The Land Ethic Leaders Program
June 2010 class of Land Ethic Leaders
Click here to register for the next session!
Learn to help your community think about complex and changing environmental issues and new ways to discuss our collective values and vision. The two-day Land Ethic Leaders program, held at the Leopold Center in Baraboo, Wisconsin, starting in 2010, will teach community leaders from across the country how to lead reflective discussions using literature, film, and artwork to get people talking about the critical environmental issues of our time and, more deeply, the relationship between our human communities and what Leopold termed "the land community." Learn how to use the film Green Fire as a starting point for these conversations, how to organize and promote Leopold-themed community events, and meet other people interested in Leopold's land ethic philosophy from across the country.
In addition to a modest program fee, applicants also must be able to fund their own travel and accommodations. After attending the program, Land Ethic Leaders will be requested to incorporate what they have learned into events in their communities in various ways.
Interested in learning more about the Land Ethic Leaders?
Our next session will be November 13-14, 2010 at the Leopold Center in Baraboo, Wisconsin. If you would like more information about the program or an application for an upcoming session, please tell us a little about yourself and fill out your contact information below.
What is Land Ethic Leaders?
Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, and the concept of the land ethic itself, are ultimately about values. Our values shape our actions, both in the individual sense and as they relate to our society as a whole. Values and their relationship to individual and community decisions are extremely layered and complex, which can make it hard to find common ground to discuss them in an open, neutral setting. The Land Ethic Leaders program aims to help communities explore those values. We have partnered with another non-profit organization called the Project on Civic Reflection in designing the Land Ethic Leaders program, and through their years of research we’ve learned that the practice of reflective discussion can build three important qualities in participants:
1. Clarity (about values, why we do the work we do, or more generally—why we make the choices we make)
2. Commitment (to our values, our work, and our choices); and
3. A heightened sense of community connection through appreciation of our shared values.
We believe these are key pieces of the puzzle in really engaging people in a meaningful dialogue about our individual and collective commitments to the natural world.
The Basis for the Program
Much of the discussion of environmental issues in American society today focuses on identifying problems and formulating solutions. It is prescriptive rather than reflective. Very little time or space is given to contemplating the root causes of these problems, their ethical implications, or our personal and communal connections with the natural world.
One of Aldo Leopold’s great strengths as a scientist and communicator was his ability to weave reflections on history, social trends, and ethics into his deliberation of ecological issues. To follow his lead today, we consider it important to create opportunities for dialogue about humanity’s relationships to the natural world that is not bounded by a need to produce solutions to specific problems. Out of these contemplative conversations will naturally arise new ideas and inspiration for active engagement.
The Value of Discussion
Global climate change, air and water pollution, loss of biological diversity and a rising human population are just a few of the complex and challenging issues we face today. Working on conservation—whether it be through education, community outreach, research, or restoration—can be gratifying, but it can also be emotionally draining. Deep understanding and knowledge of the full implications of the ecological problems before us can lead to a feeling of helplessness and disengagement, a sentiment that affects professionals and concerned citizens alike.
The Land Ethic Leaders training attempts to directly address this issue by giving you a chance to explore, question, and reaffirm your beliefs and values, deepening your commitment to conservation and your communities. The training aims to empower you to create similar dialogues in your own towns and workplaces, getting people talking about environmental issues in deeper, more meaningful ways.
Observe, Participate, Reflect
The Land Ethic Leaders program is rooted in Leopold’s own method of engaging his family and students in developing a personal land ethic—observing the natural world through scientific inquiry, participating in purposeful work on the land, and reflecting on their experiences. Together, these activities can bring people to a new understanding and respect for the landscape around them. The program will be held in the same Wisconsin landscape that deeply inspired Leopold, along the Wisconsin River near Baraboo.