Convivial Phylogenetic Respiration
(or: How to befriend a tree)

Collective Planetary Response-Abilities
A Greenprint

Commitments

Cultivate interspecies relationships

Cherish the lives of other-than-humans

Champion environmental justice

Practices

Ponder our place on Earth

Preserve & regenerate ecosystems

Participate in multispecies collaboration

Re-imaginings

Redefine human-nature borders

Revitalize traditional ecological knowledges

Reinvent urban spaces as green

一

Connect


Find a tree that draws you in. It doesn’t matter if it’s tall, small, young, or ancient—choose one that feels welcoming. Walk around it, look up at its branches, and notice its unique shape.

Further reading: Stephen R. Kellert and Edward O. Wilson, eds., The Biophilia Hypothesis (Island Press, 1993); David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World (Vintage, 1997).

Perceive


Open your senses fully. Listen to its leaves rustling, feel the air around it, and notice any scents. Imagine the sap flowing through its trunk and its roots spreading deep into the earth.

Further reading: David George Haskell, The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature’s Great Connectors (Viking, 2017).

Reflect


Think about how the tree makes you feel. Does it remind you of strength, patience, or stillness? You might write down these thoughts in a journal or simply hold them in your mind (as you go about your day).

Further reading: Nalini Nadkarni, Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections to Trees (University of California Press, 2008).

二

Conspire


Stand near the tree, close your eyes, and imagine breathing with it. Picture its breath flowing into you as you inhale, and yours returning to it as you exhale. This quiet exchange begins your friendship.

Further reading: Tim Choy, Ecologies of Comparison: An Ethnography of Endangerment in Hong Kong (Duke University Press, 2011), especially chapter 6, “Air’s Substantiations.”

Play


Let your imagination wander. Picture yourself as the tree: your arms as branches, your legs as roots. What does the world look like from its perspective? You might even hum or move with the rhythm of the wind in its leaves.

Further reading: Stefano Mancuso and Alessandra Viola, Brilliant Green: The Surprising History and Science of Plant Intelligence (Island Press, 2015).

Rest


End your interaction by resting near the tree. Simply sit or lie down, feeling the tranquility of its presence. Allow yourself to absorb its calmness, and let your own breath slow in harmony with the tree’s.

Further reading: Margaret M. Hansen, Reo Jones, and Laura Tocchini, “Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14, no. 8 (2017): 851; Qing Li, Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness (Viking, 2018).

三

Care


Treat the tree with kindness and respect. Notice some of the life it supports—moss, insects, birds—and think about its role in the ecosystem. Let yourself feel gratitude for the air it creates and the shade it offers.

Further reading: Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate (Greystone, 2016).

Pause


Still your thoughts and notice its energy—steady, rooted, and ancient. Observe its patience and presence, how it inhabits the space around it, unaffected by the rush of time. Let yourself share this stillness.

Further reading: Eduardo Kohn, How Forests Think: Toward an Anthropology Beyond the Human (University of California Press, 2013).

Return


Friendships grow with time. Return to your tree often, in different seasons or moods. Notice how it changes and how your relationship deepens. Each visit strengthens your connection.

Further reading: Diana Beresford-Kroeger, To Speak for the Trees: My Life’s Journey from Ancient Celtic Wisdom to a Healing Vision of the Forest (Random House, 2019).

四

This project is made possible through generous support from the University of Toronto’s School of Cities