Ecological identity learning and sustainability

Ecological Identity

One of the most interesting exercises, for me, in modern living is to occasionally not take public or private transportation, but to actually spend time slowly walking through both urban and rural landscapes. In our contemporary world, the phrase, "stop and smell the roses," takes on new meaning, because of our continual desire to hurry from place to place, hastening the outcome of whatever it is we are pining for, and forgetting about the small chances in seasons, in the parts of the day, or even within the particular areas we inhabit. This metaphor seems to me to be rather indicative of the way we have become enamored with pace. We seem to have lost the rhythm of nature, of the cycles of life, trying to perpetuate work to the nth degree and squeeze in even more work time. In fact, in the 21st century, Australia has undergone a drastic change in the number of work hours, weekend work, and evening work, than ever before. The Australia Institute published a study in 2004 that found the average Australian worked 1855 hours per annum, surpassing even Japan. This means that in the developed world, Australians work more and enjoy life less than any other population -- a clear change from the 1970s and 1980s in which the average work week was between 28 and 36 hours (Sedgman, J. 2004).

It is not only in our inability to find a balance between action and rest, but our inability to actually seem to enjoy things that life has to offer; spring blossoms, the scent of freshly mown grass, variable scents and blossoms from particular seasonal plants, and even the ability to carefully choose fresh produce by its smell, or to differentiate between the tastes of greenhouse or imported crops and those grown fresh and local. When, for instance, was the last time most of us spent the time actually watching the sun rise and set -- and noticed the number of different colors that are abundant when we simply look at the sky? When was the last time we actually spent time savoring the freshness of the air? Can one even imagine, sleeping on sheets that had been dried in the air and sun?

In addition to color and scent, the relationship between temporalness seems to be a bit out of whack as well. The mantra is HURRY UP, HURRY UP -- but do we actually get more done, or, in fact, are our stress levels so out of whack that we end up with more heart disease, and more. Turns out just workplace stress costs Australia almost $15 billion per year, and Australian employers over $10 billion. Instead of resting, they are more hidden medical costs, and almost a week's worth of work per worker -- so much for getting more done (Cost of Workplace Stress, 2008). What this has done to me, in combination with school, has been a real paradigm shift.