As I tried to understand what it means to be eco-literate, I was instantly brought back to the preface in Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Kimmerer said that “It is an intertwining of science, spirit, and story – old ones and new ones that can be medicine for our broken relationships with earth…” I think that our idea of an eco-literate person cannot be bound together by only one definition, but rather by multiple strands bound together. Like a braid, not one strand works on its own but each simultaneously working together. Furthermore, to understand what being eco-literate means I must intertwine my own strand of understanding along with other people’s strands of what they understand.
Jessalyn and Robyn both offer different perspectives of their own understandings of being ecolitçerate. Jessalyn emphasizes that to be eco-literate one does not have to jump to extreme measures but first start simple and go on from there. She mentions how even when it seems like nothing is going right they just keep trying again to better the environment “I don’t know how you deal with something so stubborn year after year”, this is a great example of how one has to be patient and love the environment. This automatically brought me back to the idea of “Frilutsliv”, this Norwegian philosophy embodies the idea that returning to nature, is returning home. They both connect emotionally and mentally to nature and help them realize what is truly important. Similarly, Robyn wrote how respecting the environment is a major part of being eco-literate, “I thank you for your persistence and dedication to the environment”. She made it clear that she you must put in effort in order to make the change you want to see. My poem made a point that “Awareness is key, to know is to be”, just as well Robyn notes how to be eco-literate is to be conscious about what you put into the earth.
When combining all of our pieces together, I gain a better understanding of what it means to be eco-literate. Robyn offered a similar perspective that one needs to be aware of what is going on around them. Both Jessalyn and Robyn had key points in their letters that in order to help the environment, we must first respect it. I also agree that these are major factors in what it means to be eco-literate. After intertwining our three perspectives, I know obtain a much stronger understanding of what ecoliteracy means, and how we can embrace this in our everyday lives.
References:
Gelter, H. (2000). Friluftsliv: The Scandinavian Philosophy of Outdoor Life. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education. 5(1), 77-92.
Wall Kimmerer, Robin. (2013). Preface (pp. ix-x), in Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge & the Teachings of Plants. Minnesota, MN: Milkweed Editions.
Skylla George 