unprecendented change "in the nature of human action" in the development of technology. Recommended by Terry Collins on his web site for the Institute for Green Oxidation in Chemistry as "a brilliant book, which should be read by anyone concerned about sustainability."
Dr. Seuss. (Theodor Seuss Geisel). The Lorax. New York: Random House, 1971.
A boy seeks out and hears the tale of the Once-ler, responsible for the manufacture and overproduction of Thneeds...thus eradicating all life in the town including the Truffala Tree and the Lorax... UNLESS...
Merwin, W.S. Unchopping a Tree from Chris Anderson and Lex Runciman, eds, in A Forest of Voices: Conversations in Ecology, Mayfield, Pub., 1990.
Sterba, James P. Earth Ethics: Environmental Ethics, Animal Rights and Practical Applications. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1995.
Fox, Warwick. Toward a Transpersonal Ecology : Developing New Foundations for Environmentalism. Totnes, Devon : Green Books, 1995. Originally published: Boston, Mass. : Shambhala, 1990.
Author's doctoral thesis--Murdoch University, 1987. Effect of human beings on nature.
Precautionary Principal (Two good very short essays of introduction to the concept)
Mardigan, Sandra. The Precautionary Principal in Timeline (Foundation for Global Community) No. 73, January/February 2004.
"When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken, even if some cause-and-effect relationships are not fully established scientifically. In this context, the proponent of an activity, rather than the public, should bear the burden of proof." The Precautionary Principle, 1998 Wingspread Statement
Pollan, Michael. "Precautionary Principal" in The New York Times Magazine , "The Year in Ideas: An Encyclopedia of Innovations, Conceptual Leaps, Harebrained Schemes, Cultural Tremors and Hindsight Reckonings that made a difference in 2001," December 9, 2001, 92.
Land Ethic and Bioregionalism
"A Bioregional Quiz" from Northwest Earth Institute. Discussion Course on Deep Ecology. Portland: Oregon: Northwest Earth Institute, 1998.
A series of questions one can ask to get an idea of the level of awareness one has of her/his local environment. A great classroom exercise and tool.
Note: A web search on "bioregional quiz" will reveal many different forms of bioregional quizzes and their applications.
Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There. Illustrated by Charles W. Schwartz. New York : Oxford University Press, 1987, c1949
Leopold. Aldo. "The Land Ethic" in James P. Sterba, Earth Ethics: Environmental Ethics, Animal Rights and Practical Applications, 1st edition, 1995.
History
Oelschlaeger, Max. The Idea of Wilderness: From Prehistory to the Age of Ecology. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991.
Ponting, Clive. A Green History of the World. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.
Robertson, George, ed. FutureNatural: Nature, Science, Culture. London; New York: Routledge, 1996.
Sale, Kirpatrick. The Conquest of Paradise: Christopher Columbus and the Columbian Legacy. New York: Penguin Books, 1990.
Worster, Donald. Nature's Economy: A History of Ecological Ideas. 2nd edition. Cambridge; New York: Cambrdge University Press, 1994. Earlier edition published in 1985 in series called "Studies in Environment and History".
Wheeler, Michael, ed. Ruskin and the Environment: The Storm-Cloud of the Nineteenth Century. Manchester, UK; New York: Manchester University Press, 1995.
Language
Lakoff, George. Metaphors We Live By. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.
Thomas, Lewis. Et Cetera, Et Cetera: Notes of a Word-Watcher. Boston: Little, Brown, 1990.
Literature, Poetry and Fiction
Anderson, Chris and Lex Runciman. A Forest of Voices: Conversations in Ecology. Mountain View, Calif.: Mayfield Publishing, 2000, 1995.
A text book first published as A Forest of Voices: Reading and Writing the Environment by Chris Anderson. A good introduction to many authors who have written on the environment. Includes reading and writing assignments.
Bishop, Amy. Nature and Literature: Nature Writing, Ecofiction, Nature Poetry, Ecocriticism. Masters Programs in Library and Information Science. Last updated March, 2012.
A selective LibGuide to "reference sources for undergraduates studying the intersections of nature and literature."
Dr. Seuss. (Theodor Seuss Geisel). The Lorax. New York: Random House, 1971.
A boy seeks out and hears the tale of the Once-ler, responsible for the manufacture and overproduction of Thneeds...thus eradicating all life in the town including the Truffala Tree and the Lorax... UNLESS... (md)
Marx, Leo. The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal. New York: Oxford University Press, 1964.
A classic text including many literary and art examples in an examination of the development of the pastoral aesthetic/ideal in the American experience which included awe, confusion and/or opposition in the face of rapid industrial growth.
Merwin, W.S. Unchopping a Tree from Chris Anderson and Lex Runciman, eds, in A Forest of Voices: Conversations in Ecology, Mayfield, Pub., 1990.
This beautifully written literary "scenario" about an attempt to rebuild a tree that has been chopped down realizes the futility of the exercise and points to an ethic of care, responsibility and the precautionary principal (you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone).
Quinn, Daniel. Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and the Spirit. New York:Bantam/Turner, 1992.
Quinn, Daniel. My Ishmael: A Sequel. New York: Bantam, 1997, 1998.
Stephenson, Neal. Zodiac: An Eco-Thriller. New York: Bantam, 1988.
Williams, Terry Tempest. In the Shadow of Extinction. The New York Times, February 2, 2003. (Late edition, East Coast).
Reflection written on Groundhog's Day; reflecting on the North American prarie dog and how the elimination of one species effects others.
other literary activists (among many):
Edward Abbey: Abbey's Road; The Monkey Wrench Gang and others
Wendell Berry
Barbara Kingsolver: The Prodigal Summer and others
Doris Lessing
Barry Lopez
Bill McKibben: The End of Nature, Random House (New York City), 1989; The Age of Missing Information, Random House, 1992; Hope, Human and Wild: True Stories of Living Lightly on the Earth, Little, Brown: Boston, MA, 1995; The Return of the Wolf: Reflections on the Future of Wolves in the Northeast, (co-author) University Press of New England, 2000. Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age, Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003; and others. Consumption is a topic often addressed in his writings.
Joyce Carol Oates: Against Nature and other works
Marge Piercy: He She and It: A Novel ; Woman on the Edge of Time
Starhawk
Terry Tempest Williams
Maps and Mapping
Kaiser, Ward L. and Denis Wood. Seeing through Maps: The Power of Images to Shape Our World. Amherst, MA: ODT Incorporated, 2001
Monmier, Mark. How to Lie With Maps. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.
O'Rourke, Karen. Walking and Mapping: Artists as Cartographers. Cambridge, Mass.; London (Leonardo Book series) 2013.
The philosophy and practice of walking and mapping explored through global contemporary artists of performance, dance, writing, visual, sound arts, electronics, cinema and video. Focus is on works the author/scholar personally observed/experienced.
Main chapters: Psychogeography: The Politics of Applied Pedestrianism; A Form of Perception or a Form of Art? A Map, No Directions; Directions But No Map; When Walking Becomes Mapping: Labyrinths, Songlines; Lines Made by Walking; Hybrid Datascapes; Envisioning Space and Time; Walking the Network; Mapping "Way Through".
Politics
Bennett, Jane. Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010.
Table of Contents: The force of things -- The agency of assemblages -- Edible matter -- A life of metal -- Neither vitalism nor mechanism -- Stem cells and the culture of life -- Political ecologies -- Vitality and self-interest.
Social Ecology
Bookchin, Murray. What is Social Ecology? in James P. Sterba, Earth Ethics: Environmental Ethics, Animal Rights and Practical Applications, 1st edition, 1995.
Bookchin, Murray and Foreman, Dave. Defending the Earth: A Dialogue Between Murray Bookchin and Dave Foreman. Boston, Mass.: South End Press, 1991. (Edited with an Introduction by Steve Chase. Foreword by David Levine).
Harris, Adrian. Social Ecology from The Green Fuse
The author highlights some key points from some of Murray Bookchin's writings.The Green Fuse site also contains a glossary and forum links on social ecology.
Institute for Social Ecology
"Social Ecology n 1: a coherent radical critique of current social, political and anti-ecological trends. 2: a reconstructive, ecological, communitarian, and ethical approach to society. "
Social Ecology in Treesong.org
A "personal" interpretation by Treesong of Illinois on the philosophy of social ecology.
Includes a brief introduction to social ecology including the ideas of First Nature and Second Nature and some key terms and concepts.
Human Ecology-Philosophy
Ferkiss, Victor. Nature, Technology, and Society: Cultural Roots of the Current Environmental Crisis. New York: New York University Press, 1993.
Sense of Place
Abram, David. The Spell of the Sensuous:Perception and Language in a More- Than-Human World. New York: Pantheon Books, 1996.
Philospher and ecologist examines the importance and dependence of our bodies in connecting with the natural world.
Berg, Pamille. Sustainability, Identity and the Redefinition of Self. Transition (Melbourne, Australia) No. 56, 1997, 32-35.
Cronan, William, ed. Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1996.
Harrison, Stephan, Steve Pile and Nigel Thrift. Patterned Ground: Entanglements of Nature and Culture. London: Reaktion Books Ltd., 2004
In a kind of loose encyclopedic format, the boundaries of nature and culture are blurred in an exploration of patterns or "markings" on the landscape: physical, spiritual, emotional, social, political and conceptual.. Ninety-seven short essays written by authors in a number of discplines are divided in three main sections. Flow, Site, Matter to explore all manner of these markings: God, Virtual Space, Pipes, Wilderness, Bogs, Farms, Meanders, Pigs, Slums and Archives ( to name a few). An extensive introduction and reader's guide are provided by the editors: "...In this book we are asking questions both about the patterns we see on the ground and also about the ground on which we choose to see those patterns..."
Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There. Illustrated by Charles W. Schwartz. New York : Oxford University Press, 1987, 1949.
Acclaimed account by the scientist, educator and environmentalist. Recommended as a first read in understanding the concept of bioregionalism.
Lippard, Lucy. Lure of the Local: Senses of Place in a Multicentered Society. New York: New Press, 1997.
Schama, Simon. Landscape and Memory. New York: A.A. Knopf. (distributed by Random House), 1995.
History of the landscape and human ecology.
Solnit, Rebecca. Wanderlust: A History of Walking. New York: Viking, 2000.
Activist, essayist and critic explores walking as a critical way for humans to remain connected to our environment.
Solnit, Rebecca. Savage Dreams: A Journey Into the Hidden Wars of the American West. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1994.
Activist, essayist and critic in a narrative of "poetic precision" explores the cultural and physical landscapes of the Nevada Test Site for nuclear testing and Yosemite National Park.
Spretnak, Charlene. The Resurgence of the Real: Body, Nature, and Place in a Hypermodern World. New York: Routledge, 1999.
Tuan, Yi-fu. Topophilia : A Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes, and Values. New York : Columbia University Press, 1990
Spiritual Ecology
Earthlight: The Magazine of Spiritual Ecology (Oakland, California)
Electronic free-access journal.
Ereira, Alan. From the Heart of the World the Elder Brothers' Warning. New York: Mystic Fire Video, 1991. A BBC TV production in association with the Goldsmith Foundation.
"Deep in the mountains of Colombia, the Kogi tribe (Kagaba Indians), descendents of an ancient Tairona priesthood, "call themselves the Elder Brothers of the human race, and are convinced that we, the Younger Brothers, will soon destroy the balance of life on Earth. They believe that the only hope is for us to change our ways, and have set out to teach us what they know about the balance of mankind, nature and the spiritual world."
Ruether, Rosemary Radford. Gaia and God. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.
Gottlieb, Roger S., ed. This Sacred Earth: Religion, Nature, Environment. New York: Routledge, 1996.
Moyers on America: Is God Green?
This website contains the PBS video broadcast and other supporting material
Find the transcript here. First broadcast October 11, 2006.
Bill Moyers reports on and interviews conservative evangelical Christians (citizen activists, religious leaders, theologians, politicians, academics) on environmentalism and climate change explored in the context common to all evangelicals: the belief that "God is Lord and Savior" and acceptance of the Bible as truth. There is a diversity of opinions among Evangelicals on how the Bible should be interpreted in regard to stewardship and climate change.
Issues discussed include history of hostility toward environmentalism, environmental stewardship; environmental evangelicals as "change agents" of Republican politics; tithing trash, mountaintop removal and the the burial of streams, fish kills, degradation of air, water, and human health; the earth as "God's body"; litigation and the coal industry; rifts within and the Association of Evangelical Christians on climate change; climate change as a hoax; environmenmentalism viewed as un-American; meeting of scientists and religious leaders on climate change; the Christian duty to fight climate change (pro and con); Evanglical Climate Intitiative; climate change viewed as an act of God... more. Includes historical news footage.
National Religious Partnership for the Environment
" A formal alliance of major faith groups and denominations across the spectrum of Jewish and Christian communities and organizations in the United States." Founding partners include the U.S. Catholic Conference, the National Council of Churches of Christ, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, and the Evangelical Environmental Network.
Reclaiming (Reclaiming Community Resource Collaborative)
A non-profit religious organization centered in the San Francisco Bay area using a tradition of witchcraft that began in the 1980's "working to unify spirit and politics." Holds public rituals and other events; offers classes including intensive study at wtich camps. Web site is educational and detailed with articles and essays related to this particular practice. Publishes books and music and a resourceful online magazine Reclaiming Quarterly.
Sacred Earth Network : Exploring the Roots of Sustainability Through Deep Ecology and Indigenous Wisdom
A non-profit organization of scientists, educators, activists and others working out of Petersham, Massachusetts. Through workshops, expeditions and indigenous exchanges "SEN strives to empower people to work in defense of the biosphere and to create a sustainable culture" through the beliefs "that all of nature is sacred and must be treated with respect and honor, and that humanity must quickly restructure its relationship with the miraculous, interconnected liviing system that is our Earth." Web site includes an archive of activities and testimonials, a newsletter, calendar of events and a web list of related organizations.
Zimmerman, Michael B. "Heidegger, Buddhism and Deep Ecology" in The Cambridge Companion to Heidegger. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
Science
Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, [1994].
Introduction by Al Gore ; drawings by Lois and Louis Darling.
One of many editions. The first printing was Boston : Houghton Mifflin ; Cambridge, Mass. : Riverside Press, 1962.
Biological Diversity
Nabhan, Gary Paul. Cultures of Habitat: On Nature, Culture, and Story. Washington D.C.: Counterpoint, 1997.
Odum, Howard T. Environment, Power and Society. New York, Wiley-Interscience, 1970, 1971.
Shiva, Vandana. Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge. Boston: South End Press, 1997.
Shiva, Vandana. Monocultures of the Mind: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology, 1993.
Systems and Systems Thinking
Bortoft, Henri. The Wholeness of Nature :Goethe's Way Toward a Science of Conscious Participation in Nature. Hudson, NY: Lindisfarne Press, 1996.
Also published as The Wholeness of Nature: Goethe's Way of Science. Edinburgh: Floris Books, 1996.
Capra, Fritjof. Uncommon Wisdom: Conversations with Remarkable People. New York: Simon and Shuster. 1988.
Capra, Fritjof. The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems. New York: Doubleday, 1996. Includes: Deep Ecology: A New Paradigm (Chapter 1).Capra, Fritjof. "The New Vision of Reality" in Baile Oakes, Sculpting the Environment, p 5-7 reprinted from Elmwood Quarterly, Fall, 1992.
Daston, Lorraine and Park, Katharine. Wonders and the Order of Nature: 1150-1750. New York: Zone Books; Cambridge, Mass.: dist. by MIT Press, 1998.
Kellert, Stephen R. and Wilson, Edward O. The Biophilia Hypothesis. Washington D.C.: Island Press, 1993.
Keyes, Ken, Jr. The Hundreth Monkey
A cautionary tale by way of an explanation of the Hundreth Monkey phenomenon within the context of the threat of nuclear war. The phenomenon points to how a single action of one individual can create critical mass and change the course of existance for a species. This electronic version published by "special permission of Key Keyes by Q.M.I." First edition book published Coos Bay, Oregon: Vision Books, 1982.
Knechtel, John, ed. Alphabet City Media book series. MIT Press, 2006-2010.
Easily held 6 x 5 inch artful formats; each volume addresses, questions, imagines a contemporary global issue from a diversity of historical, poetic, visual and/or textual perspectives. The following links are WorldCat permalinks with tables of contents:
Water
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/319498128
Air
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/609541952
Food
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/159611789
Fuel
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/216938351
Marshall, Peter. Nature's Web: Rethinking Our Place on Earth. New York and London. Sharpe, 1996.
Seamon, David and Arthur Zajonc. Goethe's Way of Science: A Phenomenology of Nature. Suny Series in Environmental and Architectural Phenomenology. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1998.
Sheldrake Online
Biologist and theorist Rupert Sheldrake is the progenitor of ideas such as morphic resonance and humans as receptors. A good audio recording that combines spiritual ecology and Sheldrake's ideas in The Sacred Universe. [audio recording of a discussion with Mathew Fox]]. Boulder, Colorado: Sounds True Recordings, 1993.
Audio and/or Visual Media
Affluenza. John de Graf, Vivia Boe producers; John de Graff, writer; co-production of KCTS Television and Oregon Public Broadcasting. Oley, PA: Bullfrog Films, 1997.
Using personal stories, expert commentary and old film clips, affluenza is diagnosed as a contagious virus resulting from over-consumption --"an unhappy condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more." Symptoms include: swollen expectations, a rash of bankruptcies, fractured families, hyper commercialism, chronic stress, social scars and global infection. Concepts discussed among many others include affluenza as an actual medical problem, planned obsolesence and waste, GDP (gross domestic product) vs. the GPI (genuine product indicator) and voluntary simplicity.
Bioneers [videorecordings] : Revolution from the Heart of Nature. Presented by the Collective Heritage Institute. San Rafael, CA : Distributed by Conference Recording Service, Inc., 2000.
Videorecordings of lectures from the Bioneers Conference held in San Rafael, California from Oct. 20-22, 2000.
Blue Vinyl. Judith Hefland (director), Daniel B Gold (director, producer, cinematographer) Julia D. Parker (producer); Marty Erlich (composer).
New York: Docurama, Dist by New Video Group 2005. Documentary released originally in 2002 by Toxic Comedy Pictures. 98 + 80 min.
Skeptical of her parents' decision to re-side their home with polyvinyl chloride, Judith Helfand set out to find the truth behind the toxic effects of the material. Helfland & Daniel Gold travel from Long Island to Louisiana to Venice Italy, where thirty-one executives from a PVC-producing company now await trial for manslaughter... Special features [for 2005 release]: Over 80 minutes of additional material : epilogue, deleted scenes, animators' interview, filmmakers audio commentary, photo gallery, biographies, resources, and bonus shorts: Habitat for humanity (13 min.), Venice vinyl vedict (7 min.), Carnivale (6 min.), Let the consumer revolution begin (10 min.) --OCLC WorldCat database
van Boeckel, Pat. Time Passes: Portrait of Peter Matthiessen, 2011. Broadcast: Wednesday December 21, 2011, BBF Buddhist Broadcasting Foundation; BOS TV Archive, Netherlands.
Inspiring documentary portrait of Peter Matthiessen (1922-2014), environmental activist, world traveler, student of Zen Buddhism and award-winning writer and novelist. An extended version of the film can also be seen in three parts via Dailymotion:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Deep Ecology for the 21st Century[sound recordings] Ukiah, CA : New Dimensions, c1999.
From the weekly public radio series "New Dimensions." An in-depth exploration on the state of the planet and what we can do about it.
Fox, Matthew and Rupert Sheldrake. The Sacred Universe. [audio recording]. Boulder, Colorado: Sounds True Recordings, 1993.
"A physicist and a priest examine the divine force that shapes our existence."
Ereira, Alan. From the Heart of the World the Elder Brothers' Warning. New York: Mystic Fire Video, 1991. A BBC TV production in association with the Goldsmith Foundation.
"Deep in the mountains of Colombia, the Kogi tribe (Kagaba Indians), descendents of an ancient Tairona priesthood, "call themselves the Elder Brothers of the human race, and are convinced that we, the Younger Brothers, will soon destroy the balance of life on Earth. They believe that the only hope is for us to change our ways, and have set out to teach us what they know about the balance of mankind, nature and the spiritual world."
Carr, Drury Gunn and Doug Hawes-Davis. Libby Montana. Missoula, Montana: High Plains Films, 2005
"Libby, Montana is a small logging and mining town. This documentary looks at Libby in the context of its being deemed by the E.P.A. as the worst case of community-wide exposure to a toxic substance in U.S. history. In the case of Libby, this substance is asbestos, and hundreds of the townsfolk are sick or have already died from exposure due to asbestos contamination of the W.C. Grace & Co.'s vermiculite mine. The film documents the stories of the people of Libby who have been affected by asbestos poisoning and emphasizes the plight of these people and their supporters to receive recognition of this local tragedy."
(Abstract from FirstSearch (OCLC) database)
Grande, John K. Nature-based Sculpture as Public Art.. Clemson University, South Carolina Arts Commission, 2003. [video] 66 min
"Grande discusses the importance and value of nature-based art. Presents images of works by artists from Canada, the United States, and other countries. Presented as a part of his assessment of the South Carolina Botanical Garden's nature-based sculpture program." (Abstract from FirstSearch database)
The Meatrix
An effective, short web animation about the environmental and ethical problems surrounding factory farming.
Mindwalk [videorecording]. Atlas Production Company in association with Mindwalk Productions; Lintschinger/Cohen production. Film by Berndt Capra; screenplay by Floyd Byars & Fritjof Capra ; produced by Adrianna AJ Cohen ; directed by Bernt Capra. Hollywood, Calif. : Paramount, 1992.
Three dissimilar people - a poet, a physicist and a politician - converse while vacationing at Mont. St. Michel. Based on the book The Turning Point: Science, Society and the Rising Culture by Fritjof Capra ; story by Bernt Capra. Originally produced as a motion picture in 1991. Credits: Director of photography, Karl Kases ; film editor, Jean Claude Piroui ; music, Philip Glass. Cast Stars: Liv Ullmann, Sam Waterston, John Heard.
Excerpt from Fritjof Capra's The Turning Point (Chapter 8)
"The first obvious difference between machines and organisms is the fact that machines are constructed, whereas organisms grow. This fundamental difference means that understanding organisms must be process-oriented... Whereas the activities of a machine are determined by its structure, the relation is reversed in organisms - organic structure is determined by processes."
Pinkola-Estes, Clarissa. Creative Fire: Myths and Stories About Creativity. [2 sound cassettes]. Boulder, CO: Sounds True Recordings, 1991.
Also now on CD
Howard, David. Geri Taper: Art, Life and Environment as One. San Francisco, Calif. Visual Studies, 1987. Series: David Howard's Art Seen.
Kepes, Gyorgy. Art, Technology, and the Environment. London: Pidgeon Audio Visual, 1984 (24 slide set and sound cassette).
Lorentz, Pare. The River: A U.S. Documentary Film. Washington, D.C.: National Audiovisual Center, 1937.
A poetic/dramatic b&w film on the history of the Mississippi and the consequences of farming and sharecropping resulting in continuous flooding due to clear-cutting and soil exhaustion; visualizes physical, social and psychological devastation. What stands out is how just one river and its tributaries critically effects vast outreaches both human and non-human. A dated (politically motivated?) element is the espousal of using dams as the final answer to environmental devastation.
Moyer, Roy and Ries, Martin. Environmental Art, Working with the Elements. Artists Representing Environmental Art with cooperation of Hofstra University Television Institute. New York: A.R.E.A., 1991.
Park, Nick. Creature Comforts. Aardman Animations and Expanded Entertainment; producer, Sara Mullock, 1990.
A brilliant, funny clay-animation short wherein animals at the zoo say what they think about living there. An Academy Award winner for best animated short, 1990. Produced orginally on videocassette, this has since been distributed in a video film anthology and DVD.
Thich Nhat Hahn. The Art of Mindful Living. Boulder, Colorado: Sounds True, 1991. [Two cassette tapes].
Recordings from a five-day retreat lead by Buddhist monk, activist and Nobel Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh on being aware in our everyday lives. A good source for spiritual ecological study. Includes meditations on a piece of paper, car meditation, telephone meditation and hugging meditation.
Varda, Agnes. Les Glaneurs et la Glaneuse /The Gleaners and I.: Ciné Tamaris and Zeitgeist Video [New York, N.Y.] : Zeitgeist Video, 2002, 2000. [video] 82 min.
Inspired by Jean Francois Millet's famous painting "The Gleaners", the artist interviews the gleaners of today --those who gather and reuse food from the fields and the street out of necessity, fun, art and/or ethical reasons.
Waste Land, 2010.
Vik Muniz (visual artist)
Filmmakers
Screenings
Synopsis from Waste Land web site:
Filmed over nearly three years, WASTE LAND follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of “catadores”—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives...
Yakoana: Voice of Indigenous Peoples. Under Your Nose Productions/ Anh D. Crutcher. New York: Parabola Video, 1997.
For five minutes, only one representative for all indigenous peoples was allowed to speak at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro. His eloquent and timely words are are entwined within interviews and events of a pre-conference to the Summit called the First World Conference of Indigenous Peoples on Territory, Environment and Development on "concerns about environment, development and the survival of their cultures."
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