In our seventh episode, we are joined by Ben Stopford, who discusses a very hot topic at the moment and shares his views and experiences on deep ecology and permaculture. Not sure what they are? Don't worry - he explains it all during the episode and talks passionately about the nurturing of the Ecological Self. Below are some of the key elements we discussed...
THE REGENERATION OF BELONGING
In this episode we are highlighting the importance of your feeling of belonging to this world, to the land, to be more sustainable, to recognise climate change, to make a difference locally and explore your Ecological Self (your relationship with all of the above as an extended Self).
Ben explains the importance of building a connection with your garden, for example growing food in your garden, creating a space to sit in peace and connect to nature. We discuss the vitamin content in our fruit and vegetables and how levels have dropped quite considerably.
Ben talks about how the average person on earth is not flourishing. One of his approaches to help is to become more actively engaged in bioregionalism - reducing your focus down to a geographical region called a bioregion. The idea is you become familiar with what is around you within a 10 mile radius, to help break down the feeling of ‘overwhelm’ or ‘where can I start’ when it comes to ecological matters.
We talk about how we can re-educate ourselves by asking the basic questions such as what is nature, what does it mean to be in the world, what is the self in relation to the world - exploring the ecological Self.
Sibby mentions the book The Overstory (written by Richard Powers) - and gives an example about how we should listen more to trees. This plays a role in us understanding how we develop a respect for all things in nature and therefore assisting the eco system to flourish - helping it to express itself.
We discuss experiencing a higher state of living versus a high quality of life. How do our priorities shape our approaches for example do we prioritise efficiency and easiness over a high quality food product?
Ben talks about how environmentalism can sometimes be viewed as a sacrifice - in the quest to become more ecological. However he gives some examples of it actually being the opposite and how it can create a deeper richer connection.
We ask the question are we ascending (shifting our consciousness) and does this mean that as a collective we may start to start to move away from commercialism and consumerism? Is this a natural progression as we start to become more aware of our natural resources and the personal connection that modern day consumerism doesn’t really offer.
Ben discusses the work of Ecophilosopher Joanna Macy PhD. She talks about 3 stories that we connect to - the ‘business as usual’ narrative which is the dominant one. The great turning - participating in wholly new ways of being (doing things in a new and different way) and the great unravelling (protest movements) for example - I refuse to participate in this way (the accepted norm). Ben also mentions her work on what she refers to as ‘active hope’ - and that the masses may feel hopeless over our planet crisis, but by narrowing down the things you can participate in and actually taking action - you can turn this into feeling more empowered. To find out more about her work, go to: www.activehope.info
You can join Ben on his online platform - all about the ecological Self. Helping you to lean into your bio-region, explore it more fully, explore your connection to the area and your own connection to it. Developing and expanding your sense of self - where do I begin and end? What do you value?
You can find out more about Ben by visiting his website: www.consciousroots.co.uk.
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