Category Archives: Articles

Beware the Pseudo-Environmentalists!

First published in The Great Outdoors Magazine. One of the first things I do when I run an eco-education course is introduce the “Environmental Spectrum”. One end of the spectrum is ‘grey’, the other ‘deep green’. Points in between get … Continue reading

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Education for the Real World

It is time for you to learn how to drive a car. The driving instructor takes you into a room full of tables and chairs, the walls covered in shelves lined with books, at one end of the room is … Continue reading

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Go with the Flow

I am poised leaning backwards out over a 60-foot drop into a roaring abyss. My harness tightens around me, the rope taught between my abseil device and the deeply rooted tree around which it has been wrapped. I take a … Continue reading

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Field of Dreams

First published in The Great Outdoors Magazine, Jan. 2004. I am floating on the surface of a warm tropical sea. The burning sun beating down on the skin of my back and shoulders, my face submerged in the tepid rolling … Continue reading

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Every Square Inch

National Parks are a paradox. Men (usual men) take marker pens and scribe boundaries onto maps. On one side of the boundary the landscape is sacred, to be preserved for ‘future generations’. On the other side, it’s business as usual. … Continue reading

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Diversity in Unity

Different does not mean inferior. Non-human does not mean further from the divine. The unity of wild nature will always, ultimately, prevail. Continue reading

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The Truth is Out There

The main problem, with the ‘environmental’ problem, is that it’s so energy-sappingly depressing. All those mind-numbing statistics about species extinction, escalating Parts Per Million of atmospheric carbon, another landscape racked by deforestation. A read through the “Jo’berg memo” for example, … Continue reading

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An Act of Prayer

A 13th Century map shows the whole world radiating out from Jerusalem. The holy city of the Judeo-Christian faith positioned dead-centre… the axis of the known universe. Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Tweet about it Subscribe to the comments … Continue reading

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Flight of Fancy

First published in The Great Outdoors Magazine, Jun. 2002. In the 17th Century, women were publicly weighed to assess if they were lighter than they looked. Those who failed this diabolic weight-watching test were, obviously, witches. Recommend on Facebook Share … Continue reading

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Dive into the Deep End

In my work running eco-education courses, I often witness intense discussions about ecology. As you can imagine, many of the people who would sign-up for an eco-education course are highly motivated and often passionate about environmental issues. Recommend on Facebook … Continue reading

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Wild at Heart Conference 2003: Stating the Obvious.

On the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of May 2003, a conference took place at Glenmore Lodge in the Scottish Highlands on the psychology and philosophy of wild places. The event was organised by Footprint Education, Glenmore Lodge and … Continue reading

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Less is More

First published in The Great Outdoors Magazine, Jan. 2003. Back in the 1980’s there was a trend to blame the ecological issues facing the world on one simple cause – overpopulation. The story went like this… Current environmental problems are … Continue reading

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