PERCEPTION

PERCEPTION >> EDUCATION

An educative goal of the project is to facilitate broad thinking, perceiving patterns, wholes, exercising imagination for living as whole persons. Aldo Leopold believed that to promote perception was part of environmental education, the only truly creative part of "ecological tourism," in his opinion. "The outstanding characteristic of perception is that it entails no consumption and no dilution of resource - only increasing information and knowledge, enlarging consciousness."

Perception, he added, is not purchased with dollars or learned degrees. The British philosopher and mathematician Alfred North Whitehead went further, asserting that the secondhandedness of the learned world is the secret of its mediocrity. The intention of this project is that perception would be provoked by direct firsthand experience, be enhanced by self-reflection, and complemented by research. It would be enlarged by different angles presented by artistic expression to further reveal what is hidden.

In summary, as J.W. von Goethe has observed, the act of knowing the natural world is not merely a subjective activity of the mind. In a real way, it is an evolutionary development of the phenomenon itself , as it becomes ampler, more refined.

• Place is political
  
  
• Thinking is conduct, conduct is social
  
  
• Demonstration
  
  
• Scientific Research
  
  
• Registration
  
  
• Dissemination of knowledge

Place is political

In pre-Christian Greece, place was intimately connected to one's essence. Ousia the Greek word for "landed property," came to mean "being." People are shaped by their niche. Place is political. It shapes perspectives, policies. And what shaping is occurring with respect to the environment?

In São Paulo, university walls are scribbled with graffiti. Buildings, even artifacts, are defaced. Infrastructures are crumbling from neglect. Gardens are dying and overgrown with weeds. They serve as depositories for empty plastic cups, soft-drink cans, candy wrappers, cigarette butts and teachers' reading lists. Faucets and toilets leak. Equipment is inoperable. The lack of a solid environmental studies curriculum that begins with the university ecosystem itself supports the hypothesis that indifference to surroundings is actually (indirectly, but nevertheless effectively) being taught.

The lesson is not merely that the environment is irrelevant. The message implies, by example, that surroundings are to be disrespected. What does this further imply? For one thing, that feelings are not important. One should ignore the senses. Don't see liter, don't hear noise, don't smell the products of pollution. Don't witness crime. Don't cultivate esthetic sensibility. Abstraction and second-hand ideas that are bantered about in seminars have frequently taken the place of exercising common sense.

It is hardly surprising that many of the people responsible for the worst destruction of the environment were taught in such surroundings - university graduates in economics, banking, law, engineering, architecture, technocrats of all kinds. Without such contempt for their own environment could they have brought about such ill-fated projects of "progress," wasteful condominiums, tasteless housing projects, gaudy shopping malls, polluting factories, poorly designed highways, unsustainable energy schemes?

What does the educational institute teach about social justice and sustainable food systems? Often employees are poorly paid, poorly trained, badly supervised, and sullen. Sullenness and insensitivity are the rule of behavior from front-office authorities to the janitors. Local economy is not respected. Food grown nearby is passed over for that provided by distant agribusiness distribution networks. The institution is often more a profit-oriented industrial plant than a temple of knowledge.

In the project being considered here ecology is not a "course." It is part of the foundation of intelligent living in the modern world. In so saying, the educative goals of this project are not different from those laid down by the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment which encourages "educational experiences that facilitate an integrated perception of the environment, making possible more rational action and capacity to respond to social necessities."

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Thinking is conduct, conduct is social

Thinking is a social act, with moral consequences. Human beings are causing destruction of the environment. Humans can also facilitate the repair and elimination of this damage. Part of an ecological system is the perception of those who conduct themselves in its respect. Not only the biological sphere may be studied. The psychology of changing perceptions about it may also be of interest. As, doubtless, may the phenomenon known as "social diffusion:" people doing what others around them do. (Most information campaigns are said to have limited effect on changing behaviors with regard to the environment. What is significant is following one's neighbors. If one uses solar power, another is more likely to do so.) In this project we are trying out on ourselves what, if successful, we may suggest to others.

The promotion of human welfare as it relates to nature and cooperative ventures is also a goal. There are also topics in economics for study. Efficient, non-polluting energy sources, clean water, recycled waste may make good fiscal sense when more than superficial cash profits are considered. Not only in savings but also in employment. For example, the World Watch Institute has issued a report predicting dramatic increases in employment in the solar energy field. In the next twenty years, employment is expected to reach 1.7 million.

Investments in ecosystems may have direct payoffs to communities. Just some of the "services" that ecosystems provide are: Air and water purification, flood and drought mitigation, carbon dioxide storage, waste runoff detoxification and decomposition, soil renewal and soil fertility generation, pollination of crops and natural vegetation, control of most agriculture pests, seed dispersal and nutrient translocation, biodiversity maintenance (from which humanity has derived vital agricultural, medicinal and industrial products), protection from ultraviolet radiation, partial stabilization of climate, moderation of temperature extremes, wind control, support of diverse animal and human cultures, providers of esthetic beauty and psychological well-being.

New York State has reportedly invested one billion dollars in conserving the forest of the Catskills. Springs, which provide water to the state's population centers, originate in these mountains. By guaranteeing florestal protection for them, the state expects to save six billion dollars in downstream water treatment facilities.

The notion of "value" should be considered carefully. Any dollar value put on ecosystems is probably only a short term strategy. If the environment is assigned a number, it is placed on the table of negotiation. As a thing that can be bought and sold clever economists may determine that its extinction is actually cost effect in certain cases. Probably a complete change of perception makes more sense, if biodiversity is to be protected. Perhaps one should speak about nature as one does love, humor, beauty. Everyone knows their value, even though none could put up a figure.

Nevertheless, the dynamics of human groups, social equality, ethics and morality are further subjects that must be confronted. For example, the loss of cultural diversity, agrarian values and rural life as such is a concern of many. This preoccupation may be traced as far back as a theatre scene in the 5th Century BC. Aristophanes causes a farmer, cooped up in Athens, to say, "Loving peace, hating the town, desiring my country village which never ever cried out 'buy charcoal' or 'buy vinegar' or 'buy oil;' it knew not at all 'buy' but instead produced everything itself."

In fact, the preservation of some rural values may be the most important part of developing a sustainable food system. There is some chance that petroleum will dry up. Alternate fuels and fertilizers will then have to be found. Also, fertile soil and irrigation water could be depleted. These developments will likely increase food prices dramatically, since prices have been kept low by exploiting the natural resources mentioned. Even if corporate agriculture were able to feed the world, the farmer who lives on and works his own land plays an important role. Living and making a living are not separate. The land grows food and it grows a different kind of citizen. The loss of this potential is much more difficult to replace.

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Demonstration

Aldo Leopold thought that the best way for people to know what a decent forest (with its inherent wildness and mystery) should look like is to show them one. Thus, part of learning will be seeing, not a manicured theme park but, a decent ecosystem. The role of "windows" is being considered. These are naturally attractive vantage points, "rest stops," where nature can be viewed without it being interfered with. Such experiences contribute both to education and human well-being. Limited and discrete trails may also be used for this purpose. As well as serving for scientific research, they can provide an occasion for delight and an opportunity for researchers and visitors to identify regional native plants and animals. Plant species could be identified and tagged and growth observed. Animal sightings could be recorded.

Not only may a decent forest be seen. A decent food system may be witnessed. Opportunities for hands-on participation in agriculture will also be provided. Decent houses and other structures will also be apparent. Electrical and hydraulic systems will be transparent in order to see how a lived-in home without waste functions. Showing can also be extended with publications and video. Photographs, seeds, leaves and other items may also "register" the ecosystem in a museum/library. Objects of art may be further registers.

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Scientific Research

Beyond increasing "green space," preserving biodiversity, and in general strengthening the ecosystem, the process of reforestation is particularly interesting to study. Especially since the recovery of native woods from pastures in order to offset carbon emissions is of interest in the entire hemisphere. How to facilitate seed dispersal while stemming the invasion of aggressive pasture grasses is among the questions that we are addressing.

Research programs for forest recovery may involve assessing seed banks in forest and pastures. Trapping birds and animals for examination, tagging and releasing might be employed. Catching "seed rain" to plot air dispersal patterns as well as biodiversity may also be involved. One way or another, the basic biology of the ecosystem will be assessed.

Learning is both a goal and a vital side effect of the project. We must know more about our ecosystem (what it consists of) to realize its potential. The woody species that populate the forests are currently being identified. Soon we should know what native species are present? What are missing? A leaf register (exsicata) from each evaluation is being bound into an herbarium. ( More than one hundred species have already been documented.) Monitoring changes is also important. In this regard we are utilizing satellite photographs as well as direct observation.

In recovering pastures to forests, the role of bovines is being carefully studied. As strange as it may seem, cattle may help in several ways. It is known that range animals within the forest trample the delicate undergrowth, compact the soil, provoke erosion, defoliate vulnerable seedlings. However, it has also been noted here that some of this same behavior may have the effect of rejuvenating inactive springs. One well was revived by cattle sinking their hooves into the moist earth while milling around in search of water. Suddenly water began to flow from veins in the perturbed soil. By fencing out the cattle at this point, the spring again became active.

Likewise, under controlled conditions, cattle have aided in stemming aggressive invading grasses. By controlling vegetation, cattle provide vital fire breaks to prevent forest devastation during the dry winter months. Grazing in the shadows on the south side of the forests also weakens invasive grasses to a point that natural seed dispersal may become more efficient (prevailing winds are from the north). In fact, some forest growth has been noted under these conditions. Perhaps through judiciously introducing and then removing animals at the right time reforestation could be facilitated.

Recovery of ponds and marshes together with the likely freedom from agrotoxics has already facilitated an increase in birds present on the land. A recent cursory analysis (winter period) verified the presence of over 100 species of birds. Clearly the aves population and aquatic life have already increased. Traces of increased mammalian movement have also been found.

In addition to studying restoration techniques, sustainable food production is also being investigated systemically (and systematically). That is, thoroughly and as an integral part of the watershed reserve. Plant symbiosis, seed germination, planting, nutrition, natural pest control are some of the topics that are being considered.

Additionally, there is much to learn about the infrastructure and much transferable knowledge that could derive from successful experiments. Conversion of buildings and vehicles to solar energy, design of energy efficient house and laboratory, elimination of waste (including reducing pollution, recycling aluminum, glass, paper, water, organic material), efficient thermodynamic exchanges may also be registered and analyzed.

A vital research subject will be the total biological, social and economic interaction of the watershed ecosystem with the surrounding biosphere, how it is affected by and how it might act as a counsel for "progress."

In summary, what we aim for is a an informal (nonetheless, serious) "university of practical knowledge" in living well in a place.

Registration

A program for mapping the flora (plants, seeds, leaves) with photos, drawings, descriptions; the fauna, with photos, descriptions, skeletons, bird calls; the soil matrix with samples, chemistry and biological analyses, consistency cataloging, humidity; the cultivated areas, water sources and waterways; as well as a history of the property is already underway.

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Dissemination of knowledge

Different perceptions and knowledge gained by the experiences here may be disseminated through scientific articles, books, audio-visual means and art.

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