This class made me aware of ecovillages, communities focused on sustainable living. In her article, A Whole New Way of Life: Ecovillages and the Revitalization of Deep Community, Karen Litfin discusses what ecovillages are, how they interact with the rest of the world, and their importance in facing climate change. She mentions these communities are not protest-oriented but rather affirmative…. Read more »
If there is anything I learned this quarter about contemplative exercises, it is that mindfulness is a state of mind itself and once you think about it, you break the concentration. I determined that being led in a practice in a group setting brought me more individual focus, rather than hearing a practice online on my own. For me, mindfulness… Read more »
Arrogance is not an uncommon trait. While it is relatively easy for individuals to adopt a heightened sense of self, I had never before considered how a language could exhibit such arrogance as well. In her chapter “Learning the Grammar of Animacy,” Kimmerer underscores the linguistic connection between English and humanity’s perceived superiority by asserting that “the arrogance of English… Read more »
I have never thought of power as both a noun and a verb. Before reading Active Hope, I considered “power” to be something that an individual has or acquires, usually because they have more of something compared to the rest of the population. Macy and Johnstone defined this as “power-over”. “Power-with”, on the other hand, suggests that “the whole is… Read more »
Often throughout the course of this class, conversation took on an integrative tone: just as often as we discussed individual behavior, we would discuss politics, the environment, and the ways in which all are connected within the greater system of our world – and potentially, our universe. A series of writings reference and evaluate this notion, but none do so… Read more »
At the beginning of the quarter, I didn’t know what the Anthropocene was. On the first day of class, I learned it is the current epoch, characterized by unprecedented human impacts on the Earth system. We have become geological agents to the point where we greatly influence the planet’s climate, carbon cycle, and more. The problems of this time are… Read more »
The 2013 ritual rebuilding of the Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture, Japan Active Hope helped me to understand that building trust is key to action. One must find strength from others to become an active participant in the greater rhythm of the earth. Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone define active hope as a practice that “like tai chi… Read more »
The action project was difficult to plan and execute given the time constraints of a quarter system. That said, I am very proud of the job our group was able to do and the message we were able to convey with regards to increasing political engagement among our peers at the University of Washington. Once I had time to reflect… Read more »
A quick-look at our action project presents mixed results. The issues we chose to direct calls to, the repeal of Net Neutrality and the GOP Tax Plan, are both expected to pass with relative ease despite our group’s opposition. Initially, we set out to help in preventing these two potentially dangerous legislative actions. While we likely won’t succeed in this… Read more »
Above is the cover of my illustrated children’s book, How is a Light Bulb Connected to the Sky. To see interior illustrations, visit https://www.amazon.com/How-Light-Bulb-Connected-Sky/dp/1981178066/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513130103&sr=8-1&keywords=tova+beck For my final project, I created How is a Light Bulb Connected to the Sky, an illustrated children’s book designed to encourage children to contemplate human impact on the earth system. My target audience is children… Read more »
