“Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

These are the words of the famous conservationist, Aldo Leopold. While he is best known for his book, “The Sand County Almanac,” he wrote many essays and commentaries on the state of our human relationship to the natural world that is our home.

I am saddened so often by our human ways of interacting with the land we live on. We often express, in the regulations we follow and in the priorities we set for communities, a value of nature that is centered on what it can provide us and how we can use it up for our own benefit. And usually that is a monetary benefit.

I think we could all change our attitudes  for the better if we just think about the ramifications of this comment, also from Aldo Leopold:

“The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land … In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.”

I truly cannot think of any better way to put it. I would challenge us all to begin thinking of our natural home and the land that surrounds us as a corporate member of our community. Try it! It truly opens your eyes and makes you think deeply about our human impact and interactions.

Stillwaters Environmental Center (www.stillwatersenvironmentalcenter.org) is starting a Discussion Group called “Hungry for Change: Food, Ethics & Sustainability”; if you are interested, call (360) 297-1226.