From ‘EGO’ to ‘ECO’

While casually investigating climate and environment related posts on Instagram, a single graphic this past week stopped me in my tracks.  It featured two side-by-side diagrams. 

• On the left was a pyramid labeled ‘EGO’, with humans placed at the apex and everything in the natural world below. 
• On the right was a circular diagram labeled ‘ECO’, where humans and the natural world are shown as one, interdependent system.

As rudimentary as it seems, the visual speaks to a more fundamental issue- the environmental ethic we espouse. We live in a world deeply rooted in anthropocentrism, and our environmental governance systems-particularly in the United States- operate accordingly within that framework. Our relationship with the planet is one built on exploitation, rather than reciprocity and stewardship. In placing the value of natural resources above the functioning and flourishing of other life around us, we are actively harming both ourselves and the global ecosystem.  

Living in the Anthropocene

Humans have altered the planet to a point of entering a new epoch, namely the Anthropocene, where we dominate and control the functioning of ecosystems and the overall climate. We look at the world through a lens of extraction:

• Our oceans are commercial fisheries.
• Our forests are for timber and infrastructure development.
• Our virgin lands are for oil and gas extraction.

In turn, we face obstacles such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and environmental degradation. It is when we decenter ourselves that we will be able to mitigate our impacts.

If you remove the bottom rows of the pyramid, the peak collapses. Simply stated, we are dependent on the natural world for our survival, from the air we breathe to the food we eat, just as it’s dependent on us to make the right choices and protect it. 

So, how do we begin living from within the circle? 

Nature as a Partner 

It begins by recognizing the agency of the natural world: the right to exist, flourish, and regenerate without human interference. The “Rights of Nature” movement offers an alternative framework that shifts our mindset from one of extraction and exploitation to one of partnership. 

By viewing non-human entities as partners, we recognize the inherent value of other beings and ecosystems, allowing us to protect them from further human-imposed threats.

Being in the circle means shifting our mindset from “How do I benefit from this?”  to “How can we coexist?”

Finding the Circle in Daily Life

You have the opportunity to shift your mindset in everyday practices.

• That spider in your house? It’s basically free pest control. 
• The tree in your front yard that’s in a “bad spot”? It’s home to the opossum that eats thousands of ticks per year and provides the oxygen you need to breathe.

Being in the circle does not mean you need to become roommates with a spider (despite the clear benefits). It means reevaluating the issues we prioritize and confronting the long-term consequences of viewing our actions from a near-sighted lens. We have a moral obligation to balance the needs of our own with the rest of the natural world. 

Welcome to A Green Lens- let’s navigate the circle together!