Center for Livskraft og Regeneration’s Post

Which one is your type? #Meliorism is the radiant belief that through our collective hands and hearts, we can sculpt a #better_world. It’s the conviction that human effort, imbued with #hope and perseverance, has the power to alleviate suffering and foster progress. 💎 As #George_Eliot beautifully expressed, "The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs." Let us all strive to be the unseen architects of a brighter tomorrow ✨️ 🔹️ #Optimistic_Meliorist: This type of person believes deeply in the power of positive thinking and sees potential for improvement in every situation. They inspire others with their 🔹️ #hopeful_outlook and encourage actions that lead to better outcomes. 🔹️ #Pragmatic_Meliorist: A pragmatic meliorist focuses on practical, actionable steps that can bring about change. They are realistic about challenges but believe in incremental progress through concrete actions and solutions. 🔹️ #Humanitarian_Meliorist: This individual is driven by a strong sense of empathy and compassion. They work towards social justice, equity, and the alleviation of suffering, believing that improving human conditions is both a moral duty and a possibility. 🔹️ #Innovative_Meliorist: An innovative meliorist sees technology and creative solutions as key to improving the world. They invest in new ideas, inventions, and approaches that can drive significant progress and solve complex problems. 🔹️ #Environmental_Meliorist: Focused on sustainability and environmental preservation, this type of meliorist believes in the possibility of reversing environmental damage through conservation, renewable energy, and eco-friendly practices. 🔹️ #Educational_Meliorist: This person believes in the transformative power of education. They advocate for access to quality education for all, seeing it as a foundation for personal and societal improvement. Each type of meliorist brings a unique perspective and set of actions to the shared goal of making the world a better place, demonstrating the diverse ways in which this philosophy can be embraced and practiced. #PositiveChange #HumanEffort #CollectiveAction #Christine_Farami

As our summers get hotter and we're rightly concerned about #heatstress and #environmentaljustice associated with #climatechange, cities are reinvesting in urban trees as way to cool urban spaces. A PhD candidate at Duke University, Renata Poulton Kamakura, Ph.D., emphasizes that in addition to understanding what tree will do well in the space, it's essential to involve #communities in the planning process. https://lnkd.in/dgYWQhbf

“e” The answer is “e” for All of the Above (remember multiple-choice questions from elementary school?) It stands as a symbol or emblem in my attempt to make some sense of the increasingly complex Social-Economic-Political-Personal world in which we ALL live and share. “e” could also mean earth, ecology, evolution, energy, equality, everything, empathy, encompassing, eternal, everlasting, etc. The color scheme represents the Sun, Earth-Water and All Living Things. It may have spiritual or religious significance. If you are interested in obtaining more information please contact me at: walterpward@mail.com The answer is ”e”. Help me spread the word.

Exciting News! 🌿🌊 Congratulations to Mondira Bardhan, one of our co-founders, for leading an insightful article titled "From Space to Street: A Systematic Review of the Associations between Visible Greenery and Bluespace in Street View Imagery (SVI) and Mental Health." published in Environmental Research Journal (Q1, IF-7.7). Key findings: Two-thirds of the included studies found positive associations between greenery in SVI and mental health. The average risk of bias score was good, but the quality of evidence for the 10 mental health outcomes studied was low or very low, showing limited strength of evidence. SVI is likely to become a validated tool for estimating health-promoting exposure to greenery. The review highlights the need for: Standardization of SVI datasets and computational processes. Studies beyond China and high-income countries for improved generalizability. This work sets a foundation for future advancements in understanding how street-level greenery can enhance mental health globally! Study link: https://lnkd.in/g-UbvSc6 Matthew Browning Clemson Virtual Reality and Nature Lab #Greenery #MentalHealth #Bluespace #StreetViewImagery #UrbanHealth #EnvironmentalScience

★ If you have ever encountered a wild boar you know that (depending on their mood) they are only remotely cute.   I had heard a noise on the street + rather curiously opened the large gate which was a mistake.   ➜ Because there we were: the pig + I. ➜ I ran into the house + realized that the large broom needed to shoo her out of our courtyard was stored in the now inaccessible garage.   An adult female boar weighs around 60-80 kg. They are one of the most widespread mammals + of least concern on the IUCN Red List.*   ★ Romanticism was a movement in the 18th/early 19th Century. Its proponents combined empirical + creative elements (from the sciences + the arts). Friedrich Wilhelm Schelling was one of the first nature philosophers + interested in the arts. In 1807 he wrote an essay about the relationship of the fine arts towards nature.** He preferred the natura naturans: the emulation rather than imitation of nature. Landscape painters such as Caspar David Friedrich felt inspired + depicted nature in such a way.   I have the impression that, similarly, many of us involved in activities around #climatechange #ESG hold a rather romantic view of nature. This is especially true for those of us who live in cities. We somewhat defend nature by bestowing it with almost human qualifications.   ★  Moral agency concerning nature is a delicate matter. Its understanding has changed substantially in the last decadees. #Nature used to be understood as an external matter requiring domination + exploitation (resources). As techno-scientific developments advanced this has changed considerably in late modernity. Nature is our co-habitat that is under severe threat + requires urgent protection. This is also in line with how the term #sustainability developed in the last 50 years.   ➜ This comprehension differs in various cultures according to their state of industrialization. It has never changed in some communities (indigenous people) who have always lived in harmony with nature. In our late modern Western society with large cities + remote experience of (wild) nature this equilibrium is more difficult to (re-)establish. We thus sometimes elevate what we do not know.   ★  The #RightsforNature (#EarthRights) were initially proposed by US cultural historian #ThomasBerry in 2001. Others such as #VandanaShiva, #CormacCullinan etc. have published on the subject. They now form the basis of much #climatelitigation.   ➜ I am for the promotion of #EarthJurisprudence. ➜ But I am equally for a pragmatic perspective on nature. Romanticism dims the view (it, by the way, also does so in human relationships).   Many people who live in the countryside are aware of this. Yet, not all: it had been one of our neighbours who had found + reared the boar by bottle (which is forbidden). It regularly roamed the village with its best friend (a large goat), created a bit of havoc + could not be domesticated.***   #ESGreflectiontoaction #Governance #Ethics

Getcatcrazy has the same views "Coexistence: Embracing Nature's Rightful Inhabitants" explores the vital relationship between humans and the diverse species that share our planet. This book (or article, film, etc.) highlights the ethical, ecological, and spiritual importance of respecting animals' rights to exist in their natural habitats. It delves into how ecosystems thrive when we allow animals to live freely, the consequences of human encroachment, and the steps we can take to promote harmonious coexistence. Through captivating stories, scientific insights, and powerful reflections, this piece calls for a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness with the natural world and the responsibility we bear to ensure that all species can flourish alongside us.  

Do you resonate with the rights of nature movement? I do. Though I also see there is an opportunity to widen our perspective on this framework. For we are nature, too. So at the very least rights for the rest of nature is perhaps a compelling starting place for this exploration. There is indeed a gulf between us humans seeing ourselves as nature and the abstract work of having rights for various beings of the non human variety. Even allowing ourselves to appreciate that we are primates and animals ourselves is a tall order for most. We're mammals who are closely related to Lemurs, Orangutans, and about 500 other species. And each of these beings (and all the rest) have personhood, they are indeed people of a different variety. If we move our sense of identities, and embrace more ecologically diverse communities into our day-to-day lives, this can be a great step towards living as relational beings. And from this place, we might be better able to navigate peaceful and just ways to respect the 'rights' of every being that makes up this greater living world. Anyways, IRB is trying to be of service to helping so many of us expand, challenge and adjust our perspectives so we can ideally be more caring and aware of the multispecies and more than human reality that we are intimately and intrinsically a part of.

"In the fall of 2022, fellow student Rachael Petersen and I were asked to lead a reading group on plant #consciousness, under the auspices of the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School. What began as a straightforward reading group evolved into a generative space of interdisciplinary dialogue. We explored recent breakthroughs on understanding nonhuman cognitive capacities, multispecies engagement, and #relational cosmologies. One week, an ecologist might discuss mushroom electrical spiking with a primatologist whose work is focused on deconstructing anthropocentrism; the next week, a food journalist might share their reaction to a paper on phototropism with an undergraduate who missed their garden at home; an ancient Mesopotamian mysticism expert might argue with a landscape architect or a PhD candidate in psychology on the interpretation of new data on interconnected forests through the lens of cognitive organization and reasoning. "While we remained grounded by our collective reading, the conversations wove broad and yet intensely specific epistemologies while affirming #connections, both ancient and incredibly current. Since exclusivity and isolation are antithetical to a community devoted to plants and relationality, here I offer a review of some of our readings, as a guide for your own exploration into the soil and air, whether or not this is entirely new to you. It may seem counterintuitive to turn to the processed cellulose of cut trees in order to relate more deeply to our remarkably alive world; and yet, these texts are an invitation, providing a portable memory tree through which to take in stories, information, and inspiration for engagement." https://lnkd.in/eTvnnNtN

I work a lot with constellations. Creating physical representation of inner processes and systems. Because I mainly work outdoors, I often invite the local woods along for the process. Using what's there in the moment to represent a client's system. A lot of information can be found in a field like that. Since I've started working with more shamanic methods, the constellations have become more insightful. Now it's possible for me and a client to directly interact with imprints in their field through this method. Don't ask me how exactly, but is has been a deepening journey. Constellations, voiced dialogue and the like are shamanic practices, it's just that they have a different connotation in the West. What are some of your favorite methods? The picture is of a healing web built for myself, using inner ecology and aspects to investigate and balance the interior. It also includes a matronly chessnut tree.

"Maybe new kinds of communities will be formed. Maybe new ways of using materials and disposing of waste will be created. Maybe new kinds of housing will develop. Maybe cities will be structured and laid out differently. Maybe new rituals and traditions will be formed (and maybe a lot of old ones will be discarded). Maybe new ways of being a family will occur. Maybe new art forms and ways of creative expression will arise. Maybe making use of intuition rather than rational argumentation will be accepted. And maybe new kinds of ecological foods and materials will be produced." https://lnkd.in/gM8DBUja