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| Culture, Society and Theory
This is a selective but growing 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
Social Ecology
Science
Biological Diversity
Systems Thinking
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.
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.
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
An anthology of articles on the theme.
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." (md)
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)
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 in an 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.
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 also 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.(md)
Other literary activists:
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.
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 Journal on the free-web.
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.
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 Colalborative)
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 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. The Hundreth Monkey
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. (md)
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
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."
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." (OCLCAbstract)
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.
Fox, Matthew and Sheldrake, Rupert. The Sacred Universe. [audio recording]. Boulder, Colorado: Sounds True Recordings, 1993.
"A physicist and a priest examine the divine force that shapes our existence."
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. (md)
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
and a good source for spiritual ecological study. Includes meditations
on a piece of paper, car meditation, telephone meditation and hugging
meditation.(md)
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.(md)
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 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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