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10 Sustainability
struggled to protect it. Appreciating the intimacy between nature and the human
soul can play a crucial role in changing the way people think about society
and the environment. Today, numerous facets of the movement geared towards
environmental conservation are often empowered by cooperation and spiritual
principles.
Robon Wall Kimmerer is a professor of Environmental and Forest Biology
who recently played a pivotal role in the foundation of the Centre for Native
Peoples (Rich 2012). This incorporates the ideas of ecology, environment, and
spirituality. She believes that traditional ecological knowledge has increasingly
become important as a potential source of inspiration for ecosystem management
and ecological restoration. Admittedly, traditional ecological knowledge is not only
present to Native American culture, but globally irrespective of ethnicity. It arises
when people have material and spiritual connection with their landscape. Recently,
the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has come up with a programme called Sacred
Earth: Faiths for Conservation, a collaboration between faith communities and
spiritual leaders from diverse spiritual traditions globally. The programme is aimed
at facing various environmental issues, including pollution, deforestation as well
as unsustainable extraction. Khoryug is among the conservation projects that the
programme has developed. It is based in the Eastern Himalayas and is an association
of various Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. The project has been instrumental for the
publication of various environmental guidelines that Buddhists use for addressing
water loss, waste, climate change, and forest degradation. In addition, Krishna Kant
Shukla is a musician and physicist who has provided beneficial lectures about
Indian villages as sustainable development models. He has played a critical role
in the establishment of Saha Astitva; model eco-village as well as organic farm
found in Maharashtra, India. There is also a need to appreciate the role played
by the nature and instinct of women and commitment to provide protection to our
resources. This is perfectly depicted in the life of Wangari Maathai who founded the
Green Belt Movement. This movement initially consisted of women who planted
trees. Similarly, Vandana Shiva is an Indian feminist who has actively worked on
various issues, including protection of small Indian farms and seed saving (Shiva
2014). Other environmentalists who fall under the category of spiritual ecologists
are Wendell Berry and Satish Kumar. Admittedly, spiritual ecology has and will
continue to play a crucial role in social and environmental sustainability.
10.5.4 Democracy and Governance
There is a strong relationship between democracy, governance, and sustainability,
thanks to the community which provides democratic processes and offers an open
and accountable governance structures by participating in governance and rule
making. An issue has emerged over the last two decades whether a sustainable
life could be achieved through democratic forms of governance by disempowered
communities and disenchanted citizens. There must be a strong sense of engagement
10 Sustainability
struggled to protect it. Appreciating the intimacy between nature and the human
soul can play a crucial role in changing the way people think about society
and the environment. Today, numerous facets of the movement geared towards
environmental conservation are often empowered by cooperation and spiritual
principles.
Robon Wall Kimmerer is a professor of Environmental and Forest Biology
who recently played a pivotal role in the foundation of the Centre for Native
Peoples (Rich 2012). This incorporates the ideas of ecology, environment, and
spirituality. She believes that traditional ecological knowledge has increasingly
become important as a potential source of inspiration for ecosystem management
and ecological restoration. Admittedly, traditional ecological knowledge is not only
present to Native American culture, but globally irrespective of ethnicity. It arises
when people have material and spiritual connection with their landscape. Recently,
the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has come up with a programme called Sacred
Earth: Faiths for Conservation, a collaboration between faith communities and
spiritual leaders from diverse spiritual traditions globally. The programme is aimed
at facing various environmental issues, including pollution, deforestation as well
as unsustainable extraction. Khoryug is among the conservation projects that the
programme has developed. It is based in the Eastern Himalayas and is an association
of various Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. The project has been instrumental for the
publication of various environmental guidelines that Buddhists use for addressing
water loss, waste, climate change, and forest degradation. In addition, Krishna Kant
Shukla is a musician and physicist who has provided beneficial lectures about
Indian villages as sustainable development models. He has played a critical role
in the establishment of Saha Astitva; model eco-village as well as organic farm
found in Maharashtra, India. There is also a need to appreciate the role played
by the nature and instinct of women and commitment to provide protection to our
resources. This is perfectly depicted in the life of Wangari Maathai who founded the
Green Belt Movement. This movement initially consisted of women who planted
trees. Similarly, Vandana Shiva is an Indian feminist who has actively worked on
various issues, including protection of small Indian farms and seed saving (Shiva
2014). Other environmentalists who fall under the category of spiritual ecologists
are Wendell Berry and Satish Kumar. Admittedly, spiritual ecology has and will
continue to play a crucial role in social and environmental sustainability.
10.5.4 Democracy and Governance
There is a strong relationship between democracy, governance, and sustainability,
thanks to the community which provides democratic processes and offers an open
and accountable governance structures by participating in governance and rule
making. An issue has emerged over the last two decades whether a sustainable
life could be achieved through democratic forms of governance by disempowered
communities and disenchanted citizens. There must be a strong sense of engagement