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Living a Biocentric Lifestyle

by Tom Romito

One action can make a difference on your journey to living a biocentric lifestyle. Thats what
EcoWatch Founder and CEO Stefanie Spear told the audience at the Western Cuyahoga Audubon
membership meeting on December 6, 2016.
In a video interview leading up to that meeting, Stefanie gave an introduction on this topic. This article
summarizes that interview and the conversation she had with the audience at our member meeting.

Biocentric vs. humanistic

A biocentric lifestyle is a journey from a humanistic viewpoint to a biocentric one. I feel that the
majority of people over the last many decades are born into a very humanistic viewpoint. They
believe that the human species is at the top, and that all other species are nice to look at or know
about, but were at the top.
Thats just not reality. Reality is that all species are dependent upon each other and that we must live
in harmony with nature for long term survival of all species.
My goal and hope is that most people will realize that the human species does not rule and that we
have to be conscious of our impact on the earth and be aware of the health of other species for the
long term survival of humans.

Its a journey
I call it a journey because theres no way that once you become conscious of your impact on the
earth, that you can, in one days time, implement all the sustainable practices in your life! Its a
journey.
I encourage everyone to start with one item. Such as bring reusable bags to the grocery store. Take
one measurable item that you can say, Now, Im going to stop using plastic bags and just use reusable
Copyright 2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon.
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Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email: info@wcaudubon.org Web: www.wcaudubon.org

ones.
You then realize that that one action makes a difference. And thats your journey. Once you
implement that, youre likely to say, Hey, that worked. Why not try something else like composting!
How about if we dont throw away any compostable waste? And then you implement that, and so on
and so on.

Connect with nature

We are fortunate to live in Northeast Ohio where we have the Emerald Necklace and so many other
natural areas. Im a huge believer in getting people outdoors and on the waterways.
I feel that in order to protect nature, you have to recreate in it. By recreating in it, you realize the
value that it brings to our lives and to the health of our planet. Connecting to nature is definitely the
first step in caring for the planet.
Everyone should get educated about policy issues, communicate them, and engage with organizations
that have the same mission and vision as you do. Right now, theres probably nothing more important
than educating yourself on the most important environmental issues impacting human health and the
environment, and communicating them to others.

Audience participation - a new model

Under Stefanies leadership, the audience at the December 6, 2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon
membership meeting generated lifestyle ideas at a local level. The conversation covered a host of
different topics related to the biocentric lifestyle.
In response to Stefanies question about how many people eat a meatless or semi-meatless diet,
many people said they eat less meat because factory farming generates methane gas. Others eat little
chicken, eggs, or no dairy. Meatless Monday was popular among the audience. Another person has
converted to a vegetarian diet to diminish gout symptoms.
Compost was the subject of a lively discussion. Most people said they compost at home. One person
advised everyone to turn their compost piles regularly for good decomposition. Another warned that
food scraps that go into the garbage end up in landfills and increase the release of methane gas.

The dangers of chemicals

Another popular topic was the use of chemicals in our lives and around our homes. Stefanie noted
that we have become desensitized to chemicals, which have a major impact on our bodies. Further,
chemical runoff ends up in Lake Erie - our source of drinking water.
Most people in the meeting said they do not use pesticides around their homes. One noted that using
biodegradable products can help us to be carbon-neutral because they degrade in one to two days.
Also, keeping large trees on our properties and elsewhere helps to manage carbon dioxide, a
component of harmful greenhouse gases.

Copyright 2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email: info@wcaudubon.org Web: www.wcaudubon.org

Debating climate change

Stefanie pointed out that most scientists agree that climate change exists and we are causing it, while
many government officials deny it. Still, she notes, there a lots of things we can do about it. In
addition to the biocentric initiatives that people at the meeting noted they have already taken, we
discussed how we can engage in the climate change debate.
Stefanie also noted that holidays are a good time to talk to friends and relatives about climate change.
I tried this out myself at a Christmas party I attended with a group of relatives.
At the party, I approached a woman who was sitting by herself and not engaging with anyone. I asked
her what she was doing these days. She said, Im not supposed to talk about it in public. Suspecting
what she was implying, I said, Youre safe with me. She opened up and confided that she is an
anti-Trump resistance fighter. I joined her movement!
One attendee at the Western Cuyahoga Audubon meeting said that a burning issue in the climate
change debate is the fate of Ohios renewable energy standard.
On December 27, 2016 Governor Kasich vetoed legislation that would have made state
renewable-energy and efficiency standards voluntary for the next two years. The veto of House Bill 554
means Ohio's traditional utilities as well as any other power company selling electricity here must
supply an annually increasing percentage of power generated by wind, solar and other renewable
technologies until that percentage is 12.5 percent in 2027.
What can you do? Stefanie Spear encouraged us to track bills related to climate change when our
elected officials are debating and let them know how we feel about them by contacting our
representative and signing campaign petitions advocating for positive change.

Copyright 2016 Western Cuyahoga Audubon.

Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works.
Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109
Email: info@wcaudubon.org Web: www.wcaudubon.org