Biophilia

Something I want to learn more about: Biophilia

I highlighted the following from the article on the “Curriculum Studies Gone Wild The Scholarship of Sustainability” (Hensley, 2011).

"Developing a healthy relationship with the planet involves encountering the primordial silence of the wilderness, experiencing a sunset over a large body of water, and celebrating the diversity that is inherent to healthy ecosystems. The reality of this is that one does not have to go into designated wilderness areas in order to commune with nature in a way that fosters biophilia. On the contrary, biophilia can be cultivated in small urban green spaces. In some cases it can happen through spending time on an outdoor patio simply planting flowers." Biophilia is a term first used by Edward O. Wilson meaning that humans need to connect with nature and other forms of life.

"We need nature in our lives more than ever today, and as more of us are living in cities it must be urban nature. Biophilic Cities are cities that contain abundant nature; they are cities that care about, seek to protect, restore and grow this nature, and that strive to foster deep connections and daily contact with the natural world. Nature is not something optional, but absolutely essential to living a happy, healthy and meaningful life. This site is devoted to understanding how cities can become more biophilic, more full of nature, and to telling the stories of the places and people working to creatively build these urban-nature connections."

-Biophiliccities.org

link: http://biophiliccities.org/?_escaped_fragment_