Hi all, The leaves have started to turn colour in my neck of the woods, so I thought I’d recommend to you a cozy read for autumn weather. First published in 1949, Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac is a classic book about America’s relationship to the land. Leopold’s incomparable understanding of the ways of nature unfolds in three parts. One section describes the seasons of the Wisconsin countryside. Another section is a compilation of Leopold’s informal writing over a forty-year period as he travelled through the diverse landscapes—mountains, prairies, deserts, and coastlines—of Wisconsin, Iowa, Arizona, California, Oregon, Manitoba, and other areas. In the final section, Leopold grapples with difficult philosophical issues inherent in wildlife conservation.
Perhaps most relevant for us today is Leopold’s central concept of the ‘land ethic’. He explains to readers that the respect with which we give other human beings should be extended to the natural world, as it is this lack of respect or reverence that is the cause of humankind’s destructive impact on the environment. The entire book is a masterpiece of the environmental movement, and a call to action to protect the places that we love. To learn more about this book or to purchase it, you can visit the Aldo Leopold Foundation’s website here.
Perhaps most relevant for us today is Leopold’s central concept of the ‘land ethic’. He explains to readers that the respect with which we give other human beings should be extended to the natural world, as it is this lack of respect or reverence that is the cause of humankind’s destructive impact on the environment. The entire book is a masterpiece of the environmental movement, and a call to action to protect the places that we love. To learn more about this book or to purchase it, you can visit the Aldo Leopold Foundation’s website here.
