ABSTRACT
We live in a world densely populated by humans in close communication with one another over the surface of the earth. More and more, the world looks like a single society, a “global village.” But in fact, human society consists of a great many groups, as different from one another as the city dwellers of New York, rice farmers of India, and aboriginal hunters of northern Canada. People of our global village differ not only in their daily occupations and material wealth, but also in the ways in which they view the world around them. This multitude of perceptions is directly related to cultural diversity around the world, a diversity that is rapidly
shrinking. Surrounded by the built landscape, it has become diffi cult for many people to relate to the environment. This alienation from nature has contributed to the environmental problems of the contemporary world. But at the same time, it has triggered a search for new ways of relating to nature.
