Mother Earth

“There is no word for ‘nature’ in my language," said Audrey Shenandoah, a member of the Onondaga clan, to Harvey Arder and Steve Wall who wrote the book Wisdomkeepers (1990). "Nature, in English, seems to refer to that which is separate from human beings. It is a distinction we don't recognize." I try not to recognize this distinction either; however, in the English language there are many words for nature such as the environment, the earth, the wilderness, the natural world, the ecosystem, and Gaia just to name a few. Many native and indigenous cultures used words that are roughly translated into English as Mother Earth.

The Mother Earth has been worshiped all over the world in almost every religion throughout history. She is marveled at by science. All life is dependent upon her. It is common knowledge that life feeds life and the Earth supports all forms of life. The complex cycles of air, water, soil, and food are taught in elementary school; however, we pollute the air, poison the water, abuse the soil, and modify the food. The fact that everything we do to anything on the planet will cycle back to us is often overlooked. People have grown to see themselves as separate from the rest of the complex world. This separateness has given people a superiority complex that allows them to destroy the Earth without believing it impacts their own body. Yet, science has proven this assumption false. It can not be denied that there is interconnectedness among all individual things.

Nevertheless, our very lifestyle sucks out her resources, poisons her veins, and pollutes her lungs. Often this abusive nature is recognized, but seldom is it comprehended as self-abuse. We are merely a small part of the great Mother Earth, who is simple yet complex and unified yet diverse. The Mother Earth is a composite organism made up of living beings, ecosystems, and elements, all of which share a common sentience and purpose.

This Earth Day I have a week old baby. I gave birth ten days ago. While bringing another child into an overpopulated world I feel responsible for the damage being done to the Earth, meanwhile, my drive and motivation to secure a better future for all of Earth's children is enhanced. We must care for our mother as she cares for us. But how… how do we live?

 

 

Environmental Groups in NWA

Today I went to the Environmental Education and Outreach Networking Meeting. I met many wonderful people in great groups all over Northwest Arkansas. It filled me with hope. There are so many people working to protect the Ozarks. So here is a list of some of the local environmental organizations, projects, and outreach programs I recently became aware of:

• Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality - ADEQ protects the air, water and land from the threat of pollution. We strive for environmental quality through programs of regulation, education and assistance.
• Arkansas Environmental Education Association - AEEA is a networking and information based organization that works with educators, students, business, government, and the general public to increase the awareness and knowledge about the environment... AEEA's purpose is to promote and advocate for environmental education which incorporates a number of disciplines including conservation and natural resource education.
• Arkansas Forestry Education Foundation - AFA advocates for the sustainable use and sound stewardship of Arkansas’s forests and related resources to benefit members of the state’s forestry community and all Arkansans today and in the future... AFA members are finding ways to meet the demands for essential forest products, with the world's growing population, while maintaining fresh water and air supplies, enhancing fish wildlife habitat and conserving significant sites and recreation areas.
• Project Learning Tree - "Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an environmental education program that presents a balanced approach to teaching our children about our forests, forestry, and the environment... PLT is a source of interdisciplinary instructional activities and provides workshops and in-service programs for teachers, foresters, park and nature center staff, and youth group leaders.
• Arkansas Game and Fish Commission - Education Division- "[Nature] centers are an outlet the Education Division uses for hands-on experience and education. Each center focuses on the natural elements and ecosystems found in its region of the state. Education Centers are part classroom, part museum and part playground, the centers help people of all ages better understand their natural surroundings.
• Arkansas Recycling Coilition - The ARC is committed to assisting members in improving their reduce, reuse, and recycling opportunities, recycling skills and techniques through education, special studies, research and the exchange of ideas and technical knowledge.
• Arkansas State Parks - There are 52 state parks in Arkansas. Each one with its own beauty and attractions. The parks offer education and teaching oppertunities as well. How many have you visited recently?
• Audubon Arkansas - Mission: To conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.
• Beaver Water District - Our mission is to serve our customers’ needs by providing high quality drinking water that meets or exceeds all regulatory requirements and is economically priced consistent with our quality standards.
• Beaver Watershed Alliance - Homework assignment: find out where the rain falling on your backyard ends up. Do you know your watershed? Do you know where the water you drink falls as rain?
• Benton County Environmental Services - Our mission is to preserve and protect the environment of Benton County...
• Boston Mountain Solid Waste District - Our objective is to provide environmentally sound and economically feasible solid waste management to Northwest Arkansas using an integrated approach of waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, disposal, and education.
• Botanical Garden of the Ozarks - If you haven't been to the Botanical Garden, you must visit the facilities this spring. Throughout the year the garden has various events and educational outreach programs.
• Center for Math & Science Education - A wealth of links ad resources!
• Fayetteville Wastewater - CH2M - The protection of both human and ecosystem health in the Northwest Arkansas region is vitally important.
• City of Fayetteville - The city has a lot of branches devoted to protecting the local environmnet.
•  Solid Waste and Recycling - The Solid Waste and Recycling Division provides for the collection and processing of commercial and residential waste for the City of Fayetteville.
•  Strategic Planning - The Department serves as a liasion to local, state and national organizations on climate protection, green building and energy issues. It targets non-profit facilities for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements. 
• Park Planning and Urban Forestry - Access Fayetteville - Check out their non-native or invasive species brochure!
• Feed Fayetteville - An organization dedicated to alleviating hunger and creating food security in our community by cultivating a local sustainable food network.
• Fayetteville in Bloom - The Fayetteville In Bloom committee's mission is to serve as an umbrella for all facets of the population, to share ideas, to increase awareness through education, and to improve the quality of life, keeping Fayetteville a beautiful and viable community.
• Fayetteville Public Schools -
•  Farm to School- Students at three elementary schools learned about the importance of eating local foods in a dynamic, interactive lesson.
• Apple Seed, Inc. - We believe that all children deserve good nutritional foods, healthy activity, and joy.
• The Green Team - The FPS District Green Teams are committed to educating students, parents, community members, etc. about environmental issues and therefore taking steps toward improving the environment in the home, school, community, workplace, county, and world.
• Illinois River Watershed Partnership - The Illinois River Watershed Partnership works to improve the integrity of the Illinois River through public education and community outreach, water quality monitoring, and the implementation of conservation and restoration practices throughout the watershed.
• Rain Garden Project - Storm water is the number one pollutant in our nation's waterways. Rain Gardens are beautiful and reduce the amount of rain water pollutants in streams, rivers, and lakes.
• Keep Arkansas Beautiful Foundation - Conservation, recycling, and clean water and air are top-of-mind issues.
• Native Expeditions - To Provide education, leadership skills, and stewardship opportunities in cultural arts, history, geography, and environmnetal literacy.
• U of A Applied Sustainability Center - Creating a sustainable global consumer goods economy.
• U of A Office for Campus Sustainablility - No Impact Compitition!
• Washington County Coorperative Extention Service -  From agricultural programs to family financial management to youth education, we offer educational programs that have immediate and practical applications.
• Washington Co. Environmental Affairs and Recycling - The goal of Washington County Environmental Affairs and Recycling is to promote the proper disposal of solid waste, provide assistance for cleaning illegal dumps, enforce stormwater regulations and provide environmental education to all ages of the county.
• Wildlife Habitat Certification Program - Making wildlife habitats at home...

Children's Eco-Art

When I went to Arizona for Christmas, I did not know what to expect exactly. But the idea of 11 children under the age of 11 (and 10 of those were under the age of 6) made me a little anxious. I figured it would be intense to say the least. However, I also imagined that the children would end up watching a lot of television. My son watches very little TV, much less than most children. I find that parent's solution to a lot of hyper children is often sit them in front of the television because the mystical tube can hypnotize children, giving parents a break.

     I am very proud to say that over the course of the week, the television NEVER came on. The children, all 11 of them, were never sat down in front of a single show or movie. The children played with each other, learned from one another, and spent a lot of time outside. Arizona's weather was nice enough, sunny but chilly with cold nights. My aunt's yard, where we all gathered daily, was not a grassy lawn. In this progressive little town, called the Village of Oak Creek, people landscape with rocks, desert plants, and red rock gravel or sandstone. The red sandstone gravel was not only a wise choice for such a dry setting, but to the children it looked like the world's largest sandbox!
     At first I worried that aunt Carolyn might come running outside telling the children they were ruining her landscaping. Instead she seemed to take joy in it. She smiled and said that she needed to redo it anyways and she laughed saying that her landscaper would have his job cut our for him next week. She is a very understanding woman!
     Three of the girls decided to make a "castle" in the sandstone. They piled and lined up rocks taken out of the irrigation ditch and then collected cups of juniper berries for color. They added sprigs from nearby trees and and locust seed pods. Before I knew it, the children had spontaneously taken nature and turned it into art!

    As an environmentalist, artist of sorts, and teacher, I enjoy eco-art by children more than anything.  I delighted in the creativity among the children and their inspiration to play together, enjoy nature, and stay outside. It is so important to turn off the television (or never turn it on in the first place) and take children outdoors. Let them use their imagination, explore, and destroy the yard turning it into art. And as you watch them play, learn to play a little more too.

The Great Journey of Cheese!

Last week Beth, the executive director of the Ozark Natural Science Center, wrote an article about our ONSC motto "take what you need, and eat what you take!" The children repeat the motto before every meal at ONSC. Beth tells of how we encourage children to put only what they want to eat on their plate and then eat everything. The idea is to teach them to not waste food. Any waste they have is put into a clear plastic "compost bucket" and is shown to the children before the meal ends. If there is a lot of waste, we make a point to illustrate what is being wasted. Suppose the wasted food is mostly grilled cheese sandwiches, we illustrate the journey of that the cheese made:

"So where did this cheese come from," I ask the cafeteria of children, finishing their food.

"From a cow," a child answers.

"Okay, from cow, but it takes a lot to raise a cow, right, so let’s take another step back. What goes into raising a cow?"

"It has to be fed," a boy says.

"What do cows eat?"

"Grain," a girl answers.

"Okay, so grain has to be grown, right? What goes into growing grain?"

"A forest has to be cut to plant the grain," one child suggests.

"And the ground has to be fertilized," says another. "And watered!"

"Great, so then the grain is grown, but how does it get to the cow?"

"Someone has to harvest it," a child says. "And then it goes onto a truck and is transported to the cow!"

"Awesome, so all of that energy goes into just getting the cow its food. The cow also has to have water and maybe medicines and people to care for it. Eventually that cow grows up, has a baby, and is able to be milked. Then what?"

"The milk has to be made into cheese."

"Do you think the cattle farmer makes the cheese?"

"No...It has to be shipped to a cheese factory!"

"So the milk is moved by trucks to the cheese factory, and what type of energy is used in that truck?"

"Gasoline."

"Right, fossil fuels. And what goes into getting that fossil fuel? Where does gasoline come from?”

“The ground?”

“Exactly, it has to be mined out of the ground, trees are chopped down, the ground to turned up, and people work hard to get the raw fuel out of the ground. Then it is moved to a refinery where it is made into gasoline. Finally it is transported to a gas station and put in the truck. Still with me?”
Heads nod.

“Once the milk gets to the cheese factory it is processed by machinery. What powers that machinery?”

“Electricity.”

“Where do we get electricity?”

“Solar!”

“Wind!”

I laugh, “I wish, most of our electricity some from one source, a much more dirty source.”

“Coal,” someone says.

“Yeah, coal is mined and then it is burned, creating pollution, to power the machinery. The machines are operated by workers and the milk is made into giant blocks of cheese. But we don't buy giant blocks of cheese, do we? So where do those giant blocks of cheese go?"

"To a packaging place?"

"Yes, to yet another factory where the cheese is cut into smaller pieces and put into plastic bags. But then we don't pick up cheese from the factory so where does it go next?"

"It has to be trucked to a store."

"Well, usually it goes to a distribution plant first and then to a store, but yes. And there it is purchases but our cooks, driven all the way out here to the science center, cooked, and served to you.”

I take a deep breath and let some of this information sink in before I continue, “So if you waste the cheese on that sandwich, you are not just wasting cheese, but all of the time, energy, and resources that went into making the cheese and bring it to you!"

Jaws drop, these children have never pondered where their food comes from in such detail. Seeing their shock faces I know they will never think of food the same way again!

Ozark Natural Science Center Blog

The Ozark Natural Science Center's blog is going through a beautiful transformation. Staff members from the science center are writing articles, giving the blog a new face.
 As a staff member, I wrote an article called "Green Your Heart" for the center's blog.
It is posted on the ONSC website at: http://onsc.us/2011/11/green-your-heart/
Also check out my fellow co-worker Caleb's post about the harvest at:
http://onsc.us/2011/10/happy-harvest/
Look for more from the staff at ONSC regularly on the center's website. http://onsc.us/

Ozark Area Community Congress Annual Event

The Ozark Area Community Congress, otherwise known as OACC, meets every year to share ideas, knowledge, and to celebrate the Ozarks. Though the event has taken place at the Ananda Kanan yoga retreat center for years, it used to be at a different location somewhere in the Ozark bioregion each time. It attracts environmentalists, healers, and friendly country folks from all corners of the Ozarks.

This year was their 32^nd annual meeting and I drove to Willow Springs Missouri to attend. As child my father took me to OACC just about every year. I didn’t appreciate the workshops and collective group that got together back then, I just wanted to play with Rose, a friend who I saw only once a year. As I became a teenager Rose and I kept in touch with letters but eventually we grew apart.

As an adult it is still partly about meeting with like-minded people and talking over breakfast or late into the night around the campfire. But it is also nice to attend workshops. In past years I have lead a workshop. Most workshops are organized and held by the people attending the event. As people arrive on Friday they write descriptions of workshops they want to teach on pieces of paper and stick them to the ever changing schedule board. The people who come to OACC make it what it is; therefore, it is different every year.

But this year was entirely different because I am a mother now. The weekend became keeping Zane happy in a strange environment with strange people. My son started out by getting car sick during our four hour long drive. When we arrived at the lovely Anana Kanan yoga retreat center, the opening circle event had just begun. We stood in a large circle outside the dining hall with a grand old white oak tree as a key member of the group. I tried hard to listen to the announcements but Zane was anxious to run and play. His anxiousness did not fade for dinner or bedtime. He ran around outside and through the dining hall giggling. Though most people thought it was cute, I found it to be exhausting.

The second day Zane was still disturbed by the strange event. He refused to eat the delicious vegetarian food in the dinning hall; it just wasn't like meal time at home. Though he was interested in the other children there, he just didn't have the social skills to play. Most of the day I spent following him up and down the stairs between the kid's playroom area and the dining hall.

I was only able to attend one workshop on primitive skills and edible plants. Bo Brown from the First Earth Wilderness Schoolin Springfield Missouri taught us how to knap flint, make stone tools, weave rope out of dogbane fibers, and how to make a fire using a bow drill successfully. The we went on a short plant lore walk in which everyone taught everyone else what they knew about the plants we came across. At was a great break from the kid.

When I returned to being a mom, I found Zane even more disturbed than before. I tried desperatly to feed him but he still didn't want to eat. He suddenly fell asleep while eating dinner and so let him snooze in my arms while I watched the annual open-mic talent show. Though there were many talented people, my favorite performance was singer/songwriter Stan, the Eco Troubadour. His songs were fun and geared towards kids but deep in meaning and full of information. During one of his songs, Zane woke up and immediately started clapping.  

As we got ready to go on Sunday, I realized I had missed out on many much of the weekend. It would have been easier if Zane had been older or if I had brought along a helper. But as it was, I had to stay in mom mode all weekend.

While I packed the car to go, a tattered butterfly landed on Zane and rested there. I coaxed it onto my finger. Two children came by and wanted to hold it as well. We all took turns letting the delicate creator rest on our fingers. It brought great delight to all involved. And I was reminded why I go to OACC every year. Moments like this is what it is all about!