David+Orr's+Earth+in+Mind

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David Orr's //Earth In Mind// (2004) "//If we gain, we gain all; if we “lose,” we still gain a great deal"//

Having read this text for my social science teachable class, I felt it was a great resource to share, particularly because it can help with the new leap towards environmental education in Ontario schools.

After reading David Orr’s //Earth in Mind//, I am much more aware of the effects and cost that our fast pace and rapidly growing economy has caused. It is, as Orr mentions, our need for power, wealth, and greed that has hindered, and in many instances, caused us to ignore any ecological consideration. More importantly, I became more critical of my dependency on technology and frequent (and perhaps misuse) of energy. More than providing information about societies disregard for nature and hoping for change, Orr emphasizes the need to make a choice or continue to reek destruction on our planet, and consequently, on ourselves. //Earth in Mind // is both highly informative and does not offer a euphemistic approach to environmental neglect. The tone conveyed throughout the book is one of disgust, frustration and hope. Indeed, Orr stresses the need to rekindle our genuine love and appreciation for nature and our environment. After all, “we [individuals] will not fight to save what we do not love” (Orr 140). In hopes of revitalizing the biosphere, one needs to see it worth saving. In order to achieve this, however, one first needs to be education about the earth, and why it is so important for survival and livelihood. Rethinking education involves incorporating knowledge about the biosphere, including wet lands, forestry, climate change, etc. Literacy skills then, are not merely understanding the proper use of mechanics or recognizing what good readers do when they do not understand the words on the page (or on a screen). Instead, literacy includes an ecologically component. One of Orr’s essential questions asks, “does the curriculum provide the essential tools for ecological literacy?” (Orr 91). Understanding how solar energy can be utilized to power machines, knowledge of farming, forestry and various wildlife, and how to spot healthy soil, for example, all make up the ecological literacy highlighted by Orr. Perhaps more than ever, this text is both fundamental and relevant for students (and adults) today in all subject areas. Since //Earth in Mind// is an all around guide to creating a more stable and lasting union between individuals and the land, it can serve a variety of purposes in a variety of classes. Two classes that Orr’s text would be most useful in are a Philosophy and a Challenge and Change in Society class. //Earth and Mind// is philosophically charged as it is loaded with various philosophical issues. For instance, “what [does] it mean to be a citizen?” (Orr 32), what is progress? (Orr 33), what constitutes an education? (Orr 38), “what is intelligence?” (Orr 48), “what does it mean to be human?” (Orr 59) and “what is virtue? (Orr 60). With that said, this text would be ideal for a grade 11, Philosophy: The Big Question course. One activity that would be influential in engaging with the text is a class debate (followed by a 5 page write up about the student’s opinion and supporting details). Does Orr makes valid points that need to be acted upon immediately or is he overreacting? In addition to a philosophy course, Orr’s text would be highly appropriate for a grade 12, Challenge and Change in Society class. Throughout the text, Orr makes the comparison between farmers and modern families that have almost no concept of growing or obtaining their own food. Students are able to research and discuss what impacts technology has (and continue to have) on cultural norms. Moreover, students can research and write essays on the psychological stress of technological change on the individual, the social impact of new technologies and the ways in which ecological knowledge (or ecological literacy, as Orr coins it) affects longevity. Overall, Orr’s text is both refreshing and empowering. It is sad, however, that few share Orr’s passion for nature and vision for change. More than his passion for nature, Orr tries to aid individuals by unravelling what they are (knowingly or unknowingly) doing to the environment, and subsequently, to future generations (including their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren). His motives are genuine and his arguments are well articulated. The next step, however, would be to actively take a step toward implementation of policies to re-educate and transform the minds of the masses. Indeed, Orr states “...it takes far longer to clean up the mess than it [does] to make it in the first place” (122), nevertheless, it is a choice that has to be decided upon!