Ecological Equity and the Fundamentals of Living

You are the Future of What Will Be. 

It's no secret that this timeline is shaping up to be an unoriginal rerun of the ‘30s-40s Great Depression x Nazi Germany with an AI special guest. That said, it's also no secret that we really do not have time for this. None whatsoever. The climate poly-crisis —poly as in mother nature will f-ck anyone, anytime, leaving you in whatever position she sees fit (will get her point off)— has run out of patience. So, in honor of Earth Month 2025 lets pick up the controller (or take back the control room) and recognize that we are the main characters, writers, directors and producers of this mindbending, dystopian dramedy. If we don’t, no one will like the series finale. ///  ‘stop doing it for the plot’ 

I have a theory. These cycles of abuse, exploitation, neglect, addiction and mass murder/suicide are maintained entirely on the premise that humans are above nature—not simply bipedal animals participating in it. Once you can disconnect us from nature and subsequently rank all life, there’s no question that you’d rank fellow humans by caste, class, or color. However the unalienable truth buried deep into our collective consciousness is the fact that all life on earth is connected—and forever will be—even in death. 

With this truth is the requirement that ecological equity be adhered to. This is the most basic fundamental of living. Ecological equity is the acknowledgement that all life is equal and of equal concern thus making ‘One Health’ a universal action plan/ standard of action. One Health—derived from indigenous roots—provides a practice for the notion that the wellbeing of one individual is directly linked to the wellbeing of the land. That is, animal health—which includes humans lest we forget—is inextricably linked to environmental health. The charge of the CDC’s One Health Office is to work in the United States and around the world to protect the health of humans, animals, and the environment.  

“One Health is “ a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach — working at the local, regional, national, and global levels — with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.””

— US Center for Disease Control

Beekeeper holding up a honey comb.

Our Place as Nature

Look around your space and then look around outside. How connected to the natural environment do you feel? We’ve all heard that having plants in the home is good for your health–physical and mental. The same is true for spending time outside surrounded by trees. Even just looking at trees from a window is healing. Connection is prevention, they say, yet suicidal ideation are higher in communities lacking tree canopy yet dominated by polluting industries. 

During times like these—times of war, climate disasters, famine, political unrest—it is common for people to turn to religion. After which, it is common for many to judge those people. Little do they know, prayer, like meditation, activates the part of the brain that relieves anxiety in the same way as Valium or any other anti-anxiety medication. Thus religion can be a wise practice for the maintenance of health and connection. Similarly, it can be the same beyond the individual but for the health of the ecosystem at large. 

Remember keystone species from grade school biology? An oversimplification in some ways, but it's an organism that is vital to an ecosystem—without which the biodiversity of the said ecosystem would become unbalanced and deteriorate. It turns out that cows, considered sacred in India by virtue of religion thus proliferating a culture of vegetarianism, are the keystone species of their ecosystem. Suffice it to say, this religious and cultural practice is a reflection of One Health in practice. 

The relationship to the cow is sacred not only by virtue of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism but also by virtue of biology to protect the  functional wellbeing and health of the collective. To eat the cow for selfish reasons in blatant disregard of the fact of inextricable linkage would be an act of murder/suicide at the population level. Such is the case with all preventable actions which destabilize ecosystems.   

What we can do:

• Build mutual aid funds / networks because you will need them 

• Buy plants then Keep your plants alive

• Adopt a dog and/or cat as a pet, emotional support animal, or service animal 

• Talk to your elders for wisdom, laughs, and the practice of ideological disagreement without dehumanizing

• Get a library card and hangout there to combat the funding freeze and misinformation campaign—and to facilitate your boycotts of a major cafe chain 

• Switch to Ecosia to browse and plant trees 

• Build community not only through religion but in all manners of practical support and acceptance 

• Absorb the art of revolutionaries and conscious artists across mediums

• Pay very close attention to everything. 

Jude Law answering a Stephen Colbert Questionnairret

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