Ecological Connection Wall

The Ecological Connection Wall serves as a canvas for KU School of Social Welfare community members to express their connections with nature.

Located on the third floor of Green Hall on the KU Lawrence campus, the installation is part of the "Greening the Green" Initiative, a project by KU social work faculty and research staff.

Social work students, staff and faculty are encouraged to share photos and descriptions of their experiences with nature, which are framed and displayed on the wall.

To learn more about The Ecological Connection Wall, email cejc@ku.edu.

Related Information

Move to Green Hall

Spring 2026

Growing Through Connection: Reflections from MSW, DSW, and PhD Students

Joonmo Kang

This semester’s Ecological Connection Wall features three student art pieces representing the MSW, DSW, and PhD programs. The first piece, a poem and photography titled “Seasons” by Brittany Eaves (DSW student), reflects on the changing seasons and draws a parallel to the evolving nature of social work Practice. The second piece, created by Tyler Horringa (MSW student) as his final project for SW755: DEI in Social Work Practice, uses the imagery of a tree to explore the relationship between society and the nature world. The handwritten message on the tree is especially powerful, illustrating the core principles of ecosocial work practice. The final piece, a photo collage by Megan Drovetta (PhD Candidate), highlights her connection to nature through gardening. Her work emphasizes the significance of everyday practices in sustaining our relationships with the environment.

1. Seasons

“Seasons” reflects the emotional journey of supporting others through lifechanging moments, acknowledging both joy and struggle. It captures the hard, unpredictable work of walking alongside clients, showing that each challenging or joyful experience shapes growth for both practitioner and client. Ultimately, the poem reminds us that every season—no matter how difficult—is meaningful and worth the effort.
By Brittany Eaves

Seasons

By Brittany Eaves

In life, we are always anticipating

the next season.

We wait for the signs

the hint of warmth or the shift of the wind

so, we know when it’s time

to plant the seeds, we hope to sow.

We grab our sweaters,

or roll up our sleeves,

adjusting ourselves

to whatever change arrives.

Seasons can be defined

by the moments we survived,

or the moments we lived vicariously

through others.

By the laughter that carried us

the pain that still echoes,

or the pain that lingers.

Trauma that shaped us

or the trauma we finally laid to rest.

We orchestrate how we meet the world,

how do we greet the weather.

How we learned to love

the leaves before they fall.

We hold the rippling memories

of summer days by the lake,

and the bundled-up warmth

of winter nights by the fire.

But as the sun disappears,

so do some smiles.

And we ask ourselves:

How do we keep walking

when we can’t predict

the next season at all?

Maybe the answer

is the pathway beneath our feet,

the one that stays the same

through all the changes.

To remember to move forward

no matter the weather.

Brittany Eaves

Seasons. Photo by Brittany Eaves

2. EST, The Environmental Soul Tree, 2022

Acrylic accompanied with pigment ink on canvas

Trees are imperative for life - They breath in carbon dioxide while release oxygen require for life on earth to thrive. On a deeper level, trees and humans have more in common than we often take notice. Trees are alive, like us; Need water, like us; Often reside in communities, like us; Have organic cells, just like us. I chose to paint a tree for a few significant reasons. Firstly, trees are often used symbols of environmental justice, a value I hold close to my heart. Secondly, as previously noted trees have several common characteristics with us, humans. Thirdly, because like many in our society, trees are often victims of oppression, degradation, and exploitation. Trees are more deeply connected to us than we realize.

This piece is called “EST, The Environmental Soul Tree.” EST is an ‘easter-egg’ reference to ecological systems theory, which explores how humans respond to their environment. The deeper meaning behind the name, “Environmental Soul Tree,” expresses how the tree shares the profound concerns and hopes of people who are impacted the most by environmental degradation.

The tree is filled with handwritten thoughts, perspectives, and experiences of people in relation to global climate change’s impact within their lives. Examples of voices represented include those who live in cities where gray smog encompasses their community, some who express the negative impact extreme weather has had on their ways of life, while others share hopeful messages of what the world could be when working towards climate justice within our global society. The perspectives come from academic studies in the social work field, along with journalist work from EcoWatch. I am a social work student who has been challenged and inspired to share the voices of people impacted by climate injustice amid our chaotic environmental situation.

Let all voices be heard.

By Tyler Horringa

Tyler Horringa

EST, by Tyler Horringa

3.

This collage reflects my deep connection with the outdoors. Gardening saved my life in 2016 and 2020, and it continues to nurture my soul. Being in nature, specifically gardening, helps me feel connected to loved ones who are no longer physically with me. Nature grounds me when I feel engulfed in chaos and sadness. I’d be lost without this connection to the natural world.

By Megan Drovetta

Gardening Collage, by Megan Drovetta

Fall 2025

Respectful Relations: Humans and Wildlife

Joonmo Kang

A recent study1 revealed that animal-related content in social work often emphasizes an “instrumental” or “anthropocentric” focus, primarily related to human well-being. Ecosocial work is a holistic approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems, emphasizing health, justice, and sustainability for all living beings. From this perspective, the interaction with animals highlights a mutual and respectful relationship that acknowledges animals as beings with their own intrinsic value.

Today, beyond our pets and, unfortunately, roadkill, meaningful interactions with wildlife are increasingly rare. This exhibition highlights two meaningful examples of such interactions. On the left is the story, written by Joe Bush, the school's professional writing consultant, of “Canola,” a lizard rescued by a group from KUSSW who spent an afternoon saving it from a sticky trap. The second example features a poem by Dr. Ed Scanlon, an Associate Professor and director of the DSW program, who has developed a close relationship with squirrels visiting his home during the pandemic.

These examples demonstrate the importance of engaging with and honoring wildlife, fostering a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness with all living beings.

¹Duvnjak, A., & Dent, A. (2024). The consideration of animals within Australian social work curriculum. Australian Social Work, 77(3), 397-409.

Current Artist: Ed Scanlon

A collection of photos and a poem by Ed Scanlon is one of the latest exhibitions on The Ecological Connection Wall.

Scanlon is the DSW program director and an associate professor in the School of Social Welfare.

A poem from Scanlon, from March 2022

Chez Edward's Home For Squirrels

My yard is winning no awards

For looking like an English garden

The lawn no carpet of deep green

The flower beds have been forgotten

My lawn's a place for wildlife

To come and eat and sift

From dawn till night

They come in shifts

To find the seed

Thrown left and right

My little peanut gifts

Brown patches grow where pigeons make

My lawn into their chairs

And cardinals find nuts to break

While visiting in mated pairs

Their bright red feathers give me hope

And my lawn a brighter flair

Small divots sit

Where squirrels have lit

And given wrens a scare

They scurry fast, dig holes to hide

My little shelled surprises

They pay me back

These acrobats

Their entrances my prizes

My furry clowns hang upside down

And grab some nuts and flee

They seem to think I’ll want them back

So, they eat where I can’t see

Bowls I've left for little possum

Are strewn across the stairs

Birdseed is flung from feeders hung

God knows who ate from there.

The neighbors’ looks of scorn are fair

(I guess)

If order is your thing

But my friends of the ground and air

Are what make my heart sing

My yard won't be on any tour

You’re likely to attend

But if you like to spy on squirrels?

Come by and take mine in.

Squirrel in tree. Photo by Ed Scanlon

Squirrel in yard. Photo by Ed Scanlon

Current Artist: Joe Bush

A collection of photos by Joe Bush is one of the latest exhibitions on The Ecological Connection Wall.

Bush is a professional writing consultant in the School of Social Welfare.

About Bush's work

Our time shared with Canola the Lizard was brief, but I like to think we all had our lives altered for the better. It was the late summer of 2024, right between the end of the summer term and the arrival of students for the fall, and I’d just returned to campus after taking my lunch break at my house. As I walked out of the parking lot, I saw a few people huddled in the garden by the front door around a patch of white cardstock with a little lizard stuck in a futile struggle for freedom.

I asked what was going on. Hazel informed me that a student had come to her door holding a glue trap they had found in the stairwell and asked her if she could free the lizard stuck within. It was in bad shape. Both of its legs on its right side and its head were stuck, leaving the tail and other legs to flail in impotence. She had then taken it outside, opened up the trap, and had only just begun trying to help free the lizard using water and a Checkers Xtra card when I entered the scene.

I asked if there were any supplies that I could track down to help. It was suggested that I retrieve plastic cutlery for better dexterity and something oily, like lotion, to help break down the barrier between the glue and the lizard. I raced up to the third-floor kitchen and found some plastic spoons. The lotion was harder to come by. There weren’t many people in Twente on that day, and those whom I asked had none.

I went back out there to offer my plastic spoons and my bad news about the lotion. Joonmo, who had gone out to aid with the lizard as well, suggested that cooking oil would probably be ideal. In that moment, a flash of a memory from minutes prior leapt to the front of my mind: The bottle of canola oil I’d seen in my cabinet during my lunch break. It took less than five minutes for me to dash home, grab the bottle, and come back.

The oil did the trick. Gradually, one body part at a time, we freed the lizard from the glue trap’s adhesive grasp. There was no final celebratory moment of freedom to be shared with the lizard, as he scampered off into the bushes immediately after his legs were out of the glue, and the very oil we’d applied to free him rendered him too slippery for us to catch again. Though we wanted to take a photo with him at the very least, we were proud to see him finally liberated. I commemorated the event by sketching a picture of our lizard friend, whom Hazel had named “Canola”, after the oil that had freed him.

Italian Wall Lizards, which is what I assume Canola was given how common they are in Northeast Kansas, typically live for between five to eight years. It’s very possible that Canola still romps up and down Mount Oread and around the KU campus today. I imagine he’s much more cautious around glue traps now.

Drawing of Canola by Joe Bush

Group helping Canola. Phot by Joe Bush

Social Welfare group helping Canola outside Green Hall. Photo by Joe Bush

Spring 2025: Vanessa Sanburn

A collection of photos by Vanessa Sanburn is the first exhibition on The Ecological Connection Wall.

Sanburn is an associate director of practicum education in the School of Social Welfare.

Nature is All Around Us

"My well-being is closely tied to my connection to the natural world. My family's vacations are mostly planned around visiting the beautiful natural places you can see in these photos - featuring lots of nature in the Pacific Northwest, including Crater Lake, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks, the New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia, and Arches National Park in Utah."

"Besides this, there are a couple photos from my backyard. Growing flowers and vegetables and sharing my backyard with bees and other pollinators provides this sense of connection to my Dad, who was an avid organic gardener, while also reminding me that the restorative power of nature is all around us if we work to preserve and cultivate green spaces."