The Western New York Land Conservancy cites a statistic that North Americans spend 93 percent of their waking hours indoors or in cars. As a guidebook for the path back to nature, they recommend "Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature and Science," by Lyanda Lynn Haupt. The author of several books related to nature, Haupt will be speaking at a free event this Thursday night at 7 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Buffalo.
"I think one of the things that nurturing our connection with nature in a daily way can do is remind us not to get lost in the paralysis of fear and anger and grief," Haupt says.
"It reminds us that the source of all those things is care and love for the world and the Earth."
While her book "Rooted" offers scientific insight into the value of nature, it also shares the author's personal journey.
"As I grew my relationship with spirituality changed," says Haupt. In her youth, she began exploring nature following the paths of religious figures like St. Francis of Assisi and Julian of Norwich. It has become a lifelong journey.
"I brought all those things with me and they continue to influence me to this day, along with many of the mystics of that tradition and other traditions."
A native of Northwest Washington, Haupt is being brought to Buffalo by the Western New York Land Conservancy.
"National parks and state parks are wonderful, but they invite the idea that the land, that nature, is somewhere we go to. You know, we pack up and we're going to the national park and that's where nature is."
Land trusts, like the Conservancy, Haupts believes, alter that perception.
"They bring it into our home landscapes, involve our communities, our family, land that is owned by families, land that is farmed. So, they bring it to a very direct community level that I think has tremendous value."