Chapter 3: Methods and Mindsets for Creating Eco-Social Community Educators

Ecojustice education seeks a movement to change current non-sustainable social and ecological realities and exploitative mindsets. In rudimentary terms, while social justice challenges social “-isms,” ecojustice challenges the pervasive industrial-cultural mindset of anthropocentrism, defined as:

Freeing oneself from such a mold is akin to what Macintosh (1998) describes as a person trying to realize he or she has on an “invisible knapsack” of advantages while attempting to grapple with his or her unearned dominant social group privileges. To begin questioning their inherent anthropocentrism presents a particularly arduous task for people entrenched in post-industrial culture, because it involves moving even further away from everyday experiences and going deeper than already invisible social relationships. It requires humility and letting go of a deeply embedded individual cultural identity. Yet, failure to surface from societal curriculum may negatively affect abilities to critically analyze sociopolitical, sociocultural contexts and realize common culture solutions that exist within local communities. Rather than striving towards a revitalization of our commons by enhancing sustainable social practices, for example, individuals may be conditioned to advance enclosure by limiting shared access to and use of the commons (Bowers, 2004a).