Deep Ecology Education Program

THE RELATIONSHIPS WE KEEP
Our relationships mold us into who we are. Just as we carefully choose our companions, we must also work towards a relationship with the earth that is grounded in respect and reverence. Ecology, the study of relationships, offers a holistic approach to understanding the interconnectedness of life. By studying relationships, we can develop sustainable practices that promote the well-being of ecosystems and the organisms that call them home.

WHAT IS DEEP ECOLOGY?
Deep ecology is about seeing the world as a complex web of interconnected beings. It asks us to live in balance and harmony with the rest of nature, not solely thinking of ourselves. To live deeply is to live with humility and respect, and to cherish the beauty and diversity of the world. It is about understanding our relationships and living in a way that reflects that understanding, honoring, and protecting them for the future.

THE DEEP ECOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAM
HSP’s Deep Ecology Education Program (DEEP) offers a means to promote ecological awareness and understanding. This program incorporates experiential learning, spiritual and philosophical perspectives, and environmental activism to educate and inspire individuals to make positive changes in their communities and the world at large.

LOCAL PROJECTS
HSP is taking action to apply deep ecology education by partnering with schools across Virginia to create pollinator gardens on their grounds. We work together with service organizations and invite volunteers to join us on garden installation and maintenance projects. Educators play a vital role in this initiative, developing a range of ecologically-focused lesson plans and training teachers to incorporate garden-based curricula for elementary, middle, and high school students across various subjects.

WHY POLLINATOR GARDENS?
Pollinator gardens are a powerful and practical way to put the principles learned through deep ecology education into action. By providing a safe and nourishing environment for pollinators, these gardens help to promote biodiversity and ecological health. These gardens can also serve as living classrooms where students can learn about the critical role that pollinators play in our ecosystem.

CURRENT PROGRESS
In the past month, we have met with six local schools and implemented our first Richmond Public Schools pollinator garden and community garden cleanup. We are continuing to connect with community partners to build a cooperative of students who can engage in schools outside of their own and connect them with job and career pathways. 
We kicked off our concert series in April that benefits our DEEP programming and aids in resource gathering and building for students involved. Our most recent Festival, Terrapin, featured a plant sale with proceeds going towards pollinator garden plans and student-led projects within the community.  

The primary goal of DEEP is to serve as a bridge between scholarship on cultural adaptations required for our species to survive climate change.  Developing sustainable political and commercial responses requires sufficient popular support in turn making it a priority for policymakers. 

The heart of this program is a community organizing endeavor to build a collective base for increasing regional resiliency and generating transformational dynamics that lead to increased equality of opportunity and quality of life.

Additionally, DEEP was initiated in the middle of a global transformation following COVID and the social and economic repercussions of a world recovering from fear and general unwellness.  The program effectively brought people back together in the community working towards a more sustainable and healthy future, cultivating empowerment and a new sense of control and resiliency.  DEEP is now in a season of harvest. 

In this cross-community and cross-cultural pollination, HSP will push the boundaries of modern traditional education as DEEP strives to implement a more inclusive and mindful pollinator curriculum.

In the past four months, DEEP developed a collaboration with local community clubs to install pollinator gardens with local schools and develop invasive species extraction teams to work around critical locations for the local watershed.  The main focus of this collaboration is to create relationships between communities that rarely interact.  We think of this work as community pollination which includes engagements of critical reflection concerning the lasting impacts of redlining on the quality of life and opportunities for youth in the community. 

Our intercultural service programming aims to bring together students who participate in activities defined as identity group organizations. These groups include the Black Students Association, the LatinX Club, the United Methodist Student group, and the Jewish Student Union.  The program is to engage these students in joint service projects that include reflection and fellowship.  

The planned projects support a food pantry that serves a diverse demographic—coordinating with a community garden program that connects economically disadvantaged inner-city schools with more affluent schools.

Another important component of the program is to engage students with the outreach and planning of water and sanitation ventures in connection with Rotary International and the WASH group.  The activities would provide critical research assistance, social media marketing, networking services, and resource mapping.  

The Highland Support Project networks academic and service organizations to support community-driven projects through a methodology that increases individual and community resilience. 

DEEP's programming strives to develop community partnerships capable of addressing environmental justice issues and improving the quality of life through a methodology that provides individuals with opportunities for leadership, participation, and social capital formation.

This past fall semester, HSP has continued engagement with over 20 local college students to foster passion acquisition pathways and provide project planning/management and relevant career skills. Students were given the space and resources to utilize and flex their individual skill sets over more than 1200 hours of community engagements including Rally in the Alley events, community clean-up, the continuation of pollinator gardens, and community outreach surrounding climate change. 

One major accomplishment was the Rally event organized, promoted, and facilitated by a team of VCU students to raise awareness about the land agency and religious freedom crisis happening at Oak Flat, Arizona – a sacred Apache Land reserve – that turned out over 200 people. 

We invite you to participate in one of our many community-building events to build power for climate action. Join us for our student-organized events in the Alley located behind AlterNatives at 3320 West Cary Street. Richmond, VA. 23220. The Alley is an intentional space for subaltern cultural creation run by the students of HSP's DEEP program. 

Thank you so much for your continued support we can’t wait to share what we’ve grown together!