The water cycle graphic lets you take a moment to think about the cycles of the planet—and how often are we asked to think about our relationship to nature when we’re on the computer? The average American spends 90% of his or her time indoors, according to a 2009 report from the Environmental Protection Agency. An immense statistic that is explored in the June issue of Mindful. This collection of articles from the Mindful.org archives explores our relationship to nature and how we can participate in our social and political environments to better support that relationship. Gratitude: Where Healing the Earth Begins: Gratitude for this beautiful, self-organizing universe where we live, says Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as Self, is the foundation of environmental responsibility. Writers and the War Against Nature: In a powerful autobiographical essay, the poet, sage, and environmentalist Gary Snyder traces his lifelong commitment to the environment and calls on all creative people to rise in its defense. What Is the Worth of the Wind River Mountains: “The beauty of the natural world is given to us,” says Gretel Ehrlich, author of This Cold Heaven, “but we abuse the gift by not looking, by using it for profit, by not recognizing its intrinsic value.” The Green Path: In her book, Mindfully Green, Stephanie Kaza argues that environmentalism must be about more than the personal actions we take or the public policies we support. To be truly transformative, it must change the way we see ourselves, our world, and the relationship between the two.
