The Earth Charter

URL:http://bahaiteachings.org/
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The first principle of the Earth Charter is entitled, “Respect and Care For the Community of Life”. Within this principle there are four sections, which discuss respect and care for Earth and everything on it to secure its abundance and beauty for future generations. I believe David Orr would chime in on this section in particular because of his love of the land, or biophilia. Orr is very passionate about the world around him and he preaches respect for the earth and for the long-term preservation of its beauty. At the end of Orr’s “Love It of Lose It: The Coming Biophilia Revolution” he lists off several things a “sane” civilization that loved more fully and intelligently would have, such as more parks and fewer shopping malls.

URL: http://www.thebluedotpost.com/
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The second principle is entitled “Ecological Integrity”. This principle has four sections discussing concern for biodiversity and natural processes, environmental protection, and the overall well being of the earth and its inhabitants. Vandana Shiva discusses a great deal about biodiversity in her, “What Is Biodiversity and Why Is It So Important?” Shiva believes that biodiversity is the key to life, it is what shaped the world and without it we would be nothing. To preserve our Earth and its natural processes we must have biodiversity.

URL:http://www.tampabay.com/resources/
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The third principle of the Earth Charter is entitled “Social and Economic Justice”. Within this principle are four sections that essentially discuss how to care for the human race by ending poverty, promoting human development, gender equality, and eliminating discrimination. This section really relates to our most recent field trip to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). At the CIW we were taught about the famers whom worked in the fields, their working and living conditions. These workers are not being treated equally by, essentially, anyone. They are only recently being given some rights, but they still live in poverty. The way they used to be treated in the fields was horrible, getting paid very little for hours upon hours of work out in the hot Florida sun without access to water and being mistreated by the people in charge. These workers are finally starting to live normal lives with better pay and better working conditions thanks to the CIW.

URL:http://www.rufford.org/files/Environmental
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The fourth principle is entitled “Democracy, Nonviolence, and Peace”. The four sections that make up this principle discuss strengthening democratic institutions at all levels, integrating the knowledge and skills needed for a sustainable way of life into education, treating all life respectfully, and promoting peace. University Colloquium in general is something that really helps promote this section as well as the others. Within colloquium we are taught many different things about the world around us and its importance and that is exactly what this principle is wanting to accomplish. This principle wants everyone to be educated about the world, the life in it, and why it is important, colloquium is assisting in the growth of knowledge to better understand our home and why it is important that we respect it and the life on it.