Deep Ecology and the Conservation of Nature talk at Narara

Mr John SeedMr John Seed

Mr John Seed will give a talk on Deep Ecology and the Conservation of Nature, at the Narara Eco Village at the conclusion of its monthly open day on Saturday, October 22.

Deep Ecology is a philosophy of Nature which sees that, underlying the environmental crisis, there is a psychological or spiritual disease stemming from the illusion of separation between humans and the rest of the natural world. The late Arne Naess, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy from Oslo University, Norway, who coined the term “deep ecology”, pointed out that “ecological ideas are not enough to protect the Earth, we need ecological identity, ecological self”. With a presentation which includes music and poetry, John Seed will show how to nourish an ecological identity and align oneself with Earth.

The talk will also be an introduction to the Deep Ecology Workshop that will be held at the Eco Village on November 12 and 13. John Seed is an author, filmmaker, lecturer, activist and founder of the Rainforest Information Centre. He has written and lectured extensively on deep ecology, conducting “Council of All Beings” and other re-earthing workshops world-wide for 30 years.

With Joanna Macy, Pat Fleming and Arne Naess he co-authored ‘Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings’, (translated into 10 languages). In 1995 John was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to conservation and the environment. He is a member of the Narara Ecovillage. The usual open day activities will include site tours, afternoon tea and a presentation and question and answer session on the Eco Village.

All the stage one lots within the Narara Eco Village have been sold and names are now being taken for stage two. At the same time, many members are designing their houses in the expectation of getting titles for their lots by mid-2017. Members are consulting with architects, solar power companies, earthship builders and modular home companies. Vigourous debates are also taking place over the fi ne tuning of the community’s rules, such as for dogs and cats, and the implementation of the village’s consent-based decision making system, known as Sociocracy or Dynamic Governance.

Newsletter, Oct 18, 2016 Narara Eco Living Network media