Exploring the endless opportunities of environmental education in a time when the world’s ecosystems are becoming progressively vulnerable to the effects of climate change, the documentary “In Our Nature,” directed by James Parker, serves as a tool that reminds viewers of their place on the planet and how crucial it is that they understand and preserve the nature around them.
The film, which premiered in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 19, explores how organizations nationwide are giving people, especially younger generations, access to green spaces and experiences. By highlighting Chicago-based business Southside Blooms, Kentucky’s Red Oak Forest School, and the nonprofit Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) in San Antonio, “In Our Nature” helps to broaden the horizons of what environmental education can be.
“Those three stories put together make the case for why nature and environmental education are foundational to what it means to be educated, and… can be really powerful solutions in bridging divides and in building community,” Parker told The Informer.
The amount of environmental education grants that offer exposure to nature and provide people with hands-on experience to deepen their relationship with the Earth has significantly declined over the last three decades. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the number has decreased from 217 grants awarded in 1992 to 38 in 2023.
Parker hopes that “In Our Nature” inspires people and groups who care about the planet’s ecological health to work with the resources they have to spread that concern and passion to their communities and future generations. He hopes similar pieces of media and the featured programs push others to break away from preexisting molds that may limit the bounds of environmental education.
“I think this is a moment to reframe some of the funding models, maybe moving away from dependence on government… or bigger institutional funding, and instead finding ways to unlock new funding sources in your community,” Parker told The Informer.
Education as a Foundation for Environmental Advancement
Access to environmental education programs is needed now more than ever, as the world becomes more digitized and people spend more time behind screens. Advocates note the instant connection to the world abroad that technology offers can sometimes jeopardize people’s relationship with Mother Nature, the environment and each other as they opt to spend more time indoors.
Although increased screentime has the potential to be detrimental to collective environmental consciousness and advocacy, evolving technology can serve as a tool to further EE efforts and help educators and changemakers effectively adapt to a changing world.
“Technology is not bad at all,” Judy Braus, executive director of the Northern American Alliance for Environmental Education (NAAEE), Judy Braus, told The Informer. “We need to use it, and we need to think about how it can help advance our lives… and how to use it responsibly.”
The NAAEE aims to foster environmental literacy through advancing access to education to work toward a more sustainable future. To reach these goals, the nonprofit builds community, champions the significance of environmental education policy and fosters civic engagement through environmentalism.
Since the NAAEE prioritizes its commitment to advancing environmental consciousness and narrowing the access gap to educational resources, it was only natural that the organization provide fiscal sponsorship for “In Our Nature.”
“To me, educators are the saints of our societies,” Braus told The Informer. “They work so hard with so much pressure, and we can’t do enough to support [them], and that’s why I love that… this film tries to do that.”
Parker is keen on strategies that may be considered somewhat informal, noting that straying away from a strict definition of what this form of education means can offer more opportunity to reach more people and address a community’s needs. He praises the Chicago-based farm-to-vase florist Southside Blooms for breaking the barriers of environmental education.
“In many cases, they don’t even call themselves an environmental education program, and that’s really intentional,” Parker told The Informer. “If they were to get caught up in the definitions and really label themselves as formal environmental education, perhaps they wouldn’t be as effective.”
Nontraditional Environmental Education Makes Strides
Southside Blooms started as a love story between Quilen Blackwell and his wife, Hannah, in 2019, as a project of the nonprofit Chicago Eco House. The couple’s love for each other transpired into a love for their community and a passion to meet their needs and inspire the next generation.
Eighty percent of the cut flowers in the U.S. are imported, so the Englewood-based flower shop tried to bring the city more economic independence, not only by creating job opportunities, but by solidifying the flower market as a staple produced within, by and for the community. The company also benefits Chicago’s environment as it utilizes vacant plots of land to grow the flowers and uses rainwater irrigation and solar panels to power its farming operations.
Blackwell considers this act of service to the community as a labor of love within itself.
“Southside Blooms is an extension of our community, [and] being able to help our customers convey their emotions through flowers, whether it be a wedding day, a funeral, a birthday [or] an anniversary,” he told The Informer. “So what started as a love story has definitely been crystallized in a very big and colorful way, not just in our community, but throughout the marketplace.”
He hopes that the company’s presence in “In Our Nature” shows viewers that they don’t need to be a professional to start something that benefits their environment and inspires people to get involved in improving their communities.
Blackwell told The Informer that emphasizing environmental education for younger generations is crucial for catering to kinetic learners. As long as the youth is allowed to get their hands dirty and be in nature locally and abroad, supported by institutions that have their best interest at heart, the flower shop owner believes the connection to the larger ecosystems surrounding them will be strengthened.
“When that connection is severed or damaged, people begin to not appreciate how much we need the world and the environment… around us– not just because it’s the right thing to do, but for our own survival,” he told The Informer. “So one thing we try to teach our youth is if [they] work with Mother Nature,… she’ll yield her abundance.”
Southside Blooms aims to be a beacon of light for Chicago, moving the youth away from the gun and gang violence that plagues the city, and toward an environmentally conscious and economically sustainable future. The urban florist is a testament to the need for and uplifting of EE programs across the nation.
“In Our Nature” stresses the fact that caring for the environment is not a partisan issue, since wanting to drink clean water and breathe clean air isn’t a left or right-leaning desire, but more so necessary for human life on the planet. Advocates note that leaders and changemakers coming together to prioritize environmental education, can lead to a unified effort toward a greener future.
“There’s so much hope in children connecting to the natural world, finding a love and a sense of awe in [it], and therefore… for ourselves as humans, and more compassion toward each other,” Parker told The Informer. “It’s our responsibility to make sure this kind of wisdom passes on, and we do what we can to contribute to healthier individuals and healthier communities.”