What is environmental identity?
by Emalee Garboski, Environmental Mental Health Education & Outreach Coordinator/ ECO-Americorps Member
What is environmental identity?
Let’s break that down a bit: first off, what is identity? The answer to that is incredibly complex, but for the purposes of this entry, identity encompasses the memories, experiences, relationships, and values that create one’s sense of self.
Take a moment to think about your identity. What have you lived through that has shaped you to be the person you are today? What are your chosen values? The values that you hold help dictate the choices you make. Allowing the natural world to become one of your values through nature connectedness is an important step when trying to become more eco-conscious.
Take a moment to watch this video on nature connectedness.
What does having a connection with nature have to do with your identity? Where does one create their sense of self? It all has to do with place. The concept of place is similar to identity in terms of its reliance on a composure of subjective experiences – memories, traditions, history, culture, society, and so on. Place is also affected by objective and external influences of the environment, like landscape, smell, sound, and so forth. The experiences we have in these places help make and build memories that we become fond of enough to say we feel a sense of place or place attachment. A place attachment is formed when one gives emotional meaning to a particular place. We are able to build our own narratives while simultaneously shaping the physical place we are in, and because of this, the natural world does have an influence on our identity. Connecting to and establishing a place attachment are the key concepts of nature connectedness and are essential to bringing nature into your inner circle of values.
Having repeated, immersive, and embodied encounters with the natural world increases your ability to value it. Doing so will lead to an increase in compassion you have to the world around you. It will help you develop and create a practice to bring nature IN to your daily life, so to reinforce the idea that humans are not above the natural world, but a part of it.
One of the main reasons why we are so disconnected from nature is because we chose to be, as a society. Over time, we chose to “conquer the wilderness” in order to provide ourselves with economic opportunities - putting our economic gain and prosperity first, at the expense of our natural wonders and resources. The stronger the connection we have to the natural world, the more apt we are to want to protect it and practice pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). As individuals, we can choose to have a kinship with nature, and to have a strong enough bond that, if need be, we will feel compelled to stand up for our Place and stand up for our Mother.
One impactful way to reconnect yourself with nature is to find and practice using a sit spot. A sit spot is your favorite place in nature that you visit regularly and often. When you visit it, take a seat and cultivate awareness by expanding your senses. Utilize your five senses – sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste – to be mindful of what is happening in the natural world around you. By visiting your sit spot repeatedly, it will help you develop a sense of awareness that is more attuned and sensitive to nature. It will help to increase not only your levels of empathy towards the environment, but also certain cognitive function abilities, such as problem solving, focus, memory retention, and many more benefits. Even if you already visit the spot regularly, sitting down and taking in what’s happening around you has a completely different feel to it. What wonders might you see?
For more information on sit spots and how to use them, visit https://nature-mentor.com/sit-spot/