scoot away from me on their long and spindly legs as my hands cut through the surface of the water. My breathing settles and my thoughts fall away as I focus on the movement of my legs and arms, propelling me forward. The sun strains to break through the marshmallow clouds, its weak rays reflecting off the surface of the water. If there is anything as peaceful as this, I have yet to discover it. Dr. Melissa Lem, a Vancouver family physician and longtime advocate of the health benefits of nature, remembers feeling that same quieting effect while spending time outdoors. (Lem and I went to high school together.) “I grew up feeling that connection to nature and not necessarily feel... posted on Jul 12 2024 (2,293 reads)

Dunn leads the way, barefoot, down a winding track behind her house to the banks of Birrurung, or the Yarra river. As we sit on the dry grass in the late afternoon of a 40-degree day, the cicadas chirp and there’s a sense of ease despite the intense heat. The only giveaway that we are in Australia’s second largest city is the distant hum of traffic. As I talk with Claire in this little patch of nature, I start to sense how, as humans, we can also find our way back to the wilder parts within ourselves. The chatter of my domesticated mind begins to fade to a distant hum. Claire is a guide to the wilds inside and out, and her passion is nature-based human development. Sinc... posted on Mar 1 2021 (4,751 reads)

parleys of information that give rise to everything in the created universe. Sound perplexing? Well, as a group of scientists are discovering, this orderly chaotic buzz is the way of the world, and if you just sit down and think about it, really think hard about it, or take long walks in the woods like Dee Hock did, you might find yourself surfing waves of miraculous and intricate order foaming at the narrow edge of chaos. Look deeply enough and you will discover the true nature of all of evolution's architecture. Dee Hock is the founder and former CEO of Visa International, the most successful business venture on Earth. Could this former bank manager with a con... posted on May 30 2013 (35,215 reads)

it didn’t happen. How did you approach this? BS: You’re not successful if you try to block out anything, because that’s a futile endeavor. The approach that we took was one of inclusion, but perhaps a more enthusiastic inclusion of other aspects of the community that had a greater depth to them in a certain way, a historical depth. The rivers that run through the town. That is an important specific. The image of the town arising out of the rolling hills of Connecticut; and nature, the nature that’s particularly at that site. We were just talking about the artwork that we put into the building, of ducks that used to be in the courtyard of the old school. We wish... posted on Aug 22 2016 (17,212 reads)

the wake of the Sandy Hook school shootings, we’ve talked about gun laws and mental-health treatment, amid a host of other responses. But one potential tool has not been mentioned. Now, let me say right off that I don’t pretend that nature is a paragon of peace. Writer Herman Melville once challenged the idea of nature as “the grand cure,” as he put it, and asked “who froze to death my teamster on the prairie?” The violence of nature is a fact, but this is also true: by assaulting nature, we raise the odds that we will assault each other. By bringing nature into our lives, we invite humility. “In our studies, people with less access to natur... posted on Nov 14 2016 (18,949 reads)

had grown only vegetables for 35 years without crop rotation and tons of fertilizers. When they ran out of ground water, the owner decided to sell it and we happened to buy it. It really didn’t matter that much to us so we planted about 9,000 hardy trees, a good percentage of them survived and the land rejuvenated itself. It is a source of everyday joy to wake up to the mini forest and the birds and the countless rabbits that are running across. It still gives me a startle. It is all nature’s work. You take one step and nature takes 10 steps. This is where we are today. One Experiment Leading to Another There were a few learnings in this process. You step into one holist... posted on Sep 22 2016 (25,871 reads)

plants that grow out of pavements have a history longer than our own. Birds communicate their news in songs and calls. Insects tunnel their way through the earth. The clouds draw the geography of the sky and the stars speak the language of light. We are surrounded by a living and vibrant universe that we barely know, and that we rarely feel as our own. On any given day, you may connect with nature at some random moment. Perhaps you take a quick look at the sky, admire the moon when it draws a perfect arabesque in the darkness, or stop to admire some blooms on a flower stall. On holiday, you may allow yourself to live a fleeting love affair with the sea, a river, or the green silence o... posted on Sep 5 2021 (4,816 reads)

July 2021 From genetic engineering to geoengineering, we treat nature as though it’s a machine. This view of nature has deep roots in Western thought, all the way to Descartes and Hobbs, but it’s a fundamental misconception with potentially disastrous consequences, argues Jeremy Lent. Climate change, avers Rex Tillerson, ex-CEO of ExxonMobil and erstwhile US Secretary of State,  “is an engineering problem, and it has engineering solutions.” This brief statement encapsulates how the metaphor of the machine underlies the way our mainstream culture views the natural world. It also hints at the grievous dangers involved in perceiving nature in this way... posted on Sep 12 2021 (4,861 reads)

the prescription is still on the fridge! I can’t thank you enough!” That rang a bell. I have been giving out old-school paper prescriptions for about two years now, where I prescribe non-pharmaceutical steps that have been proven to make people healthier. Apparently, I had given him one to get outside and take in the natural beauty of the sunset. “Thank you, Mr. T.,” I said. “That means a lot to me, and your feedback really helps!” I had heard that nature can make people happier and healthier, but, embarrassingly, I envisioned it for more “outdoorsy” people like me, whatever that means. Also, I assumed it would offer just a slight bu... posted on Oct 25 2021 (6,887 reads)

limitations, see the limitation of the mind, and see that what we have given primary authority too is actually not the deepest truth, and not the deepest intelligence, and certainly not the wisest aspect of our self. I'm not original in this, but I often say that the mind is a good servant, but a poor master. So, it's not about negating the mind, but it's actually about seeing its limits, seeing that there are places that it can't go. And particularly when it comes to our true nature, which is non-objective, the mind really needs to understand that it can't understand. It needs to know that it can't know. So, this is a very important part of the teaching, and it ... posted on Dec 23 2019 (9,049 reads)

into English, despite its invaluable significance illuminating profound musical practices not well known outside of Tuva. This was one of many reasons I traveled across the world to interview her in 2014. Together, we journeyed to remote villages near the borders of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China to meet musicians, shamans, hunters and instrument builders. These remarkable people embody the unique ways traditional Tuvan culture syncretizes music, spirituality, and a quantum perception of nature. The following is an excerpt from a considerably longer interview with Valentina, some of which is included in “Echoes of the Invisible.” The accompanying photos were taken by my pr... posted on Sep 2 2021 (3,925 reads)

of financial, social or physical challenges. The Sounds True Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to providing these transformational tools to communities in need, including at-risk youth, prisoners, veterans, and those in developing countries. If you’d like to learn more or feel inspired to become a supporter, please visit soundstruefoundation.org. You’re listening to Insights at the Edge. Today is a special rebroadcast of a classic episode with someone who is a force of nature, Wim Hof. Originally from the Netherlands, Wim Hof has been nicknamed “The Iceman” for his ability to withstand extreme cold. He has set 21 Guinness world records including the ice ... posted on Nov 2 2021 (3,384 reads)

people use, and for which no individual is solely responsible. Moreover, in asking the question, “What happens when everyone says me first!?” he recognized the impact of individual decisions on the larger whole. Without knowing it, he stepped right into the middle of the greatest dilemma in commons-related issues: each individual action is defensible on its own, but they can combine to have a devastating impact on the larger whole. Many children intuitively grasp the nature of systems, as Jack did. They can see, for instance, how a common but limited resource, such as water, air, land, highways, fisheries, energy, or minerals becomes overloaded or over-used, and h... posted on Dec 24 2012 (20,105 reads)

focus, unable to understand our multi-faceted problems from an interdisciplinary perspective, we urgently need a science and technology that honor and respect the unity of all life, recognize the fundamental interdependence of all natural phenomena, and reconnect us with the living Earth. What we need today is exactly the kind of synthesis Leonardo outlined 500 years ago. A science of living forms At the core of Leonardo's synthesis lies his life-long quest for understanding the nature of the living forms of nature. He asserts repeatedly that painting involves the study of natural forms, of qualities, and he emphasizes the intimate connection between the artistic representati... posted on Apr 21 2014 (20,225 reads)

wildness. —David W. Orr There is a bold new movement underway in school systems across North America and around the world. Educators, parents, and students are remaking K–12 education to prepare students for the environmental challenges of the coming decades. They are discovering that guidance for living abundantly on a finite planet lies, literally, under their feet and all around them—in living soil, food webs and water cycles, energy from the sun, and everywhere that nature reveals her ways. Smart by Nature schooling draws on 3.8 billion years of natural research and development to find solutions to problems of sustainable living, make teaching and learning more m... posted on May 21 2016 (15,642 reads)

and many with both. An estimated 6 million American children have been diagnosed with ADHD. Physical activity is known to help combat and prevent these disorders, but a walk down a busy traffic-filled street doesn’t cut it. A walk in the woods, however, works. Just 90 minutes can decrease activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex—a region associated with rumination (dwelling on negative thoughts, for example). Perhaps unsurprisingly, exposure to nature can significantly reduce stress. It also alleviates symptoms of anxiety, depression, and ADHD. Spending even a short amount of time in green space can lower blood pressure; it ca... posted on Oct 7 2018 (10,612 reads)

communication. I knew I would get tossed to the dogs. And so it was with a great deal of trepidation, to use this language, and I am getting a lot of backlash over it, especially since the book has been published, but — Tippett:Oh, you are, again, now — still? Simard:Yes, I am. But to me, we’re at the point where we have to — I feel, you know — I felt it was really important. We’ve got to move beyond this, right? We’ve got to embrace our place in nature as one with nature and that these trees, they evolved long before we did, and these networks — for example, the biological neural networks which we’ve found, they exist throughout n... posted on Jun 1 2022 (4,087 reads)

early formative years? Matthew: Sure. I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. It's a capital city and it's also a university city, though it wasn't very large. It was about 65,000 in population when I was a kid. It had four really severe seasons. I remember one winter when I was young, there was so much snow, we had to go out on the second floor. You couldn't open the doors downstairs. So, I knew what winter was [chuckles] as well as fall and spring and summer. It was very nature-based. There are five lakes within the city grounds. And, there's a great presence of Native American spirit in Wisconsin. I had many dreams as a child about Native American consciousness. ... posted on Sep 8 2022 (3,305 reads)

this assignment, says Bill McDonough in a recent TED talk: Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, converts nitrogen into ammonia, distills water, stores solar energy as fuel, builds complex sugars, creates microclimates, changes color with the seasons, and self-replicates. Sound impossible? Well, nature’s already completed this one. It’s called 
a plant. And the fact that it does these things safely and efficiently is inspiring engineers and designers to reconceive the ways we manufacture such basics as soap bottles, raincoats, and wall-to-wall carpeting. The trio wrote two pivotal books—Benyus’ Biomimicry: ... posted on Feb 27 2013 (12,441 reads)

Vision Quest she writes, “I don’t know anyone whose life hasn’t been an incredible journey of ups and downs, sorrow in the midst of great joy and, even more amazing, joy in the midst of the deepest chasms of sorrow.” How to make sense of it all? At some point, it’s necessary to realize that one’s own health is intricately connected to the health of the world we live in—thus her second program. And since our feelings of grief and despair about damaged nature may be mirrored by our own wounds, it’s not such a leap to see how personal healing and attending to damaged nature—to grieving what is lost and discovering nature’s hidden re... posted on Jul 22 2013 (18,853 reads)