An American Ecologue

As students work through the literature and discussions of the course, they are accumulating personal writing in their journals to reflect America’s ecological values. At the end of the term, they are asked to make a list of these principles, reflecting on each of the authors we have read to find a set of “commandments” that includes the earth or a bill of rights that takes democracy to the level of the community of the land, as Leopold has defined it. The following is an example of one class’s set of values. I took each student’s list, tried to recognize identical or equivalent values, and built the following list. Each student can recognize her or his contribution by the initials after the wording or synopsis provided. All of these values in words are like this longleaf pine sapling, not much until they are joined to action.

The Earth Commandments

E-ES270 - April, 1994 

RESPECT

Honor the earth. CM

Enjoy and respect the earth at the same time. CM

Respect others and the things around. LH SB

Respect others' beliefs. LH

Treat others as you would want to be treated. LH KP CM

Respect all animals. AJ

Respect animals as creatures with rights and feelings. VL

Treat wildlife with reverence and fight to preserve it. JM

Respect nature and its inhabitants. CW

Remember animals are little people in fur coats, have feelings too. SB

Honor all life and its intrinsic right to exist. AD

I shall respect living things and not interfere with their way of life. NW

Be kind to other life forms. BA

Treat natural surroundings as if you were going to be immortal. KP

I shall not harm the earth with something it cannot endure. NW

Place as much importance on the health of your environment as you

would upon your own health. JP

Treat the land as if it were your own. JM

Keep your land sacred. KL

Regard life as the most sacred thing of all. JZ

Respect all soil. AJ

POLLUTION

Don't pollute. AJ CW AD KL

Do anything you can to keep pollutants out of the earth. SB

Don't harm the environment. JM

Don't harm the earth, it's essential for life. CM

Car pool. CW

Find alternative forms of energy (solar). AJ

Don't pollute waters and animals with boats. VL

Walk and ride bikes. VL

Use alternate forms of transportation. Walk, bike, roller. DP

Don't feel you are better than any life on earth, because if that life didn't exist, neither would you. Diversity is good. CM

Conserve fossil fuels. DP

THE WAY

Only take what is needed. LH AJ CW JM KP CM BA JZ KL NW

Don't take out what we don't want to lose. AJ

Conservation is a must. AJ CW

Don't waste. JM

Don't throw things away before I know the consequences. JE

Don't assume abundance of resources. CW

Don't excessively use natural resources. SB

Don't take for the sake of having more than someone else. JE

Live so as to have minimal impact upon the environment. JE

Be conscious of my surroundings and understand my role. JE

Do not steal from the land for your own use (jewels). KL

Preserve nature to your best ability. DP

Don't conform to evils of our materialistic society who try to commodify nature. BA

Do not use an excess of material goods. DP

Avoid mass consumption. DP

Use natural rather than synthetic materials. DP

RECYCLING

Reduce, reuse, recycle. VL

Learn to recycle. AD KP DP

Consume with a view toward regeneration. JP

Do not disturb things that don't belong to you. LH

Take care of personal property as well as government. AJ

Live within nature. CM

TREASURE

Treat the earth as a precious gift.

Do not take it for granted. LH CW SB CM BW JZ

Realize the future will be inhabited by those affected

by your actions today. JP

Realize our children and theirs will live on this earth one day. LH

Protect the world we live in. CW Take care of what you have. SB

Think of others (including env.) before you act. BW LH

Think of the impact your action will have on the environment. SB

I shall stop and consider the results of my actions before doing. NW

NATURE APPRECIATION

Give back to the earth. VL

Incorporate nature into everyday life. (set aside one day a week) CW

Take time out of every day to notice something new. SB

Take time to enjoy nature. AD CM to spend as much time as possible outdoors, walking BA

Don't live without realizing you are a part of nature. AD

Love yourself. AD

ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION

The earth lives for itself, not for the benefit of others. CM

Establish ecological education. CW

Educate yourself to help the earth. AD

Don't be ignorant of the problems society is causing. KP

Support env. educational groups to change for better. BW

Read as much as possible others' opinions for truth in thinking. BW

Learn more about "green" technologies and apply to my life. JE

Convince people to alter their ways until the old ways are obsolete. JE

Teach other humans to avoid waste and excess. DP

I shall learn more about the environment before taking from or adding to it. NW

COURTESY

Don't disturb natural acts. SB

Don't destroy without creating. AD

Keep in mind that everything is alive for a purpose. KL

Take an active part in your community. JM

Always help your neighbors whether they deserve it or not. JZ

I shall respect my neighbors and try to keep peace. NW

Be fair and kind; carelessness hurts others. BA

Try to be friends with everyone. BA

Honor, respect, and love your family and friends. JZ

Be polite. BA

Don't use physical force against others. BA

Try to understand other people's point of view. BA

Don't make your problems a two-man problem. LH

NUTRITION and GARDENING

Eat healthily and enjoy the fruits of the earth. BA

Don't eat excess of meat. BW

Plant a garden with both vegetables and flowers. BW

ECOJUSTICE

Repair the damage of others to the environment. KP

Don't ignore the illegal destruction of others. KP

Don't listen to Rush Limbaugh. JE

Take a stand on what you know to be right. AD

Implement ethics for our society's well-being. DP

Truth and sacrifice are the highest moral qualities. JZ

Always avoid prejudice, believing of another only what you believe of yourself. JZ

Always examine and qualify your relationship to nature,

enriching the world gives rewards of heaven. JZ

Understand that there can be necessity and positive benefits in things we don't understand. JP

Don't smoke. CW

Make smokers suffocate in walled rooms. VL

ANIMALS

Don't use products that test on animals. VL

Don't wear animal skins or bones unless animal was already dead. VL

Don't use animals for selfish purposes/recreation. VL

Don't eat animals or their by-products. VL

WILDERNESS

Keep secrets, i.e. don't allow tourists into National Parks and protected areas. VL

Leave things better than you found them. LH

Let Nature take its course in the wild. AJ

Leave everything the way you found it. JZ

Pick up before you leave. LH Don't litter. CW KP

Don't promote development, discourage it. DP

Don't have too many children. DP