Ecoliteracy, a new word to me but a word I want myself and everyone around me to encompass and embody in their own way. I felt as though I did not yet know my own philosophy of eco-literacy until I sat to read Robin Wall Kimmerer’s preface for the second time. As I read the line “But it is not mine to give, or yours to take” (p. x), I thought of Earth and our anthropocentric mindsets of wanting to own and/or save everything in sight. In order for us to understand to respect the world around us, the first step as Kimmerer writes is a “braid of stories meant to heal our relationship with the world”.
Alex and Skylla created two strands of my braid which has helped me better understand what eco-literacy means to me through the varying similarities and differences that we all expressed. Alex emphasizes that eco-literacy to her is not just one simple thing that we can all understand quickly but it is a journey of knowledge. As I read her line “Thank you for keeping a positive attitude towards disrupting climate change and focusing on positive change instead of dwelling on the negative” I felt a new part of my eco-literacy understanding growing. It is hard to be positive on the journey of eco-literacy as you find out about more negative impacts that humans are having on Earth. I really appreciate that Alex is taking that step to a positive outlook as it is something that I will aspire and try to instil within myself. Skylla‘s words in her poem hold much emotion as she talks about the awareness around her that sometimes she feels she takes for granted. The part of her poem that sat with me after I had finished reading and for a while after, reads,
You always say
Awareness is key
To know
Is to be
Through this poetic statement, I had felt I just read the missing piece to my understanding of eco-literacy.
When looking at Skylla’s and Alex’s poems one is trying to understand and the other is beginning to do. While they are on their own journey of eco-literate understandings they have different forms of expression and actions to which will grow and get carried along on their separate journeys.
We all have gained inspiration from those that have had an impact on our lives. But, I believe we must begin to try creating that inspiration within our selves.
Madison Fouhse 