If I were to describe to you what I’ve learned in my Environmental Leadership Master’s degree, I’d most likely tailor it specifically in a way you’re likely to understand, connect, and converse about it. You see, I want to have meaningful conversations with you about the health of the emotional self, the body of culture, and our home planet. Environmental Leadership is about taking a whole-systems view of the world, the interrelationships between people, and transforming the inner awareness. I might tell you about my journey into the woods on my wilderness solo. I might share my research about the interdependence between health and sustainability; about how we can’t treat human health without addressing the environment, and about how healing the environment is irrelevant without humans. I might invite you to participate in a course I developed about Earth Stewardship and discovering the power individuals hold to transform their environments. All of this is very important to me, but it’s really difficult to capture the whole picture. The best I can do is remain personal while describing the big picture. Here goes…
I learned about the web of life: how everything in this world is connected, and how every choice I make (personal, financial, ecological, spiritual, cultural, relational) impacts the whole living system. The impact can manifest as healing or disease, but there is always a ripple effect to everything I do (or don’t do) and think. Ultimately, I learned that this connection is a true superpower: I can change the system by becoming aware of these relationships, transforming myself and the choices I make, and leading other individuals, organizations, and cultures to realize this potential power within themselves, to awaken the freedom and responsibility to consciously create the world they envision and desire. In essence, I learned how to be who I am.
