An online programme by Dr. Stephan Harding, Juliana Schneider and Natalie Leung of Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden

Nature

A 2-week online course led by Dr. Stephan Harding and facilitated by Juliana Schneider and KFBG staff, introduces the Gaia Theory and Deep Ecology, providing integration of scientific, philosophical and practical foundations for developing a deeper engagement with the natural world. This online journey combines learning materials, live teaching and discussions, guided exercises and experiential sessions altogether.  In between online teaching and discussion sessions, we will offer practical exercises that can be done on their own at home to help ground the learnings and reflections. The course follows the Schumacher College model of encouraging exchange between participants as well as with the teachers and facilitators in creating a true community of learners.

This course is for anyone wishing to deepen their relationship with the natural world, whether in their own lives or in their professional practices. No previous knowledge of Gaia theory or deep ecology is required.

“A human being is part of the whole called by us the universe. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty… We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive.” (Albert Einstein)

Click HERE to download the programme poster 

Teacher: Dr. Stephan Harding

Stephan Harding holds a doctorate in behavioural ecology from the University of Oxford. He is one of the founding members of Schumacher College, an international centre of transformative education for sustainable living, in Devon - United Kingdom. He coordinated and lectured on the masters in Holistic Science for nearly two decades, besides teaching many of the college's short courses.  At Schumacher College Stephan has taught alongside many of the world’s leading ecological thinkers and activists, including Arne Naess, the proponent of deep ecology and James Lovelock, the proponent of Gaia Theory, as well as Fritjof Capra, Lynn Margulis, Brian Goodwin and Rupert Sheldrake. He is now the Deep Ecology Fellow at Schumacher College and is a teacher on several ecological educational projects internationally.

Facilitator: Juliana Schneider

Juliana has been a close affiliate with Schumacher College for the past decade, having graduated with Masters in Holistic Science and worked as a facilitator alongside experts in different areas such as Stephan Harding, David Abram, Vandana Shiva and Satish Kumar. In 2013 she founded an educational enterprise in Brazil experimenting with more participatory ways of organising. Beyond leading the organisation, she has taught and facilitated holistic thinking through numerous groups with highly diverse backgrounds. She is now a collaborator of educational initiatives in Brazil and around the world through mentoring, consulting and teaching, as well conducting a PHD as a researcher with the Schumacher Society. 

Facilitator: Natalie Leung of KFBG

Natalie is the Senior Education Officer in the farm and a Certified Guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Association, a Certified Zentangle Teacher and a Registered Yoga teacher in Yoga Alliance.

Content and Schedule
The 2-week course includes the following:

1st week (21 – 27 Jun 2022)
Session 1: Coming Together online Zoom session
Date and Time: 21 Jun (Tues), 1930 – 2130 HKT
Welcoming the group and introduction to the scientific revolution and its impacts in the modern world. Participants will be guided to the particular ways in which thinking has become separated from our sensory engagement with the world.

Session 2: Online Zoom session
Date and Time: 23 Jun (Thurs),  1930 – 2130 HKT
Continuing our exploration of the scientific revolution and more holistic ways of seeing. Participants will be invited to reflect on their plant observation exercises practised at home g and practise contemplative exercises during the session.

Session 3: Experiential Forest Immersion Walk
Date and Time: 26 Jun (Sun), 930 – 1230 HKT*
A nature immersion experience by KFBG staff (ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guides). Through a variety of invitations to slow down and ground deeply, this journey offers a sensory connection and rebuilding of relationship with the living forest. The session will highlight the interconnectedness between humans and nature and explore experientially our ecological engagement with the living earth.

*Will be postponed to 2 Jul (Sat), 930 – 1230 HKT in case of bad weather

**Subject to the government anti-epidemic measures, the session may be converted into a Virtual Experiential Forest Immersion Walk which will take place from 1000 - 1130 the same day.

2nd week (28 Jun – 5 Jul)
Session 4: Online Zoom session
Date and Time: 28 Jun (Tues), 1930 – 2130 HKT
Who is Gaia?
Stephan Harding will guide participants to explore the scientific view of scientist James Lovelock, founder of Gaia Theory. Gaia Theory proposes that from the complex interactions and feedback between the living and non-living beings on the planet emerges self-regulation of key planetary variables at the scale of the whole planet, such as global temperature and acidity.

Session 5: Online Zoom session
Date and Time: 30 Jun (Thurs), 1930 – 2130 HKT
A journey into Deep Ecology: introducing a new sense of belonging to an intelligent universe and developing a deep commitment to a more eco-centric lifestyle. Participants will be guided to look into nature’s intrinsic value through Arne Naess’ Deep Ecology approach, which proposes a deep interaction with the community of all beings as a way of expanding one’s sense of self towards an ecological self-committed to living well with Gaia.

Session 6: Experiential Deep Time Walk
Date: Any day between 30 Jun – 4 Jul
A self-guided experience in which participants will use the “Deep Time Walk” mobile application to walk an approximately 4.6 km-long journey designed to scale with Gaia’s developmental trajectory over geological time. As participants walk in their own Gaia space, they can feel the earth beneath their feet and go through the planet’s astonishing history over vast spans of time to reflect on the role of humans in the evolution of the planet.

Session 7: Online Zoom session
Date and Time: 5 Jul (Thurs), 1930 – 2130 HKT
Deep Ecology in our everyday life
Reflection on participant’s experiences on the course and sharing of one another’s learnings, and how these might translate into everyday life actions and choices. 

Language
Sessions will be conducted in English, with Chinese option ​available for the Experiential Forest Immersion walk

Target group/ No. of participants
Aged 18 or above
Maximum of 20 participants
Minimum of 12 participants 

Course Period
21 Jun – 5 Jul 2022

Format/ Location
Live course and interactive session: Zoom
Experiential Forest Immersion Walk: onsite at KFBG
Deep Time Walk: Mobile Application

Fee
KFBG member price: HK$1,440
Non-member price: HK$1,600

• Please click HERE for the online registration and payment on or before 14 Jun 2022
• Upon receipt of the application form and payment, a confirmation letter will be sent to you by email within 5 working days.
• Payment is not refundable after confirmation.

Enquiry
Natalie Leung at +852 2483 7108 or edu_programme@kfbg.org

• A potted plant is needed for home exercise. It is advised to buy and keep one if the participant does not already have one at home.
• Recording of the Zoom sessions will be shared on the KFBG learning platform, and a personal login ID and password will be provided prior to the start of the course. Participants can log in to access the materials within the learning period. Access to materials will be unavailable after the end of Aug 2022.
• Please download and install Zoom on your device before the interactive week.
• Please check your email inbox and junk box regularly to ensure you are always informed of the course's latest updates.
• In case of cancellation, you will be notified before the talk and a full refund will be arranged.
• To ensure the quality of the workshop for all participants, KFBG reserves the right to select participants for this workshop if we feel necessary. For unsuccessful applications, a full refund will be arranged by bank transfer or cheque within one month.

More about Kadoorie Earth Programme

This experience is brought to you by the Kadoorie Earth Programme (KEP).

Kadoorie Earth Programme is an initiative that is being co-created by KFBG and its network of collaborators and volunteers. By integrating the various strands of KFBG’s nature conservation, sustainable living and holistic education programmes, it provides life-transforming learning experiences that reconnect people with themselves, each other and the rest of nature and enables them to cultivate resilience in the face of climate change, economic uncertainty and other related challenges. Facilitated by leading educators, KEP guides participants to experience a paradigm shift, to let go of the same way of thinking that created the problems1 and to open their hearts to new ways of knowing and acting. We invite you to be part of this unfolding initiative, to make a difference together in this world.

1 “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them.” Albert Einstein