Eco-Initiatives in Municipal Cultural Institutions as Examples of Activities for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Poznan

The aim of the study is to demonstrate which pro-environmental initiatives consistent with the idea of sustainable development are undertaken by municipal cultural institutions in Poznan—the largest city in the Greater Poland region in Poland. The diagnostic survey was conducted by means of interviews with directors of municipal cultural institutions or their representatives. A total of 12 (out of 15) municipal cultural institutions from the city of Poznan were surveyed. All were asked to cite specific examples of their activities, visualising their institution’s approach to ecology. The results indicated that the institutions undertake numerous eco-initiatives, which very often fit into the discourse on so-called “deep ecology” and address the sources of the existing environmental crisis. Their activities are also aimed at stimulating a “return to nature” of the city’s inhabitants. In addition to initiatives aimed at the recipients of the offer of individual institutions, many institutions also pay attention to pro-environmental internal activities. In effect, the results could be divided into three general groups, which include internal institutional activities, the implementation of projects on environmental themes, and educational activities in the field of ecology. However, these activities were undertaken individually, as the survey revealed a lack of inter-institutional cooperation on ongoing projects.

Samkhya Philosophy, Deep Ecology and Sustainable Development

Samkhya philosophy is one of the oldest philosophies in the Indian philosophical system. This philosophy is independent in origin and mainly known for its evolution theory. Samkhya philosophy has accepted the two ultimate and independent realities, Nature and pure Consciousness. This paper is an attempt to comprehend the notion of deep ecology from the Samkhya’s evolution theory perspective. In this paper, firstly, we have elucidated the Samkhya philosophy of suffering and the solution to the problem. In the second part of the article, we have argued that how Samkhya’s philosophical notion of Nature demonstrates our embeddedness in Nature. Therefore, the idea of deep ecology is always there in one or another form in Samkhya philosophy. It has also connections to the idea of sustainable development.

Nature · Animals · Non-Human: A Study of Community Consciousness in The Night Watchman

The Night Watchman written by Louis Erdrich won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The core characters running through the novel are not only Thomas Wazhashk, but Patrice who bears the burden of narrating the natural world of the Turtle Mountain reserve. Louis Erdrich not only noticed the connection between females and nature with keen eyes, but also human and non-humans. The interaction among them reflects the author’s thoughts on the ecological environment, human survival, and indigenous tradition conflicted with modern appeal. Therefore, this article, using the Biocentric Equality of deep ecology, explores the Community Consciousness in the novel.

Hugh MacDiarmid’s ‘On Raised Beach’: ‘Geopoetics’ in a Time of Catastrophic Crisis’

The poet Hugh MacDiarmid (1892–1978) was the major driving force behind the twentieth-century Scottish literary renaissance and was also a passionate Scottish nationalist. His poem ‘On a Raised Beach’ (1934) has been understood in theological and philosophical terms as a metaphysical exploration, albeit one grounded in an immediate experience of nature that took place on Shetland. In this paper, MacDiarmid’s epic is placed in the context of the present environmental crisis and the ongoing consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘On a Raised Beach’ can now be re-located within the hermeneutical tradition of ‘Geopoetics’, a Scottish genre that is articulated and asserted by the poet Kenneth White (1938–). Whilst, however, White draws upon the highly contested and polyvalent concept of ‘shamanism’ in elaborating his standpoint, we shall argue that it is also appropriate to look for affinities between this dynamic poem and the ethos and mysticism of ‘deep ecology’, a perspective that invokes the equally contested mythology of ‘Gaia’.

Two Perspectives on Ecological Art

In the paper “Two perspectives on ecological art”, we will compare two perspectives on sustainability and the practicality of an ecological artwork. One perspective is from Latvian media artist Maija Demitere, researching slow media art, deep sustainability, and food production. Demitere uses micro-gardening prototypes as an instrument to inform the public on the problems of food production (local food, biodiversity, pesticides, herbicides, pollution caused by agriculture). Demitere uses gardening in combination with DIY (Do it Yourself) technologies to talk about slow living, ecology of the mind, and mindfulness. The second perspective is offered by Jan Glöckner. Glöckner is a German artist and researcher. His research interests are collaborations between fungi and Hominidae. Glöckner reaches out with diplomatic gestures towards fungi to re-localise humans within the larger domain of living entities. He is working on an ethical framework that draws from deep ecology and Tibetian Buddhism to ensure the rights of microorganisms and macroorganisms in artistic, industrial, and research setups. The first part of the paper will focus on recycling, waste management, waste produced by households, and the artists’ perspective on the problem. The second part will focus on a specific case of the exhibition “Life” by Olafur Eliasson at the Foundation Beyeler in Riehen, Switzerland. The second part will also look at the idea of “artistic greenwashing”. The last part of the article will attempt to conclude what can be considered an actual sustainable artwork and propose possible key points that describe a (deep) ecological artwork. The paper uses such methods as case studies, literature analysis, and autoethnography.

Kedudukan dan Peran Manusia dalam Alam: Tanggapan atas Kritik Al Gore terhadap Arne Naess

<em><em>This articleaims to respond Al Gore’s critics onArne Naess’ concept of deep ecology. ForAl Gore, deep ecology of ArneNaesshas reduced the position and the role of human being in nature. The reason is becauseNaess’s deep ecologyis assumed to see human being as the source of destruction on earth and alien which is not part of nature; it grasps man as creature without ability to think and to have free will; and it has no solution for current ecological crisis. Naess, in constrast, comprehends human beings as good in himself, part of nature, and a unique creature. Because of this uniqueness,human being has responsibility to protect and to preserve nature.Thus, although they have differences, both deep ecology of Naess and the ecology of Al Gore havemany similarities. These similarities can be used ascontribution to any effort to save the earth today.<br /></em></em><p><strong><em>Key words</em></strong><em>: </em>ekologi dalam, menusia, alam, antroposentrisme, ekosentrisme</p>