Earth Day - 22nd April 2022
If there is one topic which everyone on Earth should currently be focused upon it is, unquestionably, that of Climate Crisis. Indeed, it’s likely to be the main focus not just for our generation but for generations to come. And, notwithstanding the increasingly marginalised naysayers and various climate change deniers, it is a subject with which we must all engage… from national governments charged with the taking of decisions that will affect the future of the planet for decades to come, down to the individual citizen who, if they are economically able, have to consider how simple changes in things like their personal diet, energy use and shopping choices can affect the attitudes and actions of the market-place and thus, through their own acknowledgement of personal responsibility, force change from the bottom up. For at any level, we can be effective… each of us can flap our butterfly wings and initiate a hurricane of change for the betterment, perhaps, ultimately, the survival of all.
If there is one point at which we coalesce it is probably that western thinking has been wrong in one critical aspect; Earth is not merely a resource and certainly not an inexhaustible one. Imperialism and industrialisation, philosophies founded largely upon that principle, that the planet is ours to plunder and subdue, have proved to be false, wrong from the start. And so now we have to seek out new ways to relate to Earth, new ways to live and new ways to restore the balance of the relationship.
Ironically, perhaps, the most significant of our new ways will prove to be the re-validation of an old way… an original way of thinking that is encapsulated within many of the Indigenous peoples who lived (and in some cases continue to live) in much greater harmony with the planet than western society and its forebears have done. In that sense, as a priority, we must acknowledge once again that humanity is part of the Earth family, not something separate from it. And in doing so we must re-affirm the unquestionable spiritual connection that exists between human beings and the environment.
Moon Books is a publishing imprint. Like a thousand other companies we try to do business in a sustainable and ethical way. But unlike a thousand other companies we are in a unique position when it comes to communicating with a wider audience, not least, of course, because that’s what we exist to do. And so, we thought that if the environment is the most important thing this generation can focus upon then we would like to engage with the discussion by offering writers the chance to promote ideas for practical change and to send a message of hope and optimism.
We are at a crucial crossroads, and time is running short. If we act fast enough, a dignified and truly sustainable healthy future awaits.
Belonging to the Earth - A collection of personal insights, stories of journeys and rituals, community events and conversations between activists, First Nations community leaders, and those practicing nature spirituality.
Confronting the Crisis - Instead of imagination’s dreamers with the Earth, maturing into avatars of relationships, narrators of wonder, we are now a clear and present danger to all species. How do we change identity, direction, and move toward a future inclusive of Earth stability and Human responsibility?
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