February 2, 2011

TED Talk: Michael Pollan gives a plant’s-eye view

“Looking at the world from other species’ points of view is a cure for the disease of human self-importance.” — Michael Pollan

I was lucky enough to see Michael Pollan speak at UBC Farm in 2009 and I found him terrifically inspiring.

In this fascinating TED Talk, Pollan talks about humans’ relationship with, or rather perceived dominance over, nature, corn’s dominance over us, and nature’s incredible systems at work on a farm.

“…If you think about it, this completely contradicts the tragic idea of nature we hold in our heads which is that, for us to get what we want, nature is diminished. More for us, less for nature. Here, all this food comes off this farm and at the end of the season, there is actually more soil, more fertility and more biodiversity. It’s a remarkably hopeful thing to do. … We can take the food we need from the earth and actually heal the earth in the process.”

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