“Always leave the Earth better than you found it,”
our daughter
“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future
for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time
tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.” E.B White
Something
exciting happened after publishing my
post on growing food. I came across “Seeds of Hope”, a book by Jane Goodall.
As I write
this, the air from a fan powered by solar energy helps me to cool down. By the
way, if you are one of the privileged ones who relies on air conditioning on
hot summer days, set up the temperature to a higher level to avoid wasting so
much energy and to decrease the level of carbon dioxide you release into the
air. Remember that the hot air of your home ends up raising the temperature
outside.
Let’s all be part of the solution instead of the problem.
Jane Goodall
has a a way of explaining complicated subjects in very simple terms. This is a
thought-provoking educational book. She explores the mysterious world of plants
and how their lives are interconnected with all other living beings. You will
also learn about the adventurous lives of botanists; many chapters are devoted
to growing food and to the need of feeding the world ethically.
She writes
extensively about GMOs and explains the research that shows the deleterious
effects on the health of animals as well
as their impact on the environment. GMOs have led to the emergence of "superpests" and "superbugs" that help corporations like Monsanto sell more dangerous pesticides. The word
“pesticide” is a misnomer because pesticides kill many beneficial insects such
as bees, so why do we use it?
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine, which is an accredited provider of medical education for health care professionals, has even asked physicians to avoid GM foods because of the risks seen in animal studies.
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine, which is an accredited provider of medical education for health care professionals, has even asked physicians to avoid GM foods because of the risks seen in animal studies.
The British
Soil Association has conducted an exhaustive review of all the scientific
literature published between 1999 and 2007 that addressed the question of
whether or not organic agriculture could feed the world. Every one of these
papers concluded that organic farming has the potential to feed the world’s
population. Even the UN concluded that shifting our agriculture model to small-scale,
sustainable farming is the only way we can successfully feed the world in the
future.
Both Jane
Goodall and Vandana Shiva are an inspiration to me because of their knowledge,
clarity of mind, boldness and commitment to important causes. Jane Goodall is the leader of Roots and Shoots. Feel free to check
this movement.
There are many captivating stories in “Seeds
of Hope”about how gardens empower individuals and communities in many ways.
Vandana Shiva created Navdanya, a movement in India for
saving seeds, protecting biodiversity, and spreading ecological methods of
farming. They created more than one hundred community seed banks which have
provided open access to grow tasty food
with no external inputs, increasing both their nutrition and their incomes.
These seed banks rescued farmers in times of climate extremes, including droughts,
floods and cyclones.
I was a bit
surprised that Dr Goodall did not discuss the story of amaranth, a kind of food rich in iron and protein. It was thrilling to discover this nutritious food
recently. I will tell you more about the history of this seed later in this
post.
Bear in mind that taking a shower takes about
25 gallons of water, but manufacturing a hamburger takes 3,500 gallons. Don’t worry, I have not given up on my shower,
but I haven’t eaten a meat hamburger for a long time. Besides wasting water, meat
consumption is also worsening climate change.
Let’s talk about The Clean Power Plan. Those who
claim to care about human health should be paying attention to it.
The Clean Power Plan would lead to 90,000 fewer
asthma attacks a year, 300,000 fewer missed work and school days, and 3,600
fewer premature deaths a year. The Republican administration is not impressed
by these numbers. They are in the process of discarding the Clean Power Plan to
serve the interests of the fossil fuel industry.
Clean
energy means clean air and water. When you use solar and wind energy you are not polluting the
water and the air. When you use coal, gas and oil you ARE poisoning the air and
the water and you are relying on a resource that will not last forever. On the
other hand, by using wind and solar energy we are not depleting the Earth of
any resource. It is a kind of recycle-reuse strategy that works in harmony with
Mother Nature.
Contrary to what Big Oil will tell you, clean energy
fosters the creation of new jobs and strengthens the economy. I wrote an article about clean energy a while ago; it was published in The Mindful Word. Those who love the poorly educated do not want people to understand the need for
clean energy and how it makes a difference in the well-being of human beings
and the planet.
When a powerful man acknowledges climate change to protect his golf course but not to protect humanity and the environment, you
know we are in trouble. Speak up and educate yourself. Educating yourself is
the best vaccine against demagoguery and the manipulation of the masses.
This kind of
manipulation is similar to what the tobacco industry did to hide the truth about
the effects of smoking. They did not care that people died of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and other
types of cancer. They were concerned about the profits they made from people's smoking habits.
Do you believe that making people sick helps the economy? It does just the
opposite.
The same situation applies today when we think
of those who defend the interests of coal, oil and gas while they destroy the
planet along with the health and livelihoods
of millions of human beings. In fact, some of the same people who
defended the tobacco industry now deny the man-made climate chaos that our
planet is going through.
I am married to a man who has a passionate interest
in solar energy. A few months ago we had solar panels installed on our roof. We
now produce 50% more energy than we use, which means that we are supplying our
community with clean energy.
Our goal for
the near future is to buy no gasoline. We are working progressively toward this
goal. Our strategies include biking more and using an electric car which we can
power with solar energy.
What are your goals? What are your strategies to get
there?
Let’s talk
about clean water.
We all know
that water is a basic right. Without water there is no life. We should all have access to drinking water and
protecting water should be considered a priority. The Clean Water Rule was created to
protect streams, lakes and rivers. It helps to safeguard the drinking water of
millions of Americans. The Republican administration, however, is planning to get rid of this regulation to allow industrial agriculture and other industries
to pollute the water.
Water
shortages are on the rise in the world. The United States is not an exception. Do you know about the legal battles between the states of Georgia and Florida, for example? Alabama was also involved in
these legal battles. In the meantime, the Republican administration increases
the budget of the military while it cuts down on the environment.
What is their next strategy? How are they planning
to address the water shortages? Are they going to make up an excuse to invade
another country and steal their water?
Destroying
people’s livelihoods in other countries has nothing to do with freedom,
regardless of what the interests of the war industry tells you. Let’s ignore
the everyday fossil fuel- propaganda and use our critical thinking skills.
Water is not
something that should be taken for granted. Many conflicts masked as religious
or ethnic conflicts have to do with water. Scapegoating and fundamentalism are
the weapons of the demagogues. Stay mindful.
In Syria the civil war broke out after a severe
drought struck the nation. Industrial agriculture had eroded the soil and they
were not able to withstand the consequences of the drought. They lost 80 % of their crops.
Climate
change causes droughts, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters (or I should say unnatural disasters). It is
also associated with the melting of ice sheets and the rise of sea levels. Complex
problems demand multiple actions on multiple levels. They require behavioral changes
and collective awareness. They call for mindful choices.
Denying the existence of these issues and discarding regulations that ensure the health of our communities is not intelligent. It is stupid and dangerous.
Denying the existence of these issues and discarding regulations that ensure the health of our communities is not intelligent. It is stupid and dangerous.
Let’s make
this clear: The Republican administration is planning to review the Clean Water
Rule because they have an interest in getting rid of it. Do you think it is
patriotic to enable the pollution of water ? Are you aware that water shortages
are on the rise? Do you think enabling
the pollution of the waterways is an act of respect for present and future generations? Do
you think it is acceptable to do this?
I believe it is akin to an act of
terrorism, and it is also deplorable. If you agree with me, speak up. Call your
Representatives, write letters, educate others. Apathy is part of the problem,
so let go of it.
I know, I know. Women are expected to apologize for everything—for what they do, and for what they don’t do. The good news is that I
am not going to apologize for expressing myself.
Thankfully, I
was raised by a father and a mother who taught me to value, respect and honor
Mother Nature. They also taught me that I have the right to express myself. If
somebody has trouble understanding this basic principle, they should go read
the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
We are water, air, soil. Why can’t they understand that harming Nature
is harming ourselves? Such is the power of arrogance, shortsightedness and
greed.
Our garden
produces food and is a haven for wildlife. It attracts pollinators, fireflies, birds and many beautiful creatures that brighten our spirit and perk up our moods.
We
celebrate their visits everyday, even
though we know how challenged their existence is by different factors. One of
them is the stupidity of those who use lawn weed killers.
Thankfully,
there is a movement to educate others on the effects of lawn weed killers and
on the need to put pressure on those who are in power to stop spreading these
dangerous chemicals on public parks, day-care centers, playgrounds, schools, public libraries
and other places. The massive use of these pesticides has a health cost.
Do you believe it is smart to poison your children
to get rid of some weeds? Do you believe it is okay to pollute the water, air and soil with
these pesticides?
Has anybody wondered why cancer in children is increasing?
Has anybody wondered why cancer in children is increasing?
Another
important point that deserves your urgent attention is the Endangered Species
Act. Republicans in power believe that there is no need to keep this important
regulation. Do I need to say more?
Let’s go back
to the story of amaranth now. This food was grown by the Aztecs. They
worshiped it and believed it had special powers. Then the Europeans came. They
wanted to impose their Christianity upon them, so they destroyed the plantations
of amaranth and they punished those who possessed this nutritious food. Yet
amaranth survived.
How did it happen? Perhaps somebody dared to
save the seeds. Despite the oppression of those who believed they were superior
to others, amaranth survived.This is a story of hope.
To finish this post I will introduce you to one of my
peaceful friends: a Red-Wiggler, also known as Eisenia fetida. These Red
Wigglers are a kind of earthworm that we keep indoors. They turn our garbage
into food for the plants. This is called vermicomposting. We also rely on
outdoor composting which is more
efficient during this time of the year compared to vermicomposting due to the
summer temperatures; it is performed by other kinds of earthworms along with
bacteria and fungi. They all transform our trash into nutritious food for the
plants. By doing so, they enrich the soil.
Whenever the
soil suffers from some kind of nutritional deficiency, it passes it on to the
plants, and from there to animals and human beings.
The more living organisms a soil contains, the more
fertile it is because all those organisms are the ones that confer fertility to
the soil. The soil is a reservoir of water. Its water holding capacity depends
on these organisms. The efficiency to drain water also depends on them. Thanks
to them the soil is more resilient to droughts and floods. The nutrition and
all the beneficial properties that make it fertile depend on these living
things.
Our nutrition
is related to the life of the soil. Therefore, the health of the soil is NOT
dissociated from human health, no matter how much industrial agriculture
ignores this by injecting chemicals into the soil.
Healthy soils
build healthy plants, and healthy plants give rise to healthy communities (the
opposite is also true).
If you enjoyed this post, feel free to visit these
blog posts I wrote not too long ago:
“If you can’t
run, walk, if you can’t walk, crawl, but never stop moving forward.” Martin
Luther King
