A Conscious Alternative

In this book, philosopher J. Claude Evans, endeavors to support the notion that humans can participate in the natural world in ways that are harmonious and conducive to mutual growth. He takes on the common arguments that humans have much to do with environmental degradation, but seeks to craft a narrative around how we may reconnect with nature through respect and compassion.

A Conscious Alternative

In this book, Arran Stibbe, philosopher and ecological linguist at the University of Gloucestershire, examines the way we talk about animals and the natural world (i.e., how the language and words we use are perhaps limited in some respects). Stibbe explores everything from Zen philosophy and haiku poetry, to contemporary children’s animated films, to understand how we’ve interacted with the natural world and, thus, what we may do to meaningfully connect with it.

A Conscious Alternative

This book is also by Stibbe and involves a discourse on the field of ecolinguistics — however, this book, takes a broader look at how one may understand ecosystems and their interconnection. He explores how we, humans, tell the story of the evolution of our collective environment and how this shapes our understanding of it.

A Conscious Alternative

David W. Orr is a seasoned environmental educator. His book takes a relatively more pragmatic approach to comprehending the human connection to nature through addressing our education system (i.e., the curriculum that is often affixed to environmental studies).

This quote sums it up well, “Much of what has gone wrong with the world, he argues, is the result of inadequate and misdirected education that: alienates us from life in the name of human domination; causes students to worry about how to make a living before they know who they are; overemphasizes success and careers; separates feeling from intellect and the practical from the theoretical; deadens the sense of wonder for the created world.”

A Conscious Alternative

Arne Naess is one of our favorite environmental thinkers. Naess if often regarded as the founder and thought-leader of “deep ecology” — an environmental-based philosophy the seeks to address the moral underpinnings our behaviors and attitudes towards nature. The philosophy advocates for a deeper connection to nature, utilizing our powers of moral deliberation to recognize nature’s deep moral worth. “Deep ecology” is often compared to “shallow ecology”, which is a softer, less ecocentric stance on environmental ethics. This book may serve as a gateway to learning about this philosophy and, possibly, may engender in you a deeper respect for nature.

A Conscious Alternative

Paul Taylor is one of the foremost thinkers in the field of environmental ethics — namely, when it comes to subjects related to animal rights, and biocentric / ecocentric moral viewpoints. This work takes a holistic look at at the human relationship with nature, focusing on how and why we may value certain things in nature over others.

A Conscious Alternative

Bill McKibben is awesome. He’s pretty much an eco-celebrity with people in our circles. If you choose to click through, we’d recommend you take a look at several of his books (e.g., “End of Nature” and “eaarth”). “Deep Economy” is interesting in the ideas it presents — namely, that a more local, low-impact way of living must come to shape our daily activities. This line sums it up nicely, “McKibben’s animating idea is that we need to move beyond “growth” as the paramount economic ideal and pursue prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, generating more of their own energy, and even creating more of their own culture and entertainment.”

A Conscious Alternative

We wanted to include a slightly more spiritual book in this kit, as most of the previous selections use either a relatively more strict moral, economic, or scientific lens to address environmental concerns. In this book, Michael Cremo and Mukunda Goswami advocate for a shift in consciousness that is oriented towards the more transcendental parts of the natural world. They introduce the standard environmental issues (e.g., pollution, climate change, etc.), but take an interesting approach, in part, discussing how the metaphysics of karma may help to shape our understanding of our relationship with nature.

A Conscious Alternative

The notion of ‘thinking like a mountain’ has been around for quite some time in environmental literature. As you may have surmised from what this phrase connotes, this philosophy is rather spiritual in nature and involves principles of deep ecology that may work to engender a deeper bond between the human and earth. In brief, we came to the conclusion that this mode of thinking is meant to challenge the human-centered outlook and put the human as an equal member of nature, along with plants, animals, and whole ecosystems.

A Conscious Alternative

Last, but certainly not least, “Rewilding Our Hearts: Building Pathways of Compassion and Coexistence” is a book that takes a principled stance on how we may come to reconnect with nature. Marc Bekoff’s notion of ‘rewilding our hearts’ will come to shape this narrative, as this phrase is meant to communicate that we are all, in the most deepest of senses, an integral and inseparable part of nature. We are nature. A review by Jane Goodall says it best, “A practical way for people to reconnect with natural landscapes and animals through understanding and compassion.”