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Julia Butterfly Hill, Patagonia's Ron Calc, and California environmental attorney Sharon Dugan gathered with a crowd of close to 60 on the carpet of the Ben Linder Room March 2 to hash out the idea of living an "Earth-sacred" life. Dugan read a passage from James Hillman's book, The Force of Character: "If we no longer imagine that objects stare back, then the things around us spark no ethical challenge, make no appeal." Living an Earth-sacred life, Dugan said, means putting a face on the passion we feel for the Earth and taking it with us into the court room or the board room or wherever we go. Ron Calc said that hanging from the 3,000 foot rock wall of El Capitan taught him to be thankful for having what he needed rather than what he wanted. Calc said an Earth-sacred life requires taking the time to reconnect with nature, even when you're working a 9-5 job. Hill emphasized the idea that the sacred begins within. "There is no such thing as a non-action. Even our inactions have an impact on the world." She said living an Earth-sacred life means honoring our fellow humans. "We cannot stop the clear-cuts that are happening on the Earth if we are clear-cutting each other." She passed out scraps of paper and invited the audience to write down places and things they viewed as sacred and share them or pile them in a shrine in the corner of the room. Frank Merrill of California's Karuk Nation called for participants to recognize the spirits of the plants and animals around them. Conference guest Nat Quansah spoke about the importance of diversity within the environmental movement. As other participants discussed ways of honoring nature, UO business instructor Anne Forrestel passed fragrant daphne from her garden around the room as a reminder of the sacred Earth waiting outside. -- Kristina Johnson Back to Environmental Law Conference Index
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