Ecofluency wins Gold at the Eco-Logic Awards 2025
different ways of
knowing nature
knowing nature
What we know - and how we come to know it - is shaping the planet.
The ecological crisis is not only a crisis of nature. It is a crisis of knowledge, perception and meaning.
The Organisation for Noetic Ecology (ONE) works at the intersection of mind, meaning and the living world. We examine how human consciousness, cultural narratives and ways of knowing function as social-ecological forces – shaping land, water and biodiversity as much as any physical driver. And we investigate how animate nature equally shapes how we think, perceive and relate to each other and the more-than-human world.
Landscapes shape minds just as minds shape landscapes. The mental models driving materialism, extractivism and human exceptionalism are not neutral – they are directly linked to ecological outcomes. Planetary health is therefore inseparable from cognitive, cultural and consciousness transformation… all supported by cultivating deeper relationships with self, people and our natural places.
ONE therefore brings together researchers, facilitators and knowledge holders across disciplines and traditions to explore diverse ways of knowing through a productive tension. Grounded in Southern Africa, and in dialogue across the world, we develop curricula, conduct interdisciplinary research and convene conversation where it matters most.
We embrace the social-ecological sciences. But we also examine its foundations, assumptions and lean into the ways of knowing and belief systems that dominant frameworks have too often excluded.
What We Do
We design and facilitate engaging nature-allied programmes that support transformative learning.
Rejuvenature
Finding wakeful wellbeing
be.wilder.ed
Communing with nature
I cannot recommend this workshop enough! Every activity was well thought out and so insightful in opportunities for self reflection. Overall I experienced such a sense of nostalgia, a remembrance of a younger me, being playful in nature and feeling a deep sense of time standing still. I have been amazed at how grounded I have felt in the days to follow, this has been a much needed reminder of the importance of making time more regularly to connect to nature as a way to be more present and better manage my daily life... I look forward to joining more of these workshops in the future!
Course Participant
be.wilder.ed
The return to nature facilitated by this workshop was beautifully and thoughtfully crafted and presented. It felt like a welcoming home and woke a deeper curiosity for what I’ve often overlooked and taken for granted. How I engage with nature on a daily basis has changed, and I draw deep comfort from small observations. Looking forward to the next one!
Course Participant
be.wilder.ed
News & Articles
A Southern Cape gathering to midwife the collective healing for ancestors, land and our shared future
In this far-reaching podcast, our Programme Coordinator Dr. Matthew Zylstra speaks with podcaster Nathalie Nahai and explore the human relationship with technology, one another and the animate world, and how to flourish in turbulent times.
Webinar replay: The science behind why birding benefits human and planetary health as viewed through the lens of “nature connectedness”.
An absorbing podcast about animistic interspecies communication and kinship with the rest of life.
Dr Saskia von Diest, founder of Ecofluency and co-director of Noetic Ecology, is presenting an interactive 3-part talk series in Knysna.
