Self-Sufficiency & Sustainability
Video: Exploring Alternative Lifestyles
By: Jordan James Hamilton; Phoenix Violeus; Lori Elliot; Andy Braun Part of a Civic Engagement Project in the Environmental Philosophy graduate program at the University of Montana. Featuring: herbalism, gardening, sustainable growing practices, permaculture, butchering, processing, beekeeping & more!
Project Introduction
Welcome to my webpage on Self-Sufficiency and Sustainability (SS&S)! This civic engagement project (CEP) is the culmination of the environmental philosophy program at the University of Montana. I created a documentary-style video presentation with the intended purpose of providing instructional techniques on practical life skills. For the engagement event, I hosted a forum and film screening on SS&S. The primary sub-topics of discussion in this film are herbalism, permaculture, gardening, local commerce, beekeeping, butchering, and food preservation. For your viewing pleasure, the video is embedded above from YouTube and comments are encouraged.
Background and Context
Why would someone undertake this type of experimental living? The present journey is a quest for personal independence and came to fruition while learning to live off-grid in a primitive cabin, 20 miles outside of Missoula, Montana. This experience was also coupled with beginning the graduate program in environmental philosophy at the University of Montana. It is easy and tempting to compartmentalize theory and practice, but my mission is to put strategies of environmentally responsible living, from the classroom, into practice as applied to the art of living, in the real world.
Theoretical Applications
Henry David Thoreau advocated, as an overarching theme, for a life lived intentionally. “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms…” (p. 69). Life without any frills but one that seeks to uncover the bare necessities of human existence. This book is the recollection of a profoundly transformational experience and a prescient reflection on personal growth and existing intentionally. Yet, published in the mid-19th century, I contend that the differences between urban and rural life, during Thoreau’s time, have magnified significantly in the early 21st century. Many of the key themes explored are still tremendously applicable today, if not moreso. While some of the strategies behind securing these needs have slightly changed in the last century and a half, many remain relatively stable and these techniques provide the foundation for this critique.
This course in value theory addressed issues relevant to the relationships between humans and non-human animals. The emphasis of this course was recognizing the myriad and unexpected ways that creatures can interact. From baboons on the African savannah, to whales in the depths of the Pacific ocean, to wolves in Yellowstone National Park, this seminar was a tour-de-force on broadening one’s horizons as it applies to non-human creatures. The cornerstone text for this course was J. M. Coetzee’s Lives of Animals. In this meta-narrative, the protagonist Elizabeth Costello is invited to give an academic presentation in honor of an award received. Famous for creative writing, she is expected to keep things fairly uncontroversial and speak in her area of expertise. Yet, she pushes back against this expectation and decides to make the talk about the treatment of animals.
Issues in the Anthropocene was a meditation on how the Earth has changed as a function of human-caused impacts. Following the Holocene, the Anthropocene creates a vast array of issues due to the toxic effects of modern technologies and civilization as it currently exists. This seminar zeroed in on the most pressing dilemmas that emerge from increased manipulation and management of the planet at the hands of human beings. The advent of agriculture, discovery of fire, sixth species extinction, Colombian exchange, Industrial Revolution, and atomic explosions are all offered by various thinkers as the dawn of the Anthropocene. Regardless of one’s specific commitments, it is apparent that the appearance of technologically advanced humans on the global stage has caused dramatic changes, rivaling the geological forces of nature itself. The primary text for this course was Stephen Vogel’s Thinking like a Mall. From the onset, Vogel is hostile to the concept of “nature.” This theme also feeds into notions of whether a pristine or untouched nature still exists, free from the befouling touch of humanity. This is also unhelpful, according to Vogel, as humans have managed the planet for tens of thousands of years. After dispelling the notion of nature, Vogel continues by questioning the difference between artificial and natural, as well as what constitutes artifacts created by humans, The ultimate conclusion is that we should abandon the concept of nature, and focus on the environment, being that which environs us. This includes cities and working land and other areas typically neglected by mainstream environmental philosophy discourse. For Vogel, the built environment is an important, yet unrecognized element of our existences. Rather than serve as a defender of urbanization, sustainability encourages re-imagining the ways in which people can live in harmony with the "natural" environment.
Actions Taken
My thoughts during the decision-making process help to illustrate the behind-the-scenes tasks which I initiated throughout the course of this project. Perhaps the most important and difficult step of the CEP was the process of deciding to actually complete a CEP. One of my primary reasons for enrolling in the Environmental Philosophy program at the University of Montana was to write a formal Critical Animal Studies (CAS) thesis. Yet, due to some setback and dead-ends, I opted for a CEP top transcend the traditional conventions that accompany writing a standard academic thesis. An extremely vital element to consider was how to convey the ideas I wanted to share with the community, and create an enduring legacy. Therefore, deciding on the medium of communication for this presentation was of paramount importance. Since SS&S skills are best conveyed via demonstration, I opted to use cinema as the means of presentation, accompanied by a discussion afterwards.
Accomplishments and Challenges
This project presented a swath of rewards and challenges. The art of learning cinematography also presented a host of difficulties, but ultimately prevailing was exceeding rewarding. Firstly was the process of securing hardware and software. The University of Montana Mansfield Library Technology staff were all remarkably helpful in endeavoring to overcome this challenge. They walked me through using the various devices and pointed the way to video editing software on University computers. Then, having only taken high school level editing classes, I had to learn editing and publishing starting from scratch. Timing was a challenge as well-- from coordinating film slots with people schedules, to filling out rental and release paperwork, and putting it all together with a final polished product.
Emotionally, this project was exceptionally challenging because it involved documenting animals immediately after being slaughtered, and the subsequent processing of their corpses—many of which I knew personally as individuals. As mentioned previously, I originally intended to write The Herbivores’ Manifesto as my thesis and do not eat animal products. Obviously, the entire process of reckoning with the ethicality of this process was enormously challenging mentally and especially emotionally taxing on my psyche. Yet, I ultimately concluded that, as an animal rights advocate, I owed it to myself to explore what, if any, way is ethical to raise and butcher “livestock.”
Conclusion
Overall, this project was a refreshing break from a traditional academic thesis project. A CEP allows for a more creative application and expansive notion of "Environmental Philosophy." Rather than restrict oneself to exclusively the medium of writing, this project enabled melding together my practical life experiences over the past few years, and the academic analyses honed in the classroom. As a result, this project had the objective of informing the community on certain SS&S skills, with the aim of instilling others with the confidence and competency to improve one's skills.