Lesson 1: Connect with your corner of Earth
“The earth is the very quintessence of the human condition.” – Hannah Arendt
People will act to protect what they love. And so it is with our natural world. Fundamental to every story of the protection of wild nature globally is the story of a single person who was deeply moved by a place and felt a burning imperative to act for its protection.
So if you want to ensure for the protection of nature, if you want to inspire others to join you, the first step is to tap into this motivation and love for nature in yourself. This love of nature is the fuel that will inspire and drive you to success.
“Each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal… We are moved by a sense of joy and exhilaration when the grass turns green and the flowers bloom.” – Nelson Mandela
They act because of a deep, visceral connection with Earth. This is hard-wired into all of us through our evolutionary history. We evolved from the natural world, are connected with it, and depend upon it for our survival. Our reaction against the destruction of nature is as instinctive and visceral as the connection with our children or family. Some people call this connection with nature the ‘sublime’, some call it ‘god’, some don’t give it a name at all. But it is the most powerful tool humanity has for our planet.
Conservation biologist Edward O Wilson explains this concept deeply in his 1984 book Biophilia, which argues that because humans evolved in nature, we developed an innate need to connect with all life, as life supported our own health and survival. The more connected people are to nature, the more they will be aware of their own actions and be concerned for all living things.[1]
“We don’t come into the world a clean slate. We come with a million years of evolution and that’s carried in the unconscious.” – Dr Ian Player
A concept in psychology known as ‘nature relatedness’ (NR) captures the way people view their relationship with the natural world. What it has demonstrated is that high ‘nature relatedness’ or a strong subjective connection with nature, is typically associated with both greater happiness and greater environmental concern. Disconnection has harmful consequences for human and environmental health, but has also tended to be a natural consequence of modern life that separates people both physically and psychologically from the natural world. [2]
"The elders were wise. They knew that man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard; they knew that lack of respect for growing, living things, soon led to lack of respect for humans, too.“ – Óta Kté / Luther Standing Bear.
A love for place, a love for the natural world has been the anchor for every successful effort to conserve nature and protect our planet throughout history.
For example, John Muir, in the later part of the 19th century, having read about Yosemite valley in the Western United States, spent a week there and "was overwhelmed by the landscape". He spent years studying and immersing himself in the place and learning of its ecology, geological history and natural values. Having along the way become concerned over its future, he became a committed advocate for its preservation, and decided that to achieve this, he needed to infuse other Americans with a love of the place too.
So he and fellow campaigners for Yosemite at the start of the 20th century reached out to middle America through beautiful writing about the region in newspapers.
It was connecting the American President with a similar love for this place that became the turning point. In 1903, Muir and others brought President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt to camp in Yosemite Valley, through a snowstorm.
President Roosevelt came out transformed, and went on to declare hundreds of new national parks, bird sanctuaries, wildlife refuges, national monuments and national forests across America.
“It was like lying in a great solemn cathedral, far vaster and more beautiful than any built by hand”, - President Teddy Roosevelt, on the Yosemite Valley
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe around us, the less taste we shall have for destruction” - Rachel Carson
She had a fascination with the natural world and of the ocean, which was a focus of much of her reading. As an adult, she studied zoology and marine biology, before seeking to share her love and understanding of the natural world with others. In time, Carson was able to reach out to millions about the wonders and plight of nature through beautiful writing, books and TV, which catalysed a generation of new environmental laws and campaigners.
Professor Wangari Maathai's early life began in the central highlands and then Rift Valley in Kenya, before she moved for education, within Kenya at first, then to the U.S, before returning to Kenya. In response to concerns raised by rural Kenyan women, Professor Maathai realised that many of Kenya's political problems centred around environmental degradation.
To address this, she founded the 'Green Belt Movement', to connect rural Kenyans with a greater understanding of the natural world and its plight, in this case, that deforestation and degradation of rivers upstream was destroying their food and water supplies. In connecting people to this greater relationship with and understanding of the natural world, Professor Maathai successfully mobilised 30,000 rural Kenyans to help restore those landscapes by planting a million trees.
“You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own, that they must protect them,” - Professor Wangari Maathai
It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living." - Sir David Attenborough
Technology throughout human history has always determined the future. Changes in technology have revolutionised the way that human society works. From agriculture, to the invention of the wheel, the printing press, the industrial, scientific and now technological revolutions, advances in technology have always shaped the future of human society.
Technology's relationship to the human connection with and love for the natural world has often been problematic though. Technology can drive a separation between people and nature. Crowded and noisy cities can physically and mentally separate vast numbers of us from a relationship with and connection with the natural world that sustains us. Smartphones, for many, have accelerated a disconnection between people and nature, as we became more connected to and tuned into our phones than the world around us.
However, though technology is a tool that can drive us apart from nature, it can also, when used thoughtfully, bring us a greater knowledge and understanding of the natural world.
For example, David Attenborough has brought the wonder and beauty of every corner of Earth into the living rooms of hundreds of millions of people globally through TV. The flamboyant protests to save the whales have brought the imagery and story of their plight into the lives of millions of people who will never see whales in person, but who none-the-less have mobilised in huge numbers to back bans on whaling and to work to bring them back from the brink.
In 1983, TV was used to project stunning imagery of the Franklin river into homes across Australia, saving the river and setting up a decade of protection across the country by harnessing the connection a generation of Australians who’d grown up bushwalking had to their country’s wild places.
The key pillars of success have been:
- connect people with nature to activate their love of Earth
- tell powerful stories of nature and its plight
- use the most potent technology of the time
Muir did it with newspapers, Carson with books and magazines. Attenborough and the Franklin campaigners through colour TV. Today’s technology needs to deliver this, globally, at a scale never seen before. We have all the solutions for climate and have done for years. So why are efforts fragmented, ad hoc, and too slow? Because of disconnection from Earth - the biggest obstacle for climate action. People feel disengaged, disconnected & see climate out of context rather than as part of the miracle of life on Earth.
The critical gap is reconnecting humanity with Earth. Inspiring people with awe and wonder about their Earth, it’s climate, life cycles and natural world. Providing a complete view of Earth, showing what we could lose, and activating a powerful emotional connection.
The scale of change needed to solve climate change and save nature is so big, only the changed behaviour of billions of people can fix it. Connecting people with nature provides for a human sense of belonging, grounding, vitality and wellness, whilst also activating the love that will drive them to act.
This starts with you, and your first foundational step is tapping into and fuelling in yourself a deep connection with the natural world and your own home corner of our Earth, of the places that you love and the places that you wish to see protected. This love is what will drive you into action.
Some References:
[1] Wilson., E.,O., (1984). Biophilia. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. London.
[2] Nisbet., E., and J. Zelenski. (2013). The NR-6: a new brief measure of nature relatedness. Frontiers Psychology. Volume 4 – 2013. Retrieved from: https://www.frontiersin.org/ar...
[To add / expand this now with videos, +/- podcasts, links, case studies, inspiring stories of success, and helpful practical tools and resources.]
Phill Pullinger
“The earth is the very quintessence of the human condition.” – Hannah Arendt
People will act to protect what they love. And so it is with our natural world. Fundamental to every story of the protection of wild nature globally is the story of a single person who was deeply moved by a place and felt a burning imperative to act for its protection.
So if you want to ensure for the protection of nature, if you want to inspire others to join you, the first step is to tap into this motivation and love for nature in yourself. This love of nature is the fuel that will inspire and drive you to success.
“Each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal… We are moved by a sense of joy and exhilaration when the grass turns green and the flowers bloom.” – Nelson Mandela
They act because of a deep, visceral connection with Earth. This is hard-wired into all of us through our evolutionary history. We evolved from the natural world, are connected with it, and depend upon it for our survival. Our reaction against the destruction of nature is as instinctive and visceral as the connection with our children or family. Some people call this connection with nature the ‘sublime’, some call it ‘god’, some don’t give it a name at all. But it is the most powerful tool humanity has for our planet.
Conservation biologist Edward O Wilson explains this concept deeply in his 1984 book Biophilia, which argues that because humans evolved in nature, we developed an innate need to connect with all life, as life supported our own health and survival. The more connected people are to nature, the more they will be aware of their own actions and be concerned for all living things.[1]
“We don’t come into the world a clean slate. We come with a million years of evolution and that’s carried in the unconscious.” – Dr Ian Player
A concept in psychology known as ‘nature relatedness’ (NR) captures the way people view their relationship with the natural world. What it has demonstrated is that high ‘nature relatedness’ or a strong subjective connection with nature, is typically associated with both greater happiness and greater environmental concern. Disconnection has harmful consequences for human and environmental health, but has also tended to be a natural consequence of modern life that separates people both physically and psychologically from the natural world. [2]
"The elders were wise. They knew that man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard; they knew that lack of respect for growing, living things, soon led to lack of respect for humans, too.“ – Óta Kté / Luther Standing Bear.
A love for place, a love for the natural world has been the anchor for every successful effort to conserve nature and protect our planet throughout history.
For example, John Muir, in the later part of the 19th century, having read about Yosemite valley in the Western United States, spent a week there and "was overwhelmed by the landscape". He spent years studying and immersing himself in the place and learning of its ecology, geological history and natural values. Having along the way become concerned over its future, he became a committed advocate for its preservation, and decided that to achieve this, he needed to infuse other Americans with a love of the place too.
So he and fellow campaigners for Yosemite at the start of the 20th century reached out to middle America through beautiful writing about the region in newspapers.
It was connecting the American President with a similar love for this place that became the turning point. In 1903, Muir and others brought President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt to camp in Yosemite Valley, through a snowstorm.
President Roosevelt came out transformed, and went on to declare hundreds of new national parks, bird sanctuaries, wildlife refuges, national monuments and national forests across America.
“It was like lying in a great solemn cathedral, far vaster and more beautiful than any built by hand”, - President Teddy Roosevelt, on the Yosemite Valley
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe around us, the less taste we shall have for destruction” - Rachel Carson
She had a fascination with the natural world and of the ocean, which was a focus of much of her reading. As an adult, she studied zoology and marine biology, before seeking to share her love and understanding of the natural world with others. In time, Carson was able to reach out to millions about the wonders and plight of nature through beautiful writing, books and TV, which catalysed a generation of new environmental laws and campaigners.
Professor Wangari Maathai's early life began in the central highlands and then Rift Valley in Kenya, before she moved for education, within Kenya at first, then to the U.S, before returning to Kenya. In response to concerns raised by rural Kenyan women, Professor Maathai realised that many of Kenya's political problems centred around environmental degradation.
To address this, she founded the 'Green Belt Movement', to connect rural Kenyans with a greater understanding of the natural world and its plight, in this case, that deforestation and degradation of rivers upstream was destroying their food and water supplies. In connecting people to this greater relationship with and understanding of the natural world, Professor Maathai successfully mobilised 30,000 rural Kenyans to help restore those landscapes by planting a million trees.
“You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own, that they must protect them,” - Professor Wangari Maathai
It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living." - Sir David Attenborough
Technology throughout human history has always determined the future. Changes in technology have revolutionised the way that human society works. From agriculture, to the invention of the wheel, the printing press, the industrial, scientific and now technological revolutions, advances in technology have always shaped the future of human society.
Technology's relationship to the human connection with and love for the natural world has often been problematic though. Technology can drive a separation between people and nature. Crowded and noisy cities can physically and mentally separate vast numbers of us from a relationship with and connection with the natural world that sustains us. Smartphones, for many, have accelerated a disconnection between people and nature, as we became more connected to and tuned into our phones than the world around us.
However, though technology is a tool that can drive us apart from nature, it can also, when used thoughtfully, bring us a greater knowledge and understanding of the natural world.
For example, David Attenborough has brought the wonder and beauty of every corner of Earth into the living rooms of hundreds of millions of people globally through TV. The flamboyant protests to save the whales have brought the imagery and story of their plight into the lives of millions of people who will never see whales in person, but who none-the-less have mobilised in huge numbers to back bans on whaling and to work to bring them back from the brink.
In 1983, TV was used to project stunning imagery of the Franklin river into homes across Australia, saving the river and setting up a decade of protection across the country by harnessing the connection a generation of Australians who’d grown up bushwalking had to their country’s wild places.
The key pillars of success have been:
- connect people with nature to activate their love of Earth
- tell powerful stories of nature and its plight
- use the most potent technology of the time
Muir did it with newspapers, Carson with books and magazines. Attenborough and the Franklin campaigners through colour TV. Today’s technology needs to deliver this, globally, at a scale never seen before. We have all the solutions for climate and have done for years. So why are efforts fragmented, ad hoc, and too slow? Because of disconnection from Earth - the biggest obstacle for climate action. People feel disengaged, disconnected & see climate out of context rather than as part of the miracle of life on Earth.
The critical gap is reconnecting humanity with Earth. Inspiring people with awe and wonder about their Earth, it’s climate, life cycles and natural world. Providing a complete view of Earth, showing what we could lose, and activating a powerful emotional connection.
The scale of change needed to solve climate change and save nature is so big, only the changed behaviour of billions of people can fix it. Connecting people with nature provides for a human sense of belonging, grounding, vitality and wellness, whilst also activating the love that will drive them to act.
This starts with you, and your first foundational step is tapping into and fuelling in yourself a deep connection with the natural world and your own home corner of our Earth, of the places that you love and the places that you wish to see protected. This love is what will drive you into action.
Some References:
[1] Wilson., E.,O., (1984). Biophilia. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. London.
[2] Nisbet., E., and J. Zelenski. (2013). The NR-6: a new brief measure of nature relatedness. Frontiers Psychology. Volume 4 – 2013. Retrieved from: https://www.frontiersin.org/ar...
[To add / expand this now with videos, +/- podcasts, links, case studies, inspiring stories of success, and helpful practical tools and resources.]
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