The title for this post comes from Barry Commoner’s visionary work, The Closing Circle, in which he presents the four laws of Ecology. The first law is that “everything is connected to everything else”, which while this law was applied directly to the overall ecosphere, this law can certainly be applied to all of the actions and decisions (social, cultural, economic, political, etc…) that we as humans make on a daily basis. It is from this simple ecological theory from which I derive much of the theoretical base for my own ideas and concepts.
The goal of this blog (as well as my entire existence as a designer, writer, filmmaker and artist) is to help inform the way in which we design, construct, develop and co-exist on this planet. When the label of environmental activist is used to describe a person’s ideologies, numerous socio-ecological theories and criticisms tend to split environmental activism into two broad categories, Pollyannas and Cassandras. The former are generally characterized as professing that while there are environmental problems and concerns, exerting any influence on these processes through policies and paradigms shifts would interfere with the normal course of nature. The latter, however, are viewed as tree-hugging socialists who would rather live in a world where human progress is heavily regulated and impeded through policies which aim to curb the destruction of the environment being caused by human activities. Granted, these views have changed slightly in recent years, but these characterizations are usually the basis for influencing popular opinion in the minds of politicians and others.
As I have mentioned on numerous occasions (even in the subtitle of this blog!), is that landscape architects undertake an educational and professional mission which is tailored perfectly to design, develop and inform a world which balances the multitude of factors that affect the overall ecosphere while continuing with the progress and development of the entire human race. I understand that for many that seems like a daunting responsibility and is probably not one of the reasons they entered into the profession in the first place. Admittedly, when I began my own landscape architectural education, this world-saving mission was not my motivation. However, as I have experienced various aspects of the profession, crossed disciplines to become a well-rounded student of the world and read more and more; this quickly became one of the main reasons why I have such a deep admiration for the profession and for its potential.
With that in mind, I am planning to publish a series of entries on this blog which explain, albeit briefly, many of the theories and concepts that are thrown about on a regular basis in my posts. These theories and concepts include the hybridized economic theory of hyper-capitalism; a clear and concise definition of sustainability; the ideals and principles of environmental justice; and finally a theoretical construct which connects everything to everything else, sustainable development. Explaining much of the theoretical base for my own philosophical musings will help you to understand the importance of the issues which I have discussed and plan on discussing over the life of this blog.
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