the environmental ethic of bill mason: a model for environmental education

abstract

almost 20 years after bill mason's death, the writings and films of this leg- endary canadian canoeist, filmmaker, and artist remain popular: "few peo- ple of any nation have been so influential in creating a sense of responsibili- ty for the environment" (buck, 2005, p. 12). supported by statements in mason's writings and films, this paper presents eight themes of mason's environmental ethic which reflect a christian perspective on caring for the earth. haluza-delay (2000) argues that religious understandings can be influential in developing meaningful environmental ethics and environmen- tally friendly lifestyles, as religious membership and practice are a signifi- cant source of values and motivation for behavioural change for many peo- ple. thus, for many canadians, bill mason's environmental ethic may be a good model for constructing their own environmental ethic. implications for environmental education are discussed.