I see a world where every village great and small is a micronation of complete sustainability and economic freedom, linked to each other through technology and the undistorted language of a land ethic governed commerce. If you want a tomorrow for our children; if you genuinely want world peace, you will share in and bring about this vision.
- Frank Costanzo
Peerless Green Initiatives
November 2010, Kolkata, UNEP Seminar on Diversity Management of At-Risk Commercially Valuable Crops Through Community-Technology Integration
The notion that inalienable rights have national borders is over. The age of the political map is over. We are entering is the next age of human enlightment. The geographic and human global map has demanded its due. We cannot carry on as we have because we know what's the inevitable outcome. It is now a question of morality.
- Frank Costanzo
Peerless Green Initiatives
March 2012, Statement for presentation at Rio+20
Published in 1949 as the finale to A Sand County Almanac, Leopold’s ‘Land Ethic’ defined a new relationship between people and nature and set the stage for the modern conservation movement. Leopold understood that ethics direct individuals to cooperate with each other for the mutual benefit of all. One of his philosophical achievements was the
This recognition, according to Leopold, implies individuals play an important role in protecting and preserving the health of this expanded definition of a community.
“A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of land.”
Central to Leopold’s philosophy is the assertion to “quit thinking about decent land use as solely an economic problem.” While recognizing the influence economics have on decisions, Leopold understood that ultimately, our economic well being could not be separated from the well being of our environment. Therefore, he believed it was critical that people have a close personal connection to the land.
“We can be ethical only in relation to something we can see, feel, understand,
love, or otherwise have faith in.”
Leopold’s Land Ethic
What Are Ethics?
People tend to use the term ethics in two different ways.
“The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the
Reprint from The Aldo Leopold Foundation http://www.aldoleopold.org/AldoLeopold/leopold_bio.shtml
Fair Use Notice: This post contains copyrighted material that has not been authorized by the copyright owners. PGI believes this educational use on the Green Eye Web-blog constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.) If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Fair Use notwithstanding we will immediately comply with any copyright owner who wants their material removed or modified or wants us to link to their web site which we routinely do as a business practice notwithstanding.
- Frank Costanzo
Peerless Green Initiatives
November 2010, Kolkata, UNEP Seminar on Diversity Management of At-Risk Commercially Valuable Crops Through Community-Technology Integration
The notion that inalienable rights have national borders is over. The age of the political map is over. We are entering is the next age of human enlightment. The geographic and human global map has demanded its due. We cannot carry on as we have because we know what's the inevitable outcome. It is now a question of morality.
- Frank Costanzo
Peerless Green Initiatives
March 2012, Statement for presentation at Rio+20
Published in 1949 as the finale to A Sand County Almanac, Leopold’s ‘Land Ethic’ defined a new relationship between people and nature and set the stage for the modern conservation movement. Leopold understood that ethics direct individuals to cooperate with each other for the mutual benefit of all. One of his philosophical achievements was the
idea that this ‘community’ should be enlarged to include non-human elements such as soils, waters, plants, and animals, “or collectively: the land.”
“That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics.”
This recognition, according to Leopold, implies individuals play an important role in protecting and preserving the health of this expanded definition of a community.
“A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of land.”
Central to Leopold’s philosophy is the assertion to “quit thinking about decent land use as solely an economic problem.” While recognizing the influence economics have on decisions, Leopold understood that ultimately, our economic well being could not be separated from the well being of our environment. Therefore, he believed it was critical that people have a close personal connection to the land.
“We can be ethical only in relation to something we can see, feel, understand,
love, or otherwise have faith in.”
Leopold’s Land EthicWhat Are Ethics?
People tend to use the term ethics in two different ways.
Ethics help us decide how we ought to live. In their most general form, we might say that ethics are the standards we employ (among other factors) to determine our actions. They are prescriptive in that they tell us what we should or ought to do and which values we should or ought to hold. They also help us evaluate whether something is good or bad, right or wrong.
Leopold’s example: “A land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land
community to plain member and citizen of it…it implies respect for his fellow-members, and also
respect for the community as such.”
Ethics explain why things are important to us. Ethics are also concerned with how and why we value certain things and what actions properly reflect those values. In this sense, ethics appear more descriptive. Just as it is possible for taste to be a neutral and descriptive term –appreciation for a work of art can be a matter of taste – ethics can operate the same way.
Leopold’s example: “Sometimes in June, when I see unearned dividends of dew hung on every
lupine, I have doubts about the real poverty of the sands…do economists know about lupines?”
“The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the
community to include
soils, waters, plants,
and animals, or collectively: the land.”
- ALDO LEOPOLDReprint from The Aldo Leopold Foundation http://www.aldoleopold.org/AldoLeopold/leopold_bio.shtml
Fair Use Notice: This post contains copyrighted material that has not been authorized by the copyright owners. PGI believes this educational use on the Green Eye Web-blog constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.) If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Fair Use notwithstanding we will immediately comply with any copyright owner who wants their material removed or modified or wants us to link to their web site which we routinely do as a business practice notwithstanding.
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