ecology Archives - Improvised Life

W.S. Merwin On Hope and What to Do On the Last Day of the World

In this short video, the renown poet and activist speaks eloquently about hope and our interconnectedness, two themes so many are working to encompass.

Trees Ordained as Monks, Forest Bathing and A New Lexicon Helps Heal our Connection to the Natural World

Disconnection from nature is being recognized as the cause of widespread psychological trauma in modern life. A new lexicon and age-old practices are being used to heal it.

Move Beyond Intellect to Poetic Encounter

In this surprising, very moving short film, ecologist Dr. Stephen Harding describes the transformative experience of ‘encounter’, that requires poetic, rather than scientific language.

Scraps, Wilt & Leaves: Sublime Trash Cooking with a Michelin Chef

I am inspired and smitten with Scraps, Wilt & Weeds: Turning Wasted Food into Plenty. Michelin star chef Mads Refslund weaves a powerful philosophy of ecology into his cooking that has led him to create gorgeous, do-able dishes out of the foods we routinely throw in the trash.

Gary Snyder’s Buddhist Grace

We’ve come upon this passage about saying grace before a meal many times while flipping through The Gary Snyder Reader and each time have thought, We need to do that, to at least think it if not say it aloud. Snyder’s view is just right. He puts eating in a bigger context that we find deeply connecting and comforting. His grace is about taking a moment to think about our food and to express gratitude for the hugely creative force behind it.

peter beard: learn how to benefit from accidents and chances you take

Peter Beard: A Wild Life is a lovely little film of photographer Peter Beard working on a collage at his studio on Montauk, Long Island. He is widely known for his photographs both of pop stars like Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol and of the tragic destruction of elephant herds in Africa. Here at age 75,…