Embracing the Essence of Spirited Ecology
Spirited Ecology is an innovative approach that blends spirituality and ecological consciousness to foster a deeper connection between humans and the natural world. It encourages individuals to recognize the interconnectedness of all living beings, urging them to appreciate the intrinsic value of nature and all its inhabitants. This holistic perspective emphasizes that our actions have a direct impact on the environment and that it is our responsibility to care for the Earth.
Central to Spirited Ecology is the understanding that human well-being and environmental health are intertwined. By adopting sustainable practices and cultivating mindfulness, individuals can contribute to the overall health of the planet. This approach also underscores the importance of community engagement and collaboration in addressing environmental challenges.
By integrating spiritual principles with environmental stewardship, Spirited Ecology seeks to create a paradigm shift in the way we perceive our relationship with the natural world. It promotes reverence for nature, sustainable living, mindfulness, and community involvement as key components of a balanced and harmonious existence.
As we face unprecedented environmental challenges, Spirited Ecology offers a hopeful and transformative path forward. By embracing the spirit of nature and fostering a deep connection with the Earth, we can work together to create a more sustainable, compassionate, and thriving world for all living beings.
Rekindling the Spirit of Nature
In a world consumed by rapid urbanization and technological advancements, the call of the spirit of nature can often be muted. However, renowned environmentalist and author Dr. Jane Goodall reminds us of the profound connection between humans and the natural world.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.
– Goodall
Recent studies suggest that embracing the spirit of nature can have transformative effects on our well-being and mental health. According to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, spending time in nature significantly reduces stress levels, increases positive emotions, and fosters a sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves (Capaldi et al., 2014). In the words of naturalist John Muir, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”
Despite the undeniable benefits of connecting with the spirit of nature, modern society seems to be drifting further away from it. The World Wildlife Fund’s 2020 Living Planet Report reveals that global populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles have declined by 68% in just 50 years (WWF, 2020). This staggering decline serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to rekindle our relationship with nature.
In an attempt to revitalize our bond with the environment, initiatives like the Spirited Ecology movement promote a holistic approach to environmental stewardship that combines spiritual principles with ecological awareness. By fostering a deeper connection between people and the natural world, Spirited Ecology aims to promote sustainable living, environmental stewardship, and a more harmonious existence on Earth.
As we embark on a journey to rediscover the spirit of nature, let us heed the words of Chief Seattle, a 19th-century Native American leader: “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect” (Seattle, 1854). By embracing this interconnectedness, we can begin to restore the balance between humanity and the natural world.
Key Principles of Spirited Ecology
Interconnectedness
Recognizing that all living beings and ecosystems are connected and interdependent, Spirited Ecology seeks to foster a sense of unity with nature. By understanding these connections, people can work together to create a healthier, more sustainable world.
Reverence of Nature
A core principle of Spirited Ecology is that the natural world should be treated with respect and reverence. This means honoring the intrinsic value of all living beings and ecosystems, regardless of their perceived usefulness to humans.
Sustainable Living
Spirited Ecology encourages individuals to adopt sustainable practices in their daily lives, such as reducing waste, conserving resources, and supporting local economies. By making conscious choices, individuals can minimize their environmental impact and contribute to the overall health of the planet.
Mindfulness and Self Awareness
Practicing mindfulness and cultivating self-awareness can help individuals better understand their impact on the environment and make more informed decisions. By being present and attentive, people can develop a deeper connection with nature and work toward more sustainable lifestyles.
Environment and Sustainability Updates
- Nature Ecology & Evolution, Published online: 27 May 2024; doi:10.1038/s41559-024-02413-9Analysing strontium isotope ratios for individuals of 18 bovid and equid species dating to the Last Glacial Period (115–11.7 ka), the authors find that 16 of these species lack definitive evidence of migration, even those species that are long-distance migrants today.
- Nature Ecology & Evolution, Published online: 24 May 2024; doi:10.1038/s41559-024-02423-7This Review discusses challenges and best practices for archiving genetics and genomics data to make them more accessible and FAIR compliant.
- Nature Ecology & Evolution, Published online: 21 May 2024; doi:10.1038/s41559-024-02414-8An analysis of fish and macroinvertebrate communities in European rivers over 32 years shows that inland ship traffic is associated with declining taxonomic richness, diversity and trait richness and with increased taxonomic evenness.
- According to a new modeling study, 62% of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) designated to protect rare migratory fish species are outside of their core habitats. The findings are published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.
- Corals play an essential role in ocean ecosystems, and like many organisms, they are under threat from climate change and other human activities. To better protect coral, it's first necessary to understand them, in particular their reproductive life cycle, which only happens once a year.
- A new study by researchers from the University of Sydney provides new insights into the behavior of juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS), a significant contributor to coral reef devastation in the Indo-Pacific region. The research, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, explores how chemical cues from their environment influence their movement and dietary transition to become coral eaters.
- The toe tapping behavior of various amphibians has long attracted attention from researchers and pet owners. Despite being widely documented, the underlying functional role is poorly understood. In a new paper, researchers demonstrate that dyeing poison frogs modulate their taps based on specific stimuli. The research is published in the journal Ethology.
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed another gray wolf attack on livestock in Jackson County on Saturday, according to the agency's list of confirmed gray wolf depredations.
- The database of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group currently (December 2023) registers 218 species and subspecies of Neotropical primates in 24 genera and five families. In the early 1960s, the diversity of Neotropical primates was estimated to be around 200 species and subspecies. From then, through the 1970s to the mid-1990s, however, the perception of the region’s primate diversity dropped, and reached an all-time low at 83 species and subspecies in 1980 (A World List of Mammalian Species, G. B. Corbet and J. E. Hill, British Museum (Natural History), Comstock Publishing, […]
- From the 1800s to the 1950s, “spirit lions” and “spirit leopards” were blamed for countless deaths across Africa that were in fact caused by a combination of genuine carnivore attacks and murders instigated by witch doctors and secret societies. The widespread belief in supernatural spirit animals was viewed by the colonial authorities as rendering populations more vulnerable to further attacks by actual lions and leopards, as villagers were often reluctant to take concrete steps to eliminate the dangerous animals. Nearly a thousand people were attacked by lions in southern Tanzania between 1990 […]
- Akin to the activity on the high seas broadly, underwater cultural heritage below the surface of the high seas is beyond the scope of policing of any one state. As such, the historical, cultural, and financial value of shipwrecks is vulnerable to crimes such as looting, trafficking, forgeries, and then illicit sales, rather than providing cultural benefit to all, as articulated in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. The emergent United Nations High Seas Treaty […]
- The brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba) is endemic to the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil and northeastern Argentina, threatened by extinction due to habitat loss and fragmentation, and hunting. Its reduced and isolated populations dramatically decreased and suffered local extinctions after recent yellow fever outbreaks, recommending the species risk uplist from Vulnerable to Endangered. In Brazil, the species occurs along eight states in sparse populations, including some large protected areas, and is being uplisted to Endangered. Following the National Action Plan for Conservation of the Atlantic Forest Primates and the Maned-sloth, and […]
- To explore animal diversity, new experimentally tractable organisms must be established. Echinoderms include five groups of marine animals that have been used as developmental models for over a century thanks to their low costs, high fecundity, optically clear larvae and genetic tractability. An additional advantage of echinoderms is that their larval forms display diverse morphologies. This rich diversity enables comparative studies to investigate the evolutionary relationships among cell types, tissues, and organs. However, reproducible protocols to obtain gametes, detailed information on embryogenesis, and genomic tools have been optimized only for selected species […]
- The global decline of pollinators, particularly insects, underscores the importance of enhanced monitoring of their populations and habitats. However, monitoring some pollinator habitat is challenging due to widespread species distributions and shifts in habitat requirements through seasons and life stages. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), a migratory insect pollinator that breeds widely throughout North America, presents a unique case study for testing a sampling framework to overcome these challenges. Monarchs exhibit discrete resource needs across life stages (e.g., larval requirement for milkweed, adult requirement for floral nectar), utilizing many land use types […]
- IntroductionThe ecological stoichiometric ratio of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus is an important index to understand the utilization and distribution of plant nutrients.MethodTo explore how leaf carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents, along with the stoichiometric ratio of different life forms of plants, respond to variations in altitude and soil physical and chemical properties, leaves and soil samples were collected from different life forms of plants at different altitudes (1,100~1,700 m) within the Guozigou region of the forest. Subsequently, the contents and ratios of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the leaves, as well as […]
- Intraspecific variation in sex pheromones is a driver of reproductive isolation and speciation in insects. The False Codling Moth (FCM) Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is a quarantine pest endemic to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The currently available precision control measures for FCM use female sex pheromone components to lure males into traps. However, the existing data on the composition of the female sex pheromone, especially the isomer ratios of the main pheromone component (E/Z)-8-dodecenyl acetate, are inconsistent for populations in SSA. This inconsistency led to speculation about possible reproductive isolation between geographically separated […]
- Faced with growing biosecurity risks and threats, countries worldwide seek to protect their biodiversity from ecosystem degradation and loss. Biosecurity surveillance of plant pathogens and the diseases they cause is fundamental for management and eradication of these risks. To date, the surveillance systems in Aotearoa New Zealand have reflected empirical scientific principles and have been largely devoid of mātauranga and te ao Māori, which have seldom been regarded as valid or relevant knowledge systems to inform biosecurity. Because of this, mana whenua themselves have been disconnected from these systems. The inclusion of […]
- IntroductionClimate change is predicted to increase the frequency of extreme single-day fire spread events, with major ecological and social implications. In contrast with well-documented spatio-temporal patterns of wildfire ignitions and perimeters, daily progression remains poorly understood across continental spatial scales, particularly for extreme single-day events (“blow ups”). Here, we characterize daily wildfire spread across North America, including occurrence of extreme single-day events, duration and seasonality of fire and extremes, and ecoregional climatic niches of fire in terms of Actual Evapotranspiration (AET) and Climatic Water Deficit (CWD) annual climate normals.MethodsRemotely sensed daily progression […]
- IntroductionSandalwood (Santalum album L.) is categorized as vulnerable in the IUCN Red list and is also an industrially important tree species valued for its heartwood and aromatic oil. Sandalwood is a semi-root parasite tree that relies on its host plants for its water and nutrient requirements. Therefore, there is need to understand the growth and physiological interactions between sandalwood and its hosts.MethodsSandalwood were planted with ten different host species viz., Syzygium cumini, Punica granatum, Phyllanthus emblica, Melia dubia, Leucaena leucocephala, Dalbergia sissoo, Casuarina equisetifolia, Citrus aurantium, Azadirachta indica and Acacia ampliceps to […]
- The tropical dry forests (TDF) have an enormously rich flora and fauna that offer various ecological services to the surrounding human societies. Biodiversity assessment is mandatory for implementing any sustainable forest management policy, which is why it is one of the important criteria and indicators currently used. Threats to TDF biodiversity are the primary challenges arising from environmental concerns caused by anthropogenic activity leading to global warming issues. The study aimed to investigate the vegetation assessment and several environmental and anthropogenic variables influencing forest biodiversity from 5 threatened forest sites of District […]
- IntroductionThe vegetation dynamics of the Sahel-Sudan-Guinea region in Africa, one of the largest transition zones between arid and humid zones, is of great significance for understanding regional ecosystem changes. However, a time-unvarying trend based on linear assumption challenges the overall understanding of vegetation greenness evolution and of tracking a complex ecosystem response to climate in the Sahel-Sudan-Guinea region.MethodsThis study first applied the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method to detect the time-varying trends in vegetation greenness based on normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data in the region during 2001–2020, and then identified […]
- This article provides perspectives on the graying of the fleet and research efforts to understand it in Alaska fisheries, discusses recent abrupt multifaceted challenges faced by Alaskan fishermen, and compares divergent public perceptions and support programs for farmers and fishermen in the United States. Equity concerns have seen a resurgence in academic and policy realms and the graying of the fleet is now a common example of distributional inequity, yet despite in-depth research attention on the issue, few substantive programmatic modifications have been made to address it in Alaska. Aging trends in […]
- Worldwide countries are engaged in technological improvements, changes in legislation, economic incentives, strengthened administrative structures, and political strategies to allocate and distribute water among different sections of the population. These macro measures treat water as an object of social, cultural, and environmental production unit for distribution and allocation, distancing it from the micro behavioral practices of drinking water. The poverty of sustainability stems from the gap between macro instrumental measures and the inner human dimensions that determine the micro practices. This paper explores the disconnect between macro sustainability measures and the micro […]
- Compostable plastics are used as alternatives to conventional (non-compostable) plastics due to their ability to decompose through industrial composting comingled with food waste. However conventional (non-compostable) plastics sometimes contaminate this industrial composting process resulting in the formation of microplastics in the end compost. Therefore, it is crucial to effectively identify the types of plastics entering industrial composters to improve composting rates and enhance compost quality. In this study, we applied Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) with various pre-processing techniques in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) region to develop an efficient model for identifying and classifying […]
- Many actions are underway at global, national, and local levels to increase plastics circularity. However, studies evaluating the environmental and socio-economic impacts of such a transition are lacking at regional levels in the United States. In this work, the existing polyethylene terephthalate and polyolefin plastics supply chains in Michigan were compared to a potential future (‘NextCycle’) scenario that looks at increasing Michigan’s overall recycling rate to 45%. Material flow analysis data was combined with environmental and socio-economic metrics to evaluate the sustainability of these supply chains for the modeled scenarios. Overall, the […]
- The seminal outcome of COP28 was the Global Stocktake (GST), which referenced transitioning for the first time among all the United Nations’ climate agreements. While the GST’s attempt at energy transition is welcomed, it is deficient. In this paper, the historical challenges of international climate policymaking and implementation has been explored. The challenges that undermined previous UN agreements will likely hinder the global stocktake. Moreover, the GST’s failure to use more forceful language could be a fatal flaw. Furthermore, the GST did not sufficiently define key terms like net zero and energy […]
- This paper explores the immediate need of infrastructure stakeholders for practical guidance promoting sustainable infrastructure development that aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and European Union (EU) regulations. Despite overarching definitions, there is a noticeable absence of a uniform set of sustainability criteria, which delays the integration of sustainability principles into infrastructure planning, development, and operations. Through a targeted content analysis of the systematically selected literature from the Web of Science, this study seeks to clarify the characteristics of sustainable infrastructure. In the systematic review of 106 sources, carefully […]
- Few studies have investigated sustainable management in the semiconductor industry. Consequently, this study analyzed the characteristics of companies excelling in sustainable management in the semiconductor industry using chief executive officer messages. It compared high- and low-performing groups to identify leading sustainable firms. Centrality analysis was conducted to extract keywords, which were mapped to the sustainability criteria to conduct network analysis. The results showed that the high-performing group emphasized sustainable development across the semiconductor industry ecosystem, while the low-performing group focused on internal sustainability aspects. This underscores the need for effective sustainable development […]
- The rapid emergence of e-commerce in Vietnam has resulted in significant pressure on freight traffic and the environment, particularly in urban areas. Automated delivery stations (ADSs), also known as smart lockers or parcel lockers, offer a promising solution to improve the sustainability of last-mile delivery systems. However, the adoption of such a sustainable alternative by Vietnamese customers is inadequately understudied. This study primarily aims to investigate factors impacting Vietnamese customers’ acceptance of these automated delivery points. Utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM), a survey following convenience sampling was carried out in Vietnam to […]
- Because of the random volatility of traffic data, short-term traffic flow forecasting has always been a problem that needs to be further researched. We developed a short-term traffic flow forecasting approach by applying a secondary decomposition strategy and CNN–Transformer model. Firstly, traffic flow data are decomposed by using a Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (CEEMDAN) algorithm, and a series of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are obtained. Secondly, the IMF1 obtained from the CEEMDAN is further decomposed into some sub-series by using Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) algorithm. Thirdly, the CNN–Transformer […]
- Comprehensively promoting rural revitalisation is an important task for China so asto build a strong agricultural country in the new era; industrial revitalisation is the top priority of rural revitalisation, and the rural digital economy is an important driving force to achieve rural revitalisation. Based on data on the development level of the rural digital economy and the development level of rural revitalisation in 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2020, the impact of rural digital economy development on rural revitalisation was empirically analysed using a two-way fixed effects model. The […]
- There’s a bridge between people’s experiences with these more-than-human “living cultures” and the work of regrowing our ways of being human together. They offer images that reflect, backwards and forwards, helping us give words to the work that is called for.
- The value of the arts is as a natural, communal expression of meaning that is inseparable from our everyday lives, impulses and needs, existing in spite of the desires of capitalism and the hegemonic structures that enforce it.
- Humans can slow and, perhaps, reverse the ecological harms that they have caused, but Earth will never return to some past pristine state. Nonetheless, I believe that history can help humans save Earth’s remaining wild, natural places that, along with cultural icons like Notre Dame, tell the stories of who we are.
- An advantage of the transition to agrarian localism is that it depends very little on new technologies, and almost entirely on politics – hence my subtitle for this post.
- People have all sorts of different interpretations on what’s happening with climate change. While some are practicing denial or willful ignorance, even those following the science can be confused. After all, Earth’s climate system is complex. In Part 1 of this two-part article, Richard Heinberg cuts through this complexity by putting climate change into the context of humanity’s energy history.
- A team of scientists has used artificial intelligence (AI) to map the activities of seafloor invertebrate animals, such as worms, clams and shrimps, across all the oceans of the world.
- A new study predicts future climate change impacts could disrupt the krill-heavy diet that humpback whales in the southern hemisphere consume.
- As much as 70 percent of California was covered by wildfire smoke during parts of 2020 and 2021, according to a new study.
- To achieve global biodiversity targets, conservationists and governments must prioritize the establishment and effective management of large, interconnected protected areas with high ecological integrity, researchers argue in a new essay.
- The diversity and ecological functionality of bird communities in tropical agroforestry systems are shaped by the surrounding landscape, in particular the extent and composition of the forest.
- A team of scientists has used artificial intelligence (AI) to map the activities of seafloor invertebrate animals, such as worms, clams and shrimps, across all the oceans of the world.
- Maize is one of the world's most widely grown crops and is essential to global food security. But like other plants, its growth and productivity can be limited by the slow activity of Rubisco, the enzyme responsible for carbon assimilation during photosynthesis. Scientists have now demonstrated a promising approach to enhancing Rubisco production, thus improving photosynthesis and overall plant growth.
- An evolutionary biologist reports evidence of repeatable evolution in populations of stick insects.
- Members of the vertebrate group including anglerfishes are unique in possessing a characteristic known as sexual parasitism, in which males temporarily attach or permanently fuse with females to mate. Now, researchers show that sexual parasitism arose during a time of major global warming and rapid transition for anglerfishes from the ocean floor to the deep, open sea.
- Populations of canola plants genetically engineered to be resistant to herbicides can survive outside of farms, but may be gradually losing their engineered genes, reports a new study.