Ecocriticisms for a better society

vol. 1

Earth’Sage

FEATURING:

Table of Contents

A Letter From the Editors Page 2

health and the environment Page 3

ecocriticisms for a better society Page 5

GETTING INVOLVED: WMEAC Page 9

EARTH’SAGE SAVINGS Page 11

Reader, Welcome. We are pleased to bring you all the very first edition of insert title. Our simple publication seeks to draw people together, creating a community centered on the sustainability of the body, mind, and soul through the natural world. We seek to bring enlightenment and inspiration to all who wander through this journal. Our publication, short as it is, aims to take you on journey, a journey that extends far past the reaches of these pages. We hope to spread awareness and spark thought about our world and how we each fit into and affect that world. We firmly believe that every individual carries the ability to impact the environment, for good or bad. Every thought and action can have power. There is interconnectedness inherent in all choices and in all lives. Everything impacts everything in some way, be it large or small. The individual self is part of the greater whole. As Rebecca Solnit wisely suggests: “We extend beyond ourselves and connect the invisible forces to art and writing to empathize, understand, and acknowledge how these things connect us to the outside world. If we recognize how everyone has the capacity not just to recall meaning, but to become producers, we can start to make a change.” This has been our aim in the creation of insert title, to create an interdisciplinary environment to explore the connections between nature and people. We hope you enjoy the journey as much as we have.

Much thanks,

Jessica Gracey Joe Jessica Smith Gracey Mussina Joe Stehouwer

we interrupt this broadcast with a letter from the editors

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HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

For every hour an adult spends sitting watching TV, it can reduce their lifespan by as much as 22 minutes. For each cigarette smoked it reduces the predicted lifespan of the adult 11 minutes. People who sit 10 hours a day have the same risk of mortality as individuals who smoke 20 ciga-rettes a day.

(Veerman et al., 2012)

SITTING IS THE NEW SMOKINGbY jOE STEHOUWER

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In a study done by Owen et al. (2010) 1712 adults wore an accelerometer to record their physical activity habits throughout the day. Even though the majority of adults fulfilled the recommended physical activity guidelines from ACSM, the first quartile spent almost twice the amount of time engaged in light activity than the fourth quartile. This begs the question. What are the health implications for those who fulfil the suggested physical activity guidelines, but spend the vast majority of the day sedentary?

Prolonged sitting is a risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases and all-cause mortality. The neuromuscular stimulation that results from standing or any light activity reverses the negative effects that prolonged sitting has on the body.

Why does prolonged sitting have an impact in the cases where individuals have completed the recommended exercise guidelines? While sitting the body has a reduced number of skeletal muscle contractions. Skeletal muscle contractions, even at small intensities when standing increases lipoprotein lipase activity. Lipoprotein lipase is an enzyme that helps remove triglycerides (fat) from the blood, as well as stimulates insulin secretion to remove glucose from the blood. The presence of a greater amount of glucose and triglycerides in the blood for extended periods of time causes damage the vessels and leads to conditions including atherosclerosis, cardiac failure, type 2 diabetes, myocardial infarction, stroke, and several other serious conditions.

(Owen et al., 2010)

Implications of Prolonged SittingbY jOE STEHOUWER

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ECOCRITICISMS FOR A BETTER SOCIETY

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ple do not care enough about these issues to make changes. Many people are not willing to be slightly uncomfortable or inconvenienced in order to help sustain the environment. That is why there are not more people in grocery stores with reusable bags. It is also why everyone does not participate in something as simple as recycling. People do not ride their bike a short distance because that is too hard and requires too much energy, so they take a car. Yes on an individual scale it one person’s actions will not have a large effect on the environment, but if everyone in our society practiced some of these small habits that only inconvenience them or their lifestyle slightly, it would make a great difference in sustaining the environment.

Sacral ChakraThe second chakra is instrumental in developing flexibility in our life. It associates with the water element, characterized by movement and flow in our emotions and thoughts.

It supports personal expansion and the formation of identity through relating to others and the world.

Gracey: What is something you have taken away from this semester that supports your personal expansion, and has helped form an identity with yourself, others, and the environment?

JOE: The biggest concept that I have taken away from this semester is perspective. It is easy to become tunnel visioned and consumed with one’s thoughts, interests, goals, and life to the point where one forgets to consider a different perspective. For humans as a culture we are often very anthropocentric, and ultimately it is very evident in our carelessness for the environ-ment and lack of appreciation for all other forms of natural life that we share the world with. In this class, we spend some time learning about modern-eco criticism. Modern eco-critics focus

The seven chakras are the centers in our bodies in which spiritual energy flows. Blocked energy in our seven chakras can often lead to illness, so it’s important to understand what each chakra represents and what we can do to keep this energy flowing freely.

Gracey:The inspiration of Earth’Sage started at Grand Valley State University in our Literature in the Environment class. It was in the class we emerged from various creation myths, departed on an epic journey with Gilgamesh, lived Walden Woods with Henry David Thoreau, changed with the seasons in the fields and gardens poetry by T’ao Ch’ien and traveled with Matsuo Basho on the narrow roads to the interior. Together, we’ve unearthed the human journey, finding that body, mind, and soul interconnected to earth.

Root Chakra The Root Chakra is where we ground ourselves into the earth and anchor our energy into the manifest world.

Gracey: In Walden, Thoreau says, “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” What do you believe is the foremost problem rooted in our society and how would you go about solving it?

Joe: I believe that the largest problem rooted in our society is not ignorance or lack of awareness but instead a lack of apathy. Most people in our society know what we should do to increase sustainability for the environment: recycling, walking, public transportation, reusable grocery bags. The same goes for health. People know that walking is better than sitting in front of a television and having a fruit or vegetable as a snack is better than something processed and filled with sugar. People generally know how to reduce harm to the environment and have at least some degree of understanding of the long term consequences. The problem is that peo-

iNTERVIEW WITH JESSICA and jo: SEVEN QUESTIONS AND SEVEN CHAKRASbY gRACEY mUSSINA

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on removing themselves from the center and focus-ing in on nature’s perspective and relating to it. With the sustainability issues of our modern culture, it is vital to remain aware of the effect our actions have on the environment to sustain the wellbeing of the natural world and environment. The concept of look-ing at the world through different perspectives is not only important to do regarding nature’s perspective, but also necessary for better understanding one’s experiences and other people’s actions, especially when there is disagreement. For me specifically in the health field, I will have to effectively do this on a regular basis to better connect, understand, motivate, and deal with clients in a physical therapy setting. Learning the importance of being able to effectively look at issues, literature, and experiences with a perspective different from my own are easily the most valuable lesson I have learned from this class.

Solar Plexus ChakraThe solar plexus chakra primary function is to provide energy and feed one’s direction in life and the actions are taken to reach one’s

goals. It is at the base of the development of personal power and governs self-esteem, warrior energy, and the power of transformation.

GRACEY: Basho tells his students, “Do not simply follow in the footsteps of the ancients; seek what they sought.” History has a tendency to repeat itself if we follow the actions of others. If we attentively study these footsteps of the past and learn from the obstacles ancients faced, investigate the truths found in literature and art, perhaps we can gain new energies to transform our environment into a more habitable planet for future generations. Hamill calls Basho’s travels the “geography of the soul” or, the arrangement of our identity. Geography of the soul could mean, “to study the physical features of the human spirit.” The spirit is not a physical presence, but being is. Geography looks at how human activity affects the physical features of Earth which make me think about how our presence and being, is all part of one working process, as Rebecca Solnit would say in her book Wanderlust. When I connect the eco-criticisms we have learned in our class to the arrangement of my identity, I think of how writing helps connect my heart and spirit. Recently, I have

been doing research on honey bees and Colony Collapse Disorder for a works-in-progress I’m writing about environmental ethics. Undoubtedly, ideas are beautiful, but an action is what creates the geography to create a place for the soul in the world.

Heart ChakraLove is the energy that helps transfigure emotions and experi-ences. It’s an essential element of any relationship and relating. Love

in the heart chakra is not just about romance, but about going beyond the limit of the ego and preoccupations with oneself into compassion and acceptance of all, that is. The heart chakra is also a center through which we experience beauty in life. Seeing the world through a balanced fourth chakra is being in a state of openness and acceptance that brings us in touch with our world and ourselves in profound and fulfilling ways.

“Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos.” —Mary Shelley, the writer of Frankenstein, was entranced by the idea that electricity could reanimate the dead. I am intrigued by the perspective that Frankenstein is a story of a man making a man in his image. In turn, our world becomes a reflection of human action.

Do you think Frankenstein’s monster is an attempt to restore human consciousness/life back from the dead, or a reflection of the consequence of human action? How can we take these ideas and apply them to the relationships we build with others?

Jessica: Frankenstein’s monster is the product of modern innovation and science. He represents the artificial way humans have affected the environment. The monster is an “abomination” created by human hands; he belongs not in the natural world, nor in the human world. Yet he lives in the context of both, and the humans in Frankenstein must find a way to reconcile them-selves to his creation and existence. To draw a connection between Frankenstein’s monster and our own world today, the monster becomes

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symbolic for the ways in which science has affected the natural world negatively. Water pollution, air pollution, overflowing landfills, disposable culture, oil spills, etc. All of these are byproducts of human innovation, just as Frankenstein’s monster becomes the product of Frankenstein’s innovative spirit. Yet we cannot just destroy these negative effects—the cause of these effects (factories, oil drilling, fast fashion, etc) are too deeply ingrained in our society. So we must find ways to counteract and cope with them. But individuals cannot combat these alone; we need to band together with other likeminded individuals to find create solutions for these human byproducts.

Throat ChakraThe throat chakra’s emphasis is on expressing and projecting the cre-ativity into the world according to its

perfect form or authenticity. Personal truth, etheric, expression, and our ability to communicate.

GRACEY: Joe, according to your research, prolonged sitting and inactivity can damage blood vessels and can lead to serious health conditions when greater amounts of glucose and triglycerides found in the blood for extended periods of time. I think integrating the different areas of studies in the arts humanities and sciences are what make learning these eco-criticisms about the environment so fac-sinating— we all find our answers together by tuning back into the earth and its processes. I looked into the processes of glucose and triglycerides in the human body and discovered they both provide our body with energy. If we apply this idea to the environment, what type of consequences could too much energy create?

Third Eye ChakraIt is the center of intuition and foresight. The function of the third eye chakra is the principle of openness and imagination.

GRACEY: Jessica, how can readers get involved with thinking and acting to make environmental changes? Are there any organizations you can point us toward?

Jessica: Every publication, we feature an orga-nization-sometimes local, sometimes national, sometimes global-that relies on volunteers to help bring about environmental change. This month we are featuring the Western Michigan Environmental Action Council, WMEAC. Read further to find more information about this local organization working towards promoting environ-mental activism here in the Western Michigan community. Activism and volunteer work help open our eyes to both the problems plaguing our environment and to the potential solutions to those problems. Activism and involvement is its own form of foresight; by working with organizations to reverse the negative impact of the human carbon footprint, we help preserve our world for generations to come.

Crown ChakraWisdom, Transcendence, and universality

GRACEY: The human journey is truly fascinating—I think about how small we are in comparison to the universe-- how little we know about the nature of ourselves and our environment. It takes time and patience to be able to reach wisdom and transcendence, to connect our body, mind, and soul to the world. My question for the readers of Earth’Sage is: What will you to make a change, to take action? To find your spirit with yourself, of others, within the world?

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GETTING INVOLVED

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The WMEAC Film Series is a monthly film series that runs from October through February, which works to not only raise awareness but create action on issues that directly affect West Michigan. Every month we will be hosting a different environmentally themed film in Grand Rapids, followed by a panel of speak-ers.

Each month, WMEAC hosts a film—part of an ongoing WMEAC Film Series—running from October to Feb-ruary. These films are chosen to spread awareness about very specific environmental issues and prompt action on the part of the community to take steps to correct those problems in the West Michigan area. In December, WMEAC is hosting the film Anthropocene. Anthropocene explores the way humankind has left an indelible mark upon the earth, changing the physical landscapes to such an extent that scientists have been prompted to call this new geological layer the Anthropocene. The film tracks the slow development of the Anthropocene through history, beginning with the “Time of Fire” and ending with the “Great Acceleration” of the modern period.

You’ve heard of the Jurassic, Cambrian, Pleisto-cene, Holocene. Now a group of world-renowned scholars is debating whether to declare a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene. Mankind has so changed Earth, they state, that we’ve created our geological layer. In our film, key members of the group, for the first time on cam-era, tell the story of the Anthropocene – from the Time of Fire to today’s Great Acceleration and beyond. And ask… how will our story end? And should it make us laugh or cry? (IMDb).

WMEAC, or Western Michigan Environmental Action Council, is an organization based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The organization’s goal is to promote a community which acts “together to protect natural resources, mitigate climate impacts, and build a resilient West Michigan.” WMEAC emphasizes the intertwining of our natural world and our resources (human and financial) in an attempt to find sustainable solutions to environmental issues. WMEAC unites passionate individuals with volunteer opportunities that help “create positive change” in Western Michigan communities. For more information on how to get involved, visit wmeac.org or visit them in person at 1007 Lake Dr. SE, Grand Rapids MI 49506.

GETTING INVOLVED THROUGH wEST MICHIGAN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION COUNCILbY JESSICA SMITH

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Earth’Sage Savings

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wHAT

you

what will

save

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“We extend beyond ourselves and connect the invisible forces to art and writing to empathize, understand, and

acknowledge how these things connect us to the outside world. If we recognize how everyone has the capacity not just to recall meaning, but to become producers, we can

start to make a change”-Rebecca Solnit

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