Module 1 – Eco litreracy

Date and hour of implemented Module:  January 26th 2024 – 09h00 – 13h30

Place of implementation: Liceo Scientifico “Gaetano Salvemini” – Sorrento

Facilitator: Olivier Rikir

Why Eco literacy as the first module?
Ecology and economics, seemingly two unrelated branches, actually have an inseparable connection. The root of both sciences is ECO, which comes from the Greek words οἶκος, and means HOME.
Ecology – (Gr. οἶκος = home, garden; λόγος = science, principle) is a natural science that studies the number, distribution and mutual relations of organisms or groups of organisms in their environment.
Economics – (Greek οἶκος = home, nomo – law, rule, order) is a science that studies the way societies use scarce resources to produce useful goods and how they are distributed among different groups.
By this alone we can conclude that both ECOLOGY and ECONOMY strive to take care of our house, our planet Earth, in the best possible way. However, looking at today’s situation it seems as if a rift has occurred between them and as if one house has split into two parts. Ecology takes care of one part, and economy takes care of the other, and more and more it seems that the two parts of the house want to be independent of each other.
Throughout history, we have not often seen environmental activists standing side by side with large corporate giants, nor corporate giants supporting environmental campaigns. Until the emergence and development of capitalism, until the 17th century, economics was studied as part of philosophy. Since then, the economy seems to be working against our home… Excessive consumption of limited natural resources and consumerism are consuming our Earth greatly. Terrible ecological injustices are happening to humans and all other parts of the web of life. In addition, we live in an age where the word ECO, and its many derivatives, are often used to manipulate people. For example, the term greenwashing, or green marketing, was coined by prominent environmentalist Jay Westerveld in a 1986 essay in which he argued that the hotel industry was falsely promoting towel reuse as part of a broader environmental strategy; while in fact this act was designed as an austerity measure.
Not to be manipulated and to become Eco literate, in the very beginning of this manual we will learn different terms that directly come from ecology and help us understand the web of life, but also some terms that are new creations and might help us in understanding different relationships throughout the system.
Also, we can consider Eco literacy as a TOOL that could join “the house separated in two parts” into one. Perhaps, if we would all become Eco literate, ecology and economy would not work against each other, perhaps we would begin to understand our place in the web of life, and perhaps our house, planet Earth, could be a good house for many generations to come.