The Upshot: Recommendations from the Leopold Conferees

Based on the powerful and relevant legacy of Aldo Leopold and the inspiration of the Shack, the Aldo Leopold Foundation is urged to take the Land Ethic forward into the 21st Century (from the Shack to the Leopold Legacy Center and beyond)

What is needed now is an agenda to:

1) develop in new language and for a new generation a compelling vision of humanity’s place in nature and of our ethical responsibility to the natural world and to each other

Explain that the Land Ethic is an Earth Ethic, embracing the local to the global and including not only land and people, but also water, oceans and air
Reframe and refresh the message so that it speaks to today’s growing urban public in clear, simple and relevant terms
Connect human health with the health of natural systems
Emphasize that natural security is fundamental to human well-being now and in the future. Inspire a vision of natural creativity - a better, healthier and more fulfilling life through resonant connections with Nature and each other. Nature is where we live, work and play.

2) build and broaden this new consciousness so that it comes alive in society

Be a model for how local and regional place-based ethics can grow and become international
Foster the Land Ethic through a network and alliance of groups focused on ethics, experiential education, quality of life, health and spiritual concerns.
Explore the concept of an “Earth Corps” for all generations to work to restore the health of the Earth