we don’t have to continue with this destruction, however. according to sam thayer, a forager and author from northwestern wisconsin, the key to better stewardship of the environment may be reconnecting emotionally with the natural world.  he believes it’s time we viewed the earth as sacred, like many indigenous cultures do.

“i think that sacredness is a way in which culture speaks to individuals about what is important,” thayer said.

if we view the ecosystems that surround us as sacred, we might just realize how much we rely on their support. when we acknowledge that relationship, appreciation will likely follow, and from appreciation could stem the action our ailing planet needs: a major change from how we’re treating it today.

seeing the sacredness

so how do we transform the “ordinary” earth into something so special, so sacred? if you look at the stories that pepper our past, you might think it takes a legend, maybe a war.  but thayer thinks there’s an easier way, no violence involved: if you want to make something sacred, all you have to do is eat.

it may sound ridiculous, but thayer’s not suggesting we munch on the stones beneath our feet: he’s urging us to see the sacrality in the plants we already consume. according to thayer, modern humans have forgotten how important the plants that feed us really are, because we spend little time on basic needs like finding food.

“so many people don’t know that cotton is a plant, or that potatoes have leaves,” thayer lamented.  and if you’ve never witnessed your food sprouting up from the soil, it’s hard to see that soil is sacred – it’s not just dirt.

sam’s experience has taught him that it is through direct interaction that we develop a sense of sacredness. physical connections to the environment will become emotional the longer they last: from objective knowledge to subjective feeling, our bond grows stronger over time.  eventually the connection strengthens into “a spiritual relationship, and a feeling of deep responsibility to our landscape and our descendants,” thayer said.

the problem is that in today’s culture very few people have any direct contact with the plants that provide them with food: as urbanization continues, more people spend their lives in the concrete jungle of cities instead of the “real” jungles beyond.  that means many people lack the physical connections to the environment from which a sense of sacredness might sprout.

a scrumptious solution

thayer knows there’s a way to reverse this trend: interacting more with nature is the solution to our woes.  and this is far from an arduous, difficult task, because that interaction can take the form of a meal.

“i believe that gathering and eating food directly from nature is the easiest and most effective way to build an appreciation for plants and the ecosystems they create,” thayer said.  “it fosters gratitude. it creates sacredness… it is better for us and better for the earth.”

if thayer is right – and there’s evidence he is – we should snack on berries and nuts, not burgers and fries. but just shifting our diets won’t solve the whole dilemma, because how we obtain our food is what really needs to change.  “gathering and using a plant is the process that makes it sacred,” thayer explained. “look at the plants considered sacred by native peoples–they are all plants that were extensively gathered and used.”

if this sounds over-the-top, don’t run away yet, we don’t have to return to our primitive past.  “we need to create, maintain, foster, and reinforce those physical relationships that lead to an attitude of sacredness,” thayer said, but that doesn’t mean abandoning modern life!

by taking small steps to explore wild food, you’ll build relationships with the land outside your door.  even in cities, there are plenty of opportunities to sample a few wild plants in your salad and connect to the ecosystems from which they come.

building that relationship isn’t a chore either, it can be a pleasure. “i tell people to forage because it is fun, first and foremost” thayer said. “the rest grows naturally and automatically from that.”

the more you get to know local ecosystems (including the urban ones so many of us now inhabit) the more fun you’ll have.  but it’s not just you that will benefit. as you grow closer to plants you once passed without a thought, your attitude towards the earth is likely to improve as well.

“the act of gathering builds and compounds gratitude,” says thayer. if we all tried foraging, our collective gratitude could grow.  we could learn to see the earth as sacred, worth our time and effort to protect.  as this attitude spreads and begins to gather strength, we could radically shift the way we treat our planet.  the more plants and places we really get to know, the less likely we are to replace them with a parking lot.

the environment would certainly benefit from this shift, and we might notice our own bodies changing as well. by replacing processed foods with nature’s nutrient-rich fare, foraging would do our health a favor too.  but even more than the planet, your body, or your tastebuds, thayer believes foraging is good for the soul.  “i think a connection to nature is a vital part of what it is to be human,” he explains; in other words, our human nature could be more natural than we know.

what thayer is implying is truly profound: foraging is about more than gathering food. it is a way of reminding ourselves how sacred life is – human life, and all other forms in the world. so why not just try it: give gathering a chance! there are more edible plants out there than you might think, and many are growing in the abandoned lots, sidewalks, and gardens that surround you even in the concrete world of the city. so grab a foraging guidebook, and pull your friends out the door, as well: as you connect with each other and the planet, you’ll be defending our sacred earth.

the answer, of course, is a resounding “no.” the truth is that this apparent mismatch of personality and appearance is no mismatch at all, and the explanation lies in the nature of the “weapons” percy creates. not harbingers of destruction, but messengers of hope, happiness, and healing; the bombs the artist crafts are designed to spread life, not death. and this is not just an analogy, for each tiny bomb is filled with flowers rather than fire. to be more exact, percy’s bombs are brimming with seeds that will sprout into an array of wildflowers and other plants when they’re unleashed upon the world.

it is not just plants that grow from the seed-bombs percy creates, either. what these little works of art are really intended to cultivate is a relationship: a connection between people and the places that surround them. the artist’s mission is to help others develop and tend to their relationships with their local ecosystems, teaching them to care for and appreciate the living communities in which they are immersed.

ecology as inspiration

inspired by personal connections to the landscapes and ecosystems of new york’s southern tier, percy works to explore and honor these connections through art. much of the artist’s work incorporates place-specific materials, from seed-bombs filled with native plants to hand-made paper and books created using flowers, leaves, and other organic matter from nature.

“i don’t think my art practice and my love of nature have ever been separate,” percy said.

as a 2017 graduate of alfred university in alfred, n.y., classes that focused on making art based on investigating place and natural processes helped percy find a sense of purpose as an artist.

percy’s recent work is intended to evoke curiosity and inspire people to learn more about the ecological communities of which they are a part. while an artist in residence at the adirondack interpretation center (aic), run by the suny college of environmental science and forestry (suny-esf), percy encouraged visitors to appreciate and become stewards of the environment.

the paper percy created during the residency became not only a surface on which to write such a message, but an incarnation of the message itself. by transforming native plants into raw material for individual, hand-crafted sheets of paper, the artist carefully directs viewer’s attention to the beauty found in the native plants we often view as weeds. one of percy’s favorite sources is milkweed, a native plant that is a critical resource for monarch butterflies and also happens to produce a beautifully iridescent paper with an appealing, silky shimmer.

gathering the milkweed seed fibers, which is best done in fall after the first frost, also helps percy get in touch with the cycle of seasons. these seasonal shifts — along with other ecological topics like the distribution of species — figure prominently in much of the art percy produced during the summer residency at the aic. the science bound up in understanding these natural processes provides a clear link between percy’s work and the mission of suny-esf, focusing on both the technical and social aspects of sustainability. by taking an innovative and beautiful approach to exploring the environment and our connection to it, percy is advancing a creative model for inspiring people to learn about and safeguard the diversity of life on earth.

creating connections between art and science

so while they may seem an unlikely pairing, science and art are clearly linked in percy’s opinion. the artist holds that the two subjects aren’t as disparate as they may seem.

“art and science are both about investigation and navigating the unknown, using different tactics to articulate the experience of being in the world,” percy explained.

if art and science can come together to help people learn about the world around them, it isn’t so far-fetched to believe percy’s conviction that art is also tied to another seemingly unrelated cause: activism. in fact, art and activism are inherently complementary, according to percy.

“[art is] a way to introduce new ideas to society and to conceptualize alternative ways of being in the world,” percy said. if that doesn’t count as activism, then not much does.

returning to the subject of seed-bombs, one can see just how socially — and environmentally — conscious percy’s art really is. the act of scattering seeds may not jump out as an effective agent of social change, but the purpose behind these little packages of life illuminates their true power. seed bombs are part of a tactic the artist (and others) have termed “guerrilla gardening,” the act of intentionally growing plants on land that you don’t own. besides spreading beauty and restoring native species in everything from vacant lots to public parks and even private lawns, sowing these “illegal” seeds subverts the social fabric of property rights, while subtly challenging the separation of humans and nature that has become so pervasive in modern culture.

while they may not have the explosive force of their more dangerous cousins, seed-bombs have a transformative power of their own. by teaching others to make seed-bombs using plants native to their unique ecological surroundings, percy is fostering a connection between humans and the environment, speaking out against the alienation of people from nature and a myriad of other social constructions. percy says seed-bombs are just one of many creative strategies we can use “to cultivate life and be a steward of the land without boundaries.”

all of percy’s work, from paper, to books, to prints and hand-bound journals, supports this creative and forward-thinking style of activism. and the artist says they are not alone in using art to push for progress in society. “there are plenty of artist-activists out there finding ways to use art as a tool to change the world,” percy said.

for those looking to try their own hand at melding creativity and environmental awareness, percy suggests connecting with others who have already opened their eyes to the power of art as activism. according to the artist, the best way to learn is by “just having candid conversations with all kinds of people — about what’s important to them and to you, and about the place and the community you’re both in.”

ultimately, percy says that “making art of any kind means forging your own path.”

in other words, everyone will come to their own conclusions about how to reconnect with the landscape, take care of their ecological community, and encourage others to do the same.

watching percy blaze ahead on this creative course, it’s clear that a determined spirit blooms beneath the artist’s peaceful façade. it turns out percy is a warrior after all; with bombs full of flowers and a milkweed-paper shield the artist is charting a course towards a better future for people, plants, and the planet we call home.