Karina wants to share Eco Voices with the world
The Eco Voices project is an idea Karina Donkers (Stockdale) developed using her deep ecology training to reconnect people to each other and to the Earth. The project aims to bring awareness to some of the impacts of climate change and start conversations about how we can be a part of the solution. Nature has its own stories and voices; and this project will aim at bring these to the forefront of the discussion.
We had the opportunity to chat with Karina recently, and she answered some of the questions we had for her.
What was the main driver behind the creation of Eco Voices?
As the soundtrack of the world is changing, Eco Voices hopes to amplify the song of the natural world and bring a voice to the voiceless. Narrative and story are a large part of how we have learnt to understand ourselves and the world around us. Therefore Eco Voices is gathering stories from species that are being affected by climate change and habitat destruction, as well as sharing powerful stories of innovative sustainability projects and from people living the change to share with the wider community.
These stories aim to reconnect and shift peoples sense of self to see themselves as part of nature and not separate to it, developing people’s ecological self and encouraging people to fall back in love with the natural world. Using Deep Ecology practices, and inspired by Joanna Macy’s The Work That Reconnects this project aims to deepen people’s connection to each other and the world. Eco Voices invites people to be a part of shifting our story – to one that honours all voices.
If you’ve not heard of Joanne Macy, you can see an introduction to her YouTube video series below:
What do you believe is the most positive ways for us to be interacting with nature?
We are nature. For me it’s about a deep remembering and a reawakening of our inherit way of being in this world. To find balance again and be in harmony in the web of life. Every day we have an impact on this world, we get to choose what that impact is- good or bad.
My motto in life is ‘leave everything more beautiful than you found it, whether that be a piece of land that you are regenerating or someone else’s sense of worth or building community or creating art. This is how I hope to spend my days giving back as much as I take from nature and if I am lucky giving back a little more.
Given the multitude of threats facing the environment today, what meaningful action can we undertake to improve this situation?
I believe that in this time of environmental and social crisis everyone has a unique strength and gift to bring to the healing of this planet. Part of the workshops that are being run through the Eco Voices project help people uncover their part to play in the larger story of life. I think that the most powerful action we can take it identifying this and utilise it to make change on an individual, community and global level. The Earth is yearning for people to step into their full unique selves and come together for a collaborative response.
You undertook a PDC in 2016 – did this affect your outlook on the environment?
Attending the permaculture design course in 2016 helped deepen my appreciation for the profound inter-connectedness of life. It further opened my eyes to the magic and importance of the small things like micro-organisms and the make-up of soil. It helped me read the land and see the stories that are written in the landscape. It made me curious about how the whole system breathes as one. It highlighted the deep intelligence nature holds, an intelligence that we will only ever touch the surface of. It also acted as a reminder about ensuring I was sustainable in the work I was doing to avoid burn-out.
Imagine you received a crowd-funded amount of a million dollars. What would you do with it?
I would use the money to empower and inspire thousands of people in different regions to be leaders of change in their own area, building the grassroots movement and supporting innovative and creative mean of addressing climate change. This would create flow on ripple effects that would reach many many more people and support communities to implement their own change. Climate change is an all-encompassing issue that requires humanity to come together to create a world that honours all life. I believe a shift in consciousness is required to best move forward to ensure that the world is balanced and self-sustaining.
How can people get involved with Eco Voices?
There are many ways that you can get involved with Eco Voices. You can follow the stories on Facebook- Eco Voices or on Instagram- @eco.voices. The project has been running since April this year and has had the privilege to collect stories from species such as the leadbeater possum, the greater glider, the koala, the smooth stingray, the humpback whale, the bell frog and many more. People can also get involved by contacting Karina on [email protected] to share a story of a species, collaborate in an event for sustainability/activism or book Karina for various different education packages or for workshop delivery in deep ecology.
