DISCOVERING A SENSE OF PLACE AN EIGHT-SESSION COURSE FOR THE WORKPLACE, FAITH CENTER OR HOME
PURPOSE:
- To understand the meaning of a bioregional perspective, and what it would mean to develop one.
- To consider the benefits of consciously developing an intimate relationship with your place.
- To explore what it might mean to protect the place we live.
TOPICS COVERED:
- A Sense of Place: Wendell Berry, America's best-known bioregionalist, says if you don't know where you are, you don't know who you are. With a sense of place, your identity is defined- to a significant extent- by the natural features of the place you live. Without a sense of place, what will fill the void?
- Responsibility to Place: There is a difference between living on the land and dwelling in it-understanding its rhythms, its potential, and its limits. Those who develop intimacy with a place over time tend to accept responsibility for it.
- Knowing Your Bioregion: Your bioregion is a unique place with its own watershed, soils, climate, plants, animals, and history. How much do you know about it?
- Living in Place: Living in place means consciously trying to satisfy your needs and find your pleasures in your local bioregion and working to assure the long-term health of the bioregion.
- Mapping Your Place: Mapping can be learned by local groups and individuals to give a new sense of place. Whereas a typical map shows political subdivisions and transportation routes, a bioregionalist's map delineates regions based on watersheds, climate, and plant types, thereby helping people relate to their natural surroundings.
- Building Local Community: A bioregionalist assumes responsibility for the health and continuity of a place, not only its natural features, but also the social bonds of its people.
- Empowerment: Knowing a place can inspire and empower one to take action to preserve it or take part in its restoration.
Preview the readings in the Discovering a Sense of Place coursebook.
If you are interested in starting a Discovering a Sense of Place course, please contact:
Simply Living
P.O. Box 82273
Columbus, OH 43202
614/447-0296 or e-mail us!
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