Kansas has been home to my family for four generations. And though I’ve mostly lived in metropolitan areas, the prairie is never far away. I draw inspiration from the native tall grass prairie of the Kansas Flint Hills. One of the few areas of a once vast inland prairie ecosystem to remain unbroken by the plow, this rare grassland exists today, much as it has for thousands of years. This seemingly untamed place is a respite for me. It’s a place to connect with the earth, deepen my ecological consciousness, center myself spiritually, and restore balance. The interconnectedness of this unique ecosystem exemplifies the important roles everyone and everything play in our world. I am eternally grateful to the indigenous stewards of this unceded land. The Osage, Pawnee, Wichita, and Kansa first peoples flourished here. They are examples of how humans can honor and live with reciprocity and balance within a natural system.

Modern humans have largely failed to understand, or chosen to ignore, the impact our actions have on the land, air, and water, interrupting the balance that is required for the continuation of life as we know it. Our influence has altered earth’s biosphere to the point that we’ve entered a new planetary era, the Anthropocene, a period defined by human activities that impact the environment enough to constitute distinct geologic change. We are flooding our atmosphere with carbon dioxide that is altering the climate at a rate far too fast for us (and other organisms) to adapt. We are losing connection to one another and to our earthly home. These circumstances are a source of considerable psychological and physical suffering. And it is worsening. Climate change is causing a mental health crisis. I believe that to collectively heal, we must intentionally deepen our ecological consciousness and reconnect with ourselves and the earth.