Qualities of Ecocentric Communities

Qualities of Ecocentric Communities

I recently read an excerpt from Derek Jensen’s book titled “Endgame” that listed ten (of the twenty) premises of industrial civilization and the inherent problems with this form of living.  The writing, though perhaps considered extreme and alarmist by some, has correctly described the problem (in my opinion).  I wanted to expand on these ten premises that Jensen has authored with my own take on what the opposite end of the spectrum looks like.  I have chosen to present only the first ten premises to keep the writing relatively brief.

Have You Eaten the Feather-shoe?

Have You Eaten the Feather-shoe?

Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) is one of the most valuable wild plants for those following a rewilding path.  It offers food, medicine, and relatively strong fibers for those that know how to identify and process this plant.  One of its indigenous names is wiphunakson (pronounced weep-hoo-NAHK-sun), which means “feather-shoe” in Passamaquoddy, a very fitting name for this species’ fruit.

Asclepias syriaca is such a valuable wild food because it is available (in some form) for a large portion of the growing season.  The spring shoots emerge in mid-May, and from then until at least mid-August (in my part of the world; western Maine) new foods continue to be produced by this plant, including tender leaves, flower buds, open flowers, immature fruits, and immature seeds.  This time of year (Apsqewi-kisuhs, around August on the Gregorian Calendar), it is the fruits and immature seeds within those fruits that we consume as a food.

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ReWilding Fundamentals

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ReWilding Fundamentals

Rewilding is a process for creating humans who can live in a healthful, truly sustainable manner, in close connection with their local landscape (i.e., as part of the wild ecology).  It is a trajectory that anyone can follow, regardless of where they live.

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Traits of Hunter-Gatherer Diets

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Traits of Hunter-Gatherer Diets

Hunter-gatherers serve as wonderful models for examining the food habits of humans.  Not only has hunting and gathering been practiced since long before anatomically modern humans appeared, but the people that practiced this method of food acquisition represented some of the healthiest people on the planet (those that were still consuming their traditional diet and had ample space to practice their diet and lifestyle).

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The Zen of Cheap Stuff

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The Zen of Cheap Stuff

Most everyone recognizes that there is truth to saying “you get what you pay for”.  For the most part, cheaper products don’t function as well as higher priced goods.  Further, products made with cheaper materials don’t last as long and are more likely to be defective and/or break sooner than the higher priced items.

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Vitamin C and Ascorbic Acid Are Not the Same Thing

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Vitamin C and Ascorbic Acid Are Not the Same Thing

We have been trained in this country to think of many things as isolated features.  Whether it is nutrition, or medicine, or even how we examine ourselves relative to the environment we live in, we are convinced that we can understand complex structures and processes by understanding the individual parts.

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Domestication and the Concurrent Loss of Responsibility

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Domestication and the Concurrent Loss of Responsibility

If people were to examine the lives of wild animals, they would clearly see that these organisms are responsible for every aspect of their lives—acquiring nutrition, keeping warm, avoiding predators, rearing young, and so on.  If we contrast this with farm animals, we see a completely different existence.