God On Lawn Care

Humor is always a solution that begets other solutions. A student of mine sent me the following from a Master Gardener's discussion. Hope you all enjoy -- and think about what we have done to God's creation.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

GOD:
Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colours by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS:
It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD:
Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colourful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS:
Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD:
The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS:
Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.

GOD:
They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS:
Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD:
They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS:
No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD:
Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.

GOD:
These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS:
You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD:
What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.

ST. FRANCIS:
You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD:
No!? What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS:
After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD:
And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS:
They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD:
Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE:
'Dumb and Dumber', Lord. It's a story about....

GOD:
Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

Thoughts on civil discussions

Like many of you, I was shocked at what occurred on January 8^th in front of a Safeway store in Tucson, AZ, and have listened to various news reports and thought much about it.

In every crisis, there is an opportunity. One opportunity in this crisis is to open up civil discussions. Civil discussions are essential if we are to move toward a sustainable society, and I had always assumed that civil discussions would be part of any solutions that begets solutions. Recently, I have come to realize how much civil discussions appear to be missing from our society today.

First, let me define civil discussion – civil does not mean you give in to the other person. Civil discussions do mean people listen to each other, and are open to the possibility of learning from each other! Below is an example I had a few days ago when I got a ride back from British and American Autocare shuttle in Columbia, Maryland. (My husband dropped off his VW for service (I cannot drive a stick shift) and needed to use my Prius for the day so I drove the Prius to the auto care so he could drive it to work and I caught a ride back on the shuttle provided by the auto care.)

I had a discussion with the shuttle driver about the recent shooting in Tucson, AZ. He disagreed with me that this incident pointed to the need for more gun control. This driver said he has been in areas in the U.S. where there were no deaths by guns while people were able to freely carry guns (e.g. Montana). I told him that is interesting, and I agree that if I grew up in such an area, I would come to the same conclusion based upon experience in that one area. However, I told him about the difference in gun laws and the correlation to the difference in gun violence between Western Europe and the U.S., and encouraged him to investigate global data on gun legislation and gun violence. He nodded thoughtfully.

We discussed the fact that our wish for the U.S. is the same – to have less gun violence, and move toward a more civil society. Looking at Europe could provide some insight. Certainly, we both would like to have people more civil toward each other. When we got to my home, he thanked me for talking to him. This driver said he has difficulty talking to most people, and it was very nice to talk to someone who could disagree with him so civilly. I think we got more than civil disagreement form our conversation. I think we both saw a different perspective about guns, and found a person willing to look further into what we need to do to work toward common goals.

I think this driver was eager to talk more because later that day, he called to tell me he could pick me up to pick up my husband’s car – despite the fact that I never called to ask for a ride. I thanked him for calling, but told him that I cannot drive my husband’s car since I cannot drive a stick shift!

Putting your money where your values are -- beyond basics

I am a big fan of Michelle Singletary and her straight talk on personal finance. I often think about what Michelle tells us: Put your money where your values are. It sounds simple, but can be difficult to do. I am tempted when I go on business trips to buy things for my daughters to show them I love them, but is that putting my money where my values are? Does buying something they would hardly use for more than two minutes put value on the money I spent? The answer for me is "no" and hence I resist shopping and buying things for people just for the sake of showing them that I thought about them while I was on that trip. Instead, I make sure I spend some quality time doing things they want to do. They need to know I love them without having me buy things for them that they don't need.

So what does putting your money where your values are mean on an everyday basis? Certainly, I agree with Michelle Singletary that one should save for things one value such as education, and use money for things that one values -- like counseling to help relationships that are important to you. One should also give to organizations that have similar values to yours -- whether it be humanitarian relief or conservation or education.

For people who are concerned about what we are doing to our earth, transferring what we spend our money on can help greatly toward social change for a more sustainable society. Instead of buying disposable items, save your money to buy longer-lasting items. Switch from coal-fired power plants to wind-powered electricity generation (it might even save you money!). Buy more locally, and buy more organically grown. Eat less meat. Of course, switch your light bulbs to longer lasting ones (like CFCs) when your old light bulb dies. You have heard all these basics.

But in addition the basic list of "putting your money where your values are", I like to challenge all to look at everyday community things they do in a different light. For example, I am organizing a Bingo fundraiser for my daughter's high school band. I wanted things to be done differently, such as have less disposable things, reusing as much as possible from others, and having prizes that showed my values. So one of the prizes I am donating is

"$50 toward native plants: I take you to any Howard County nursery you want, you pick the plants, I pay, and I plant!"

This prize allows me to buy and plant a native plant for someone else, allowing more native plants to grow in Howard County, and hopefully, providing more habitat for local animals. In addition, I hope that by having this prize at a community fundraiser, more people will think about native plants, ask about native plants, plant native plants, and have a greater sense of community and creativity at local gatherings such as the Family Bingo night!

I hope others will share how putting money where your values are can help lead to other solutions.

Be Creative -- and see systems, not isolated events

One of the beauties of living in the 21st century, especially as an Asian female, is the unprecedented freedom to be creative. I think being creative is one of the great gifts of being human, and I hope humanity will be able to use that gift well to make positive changes for our home -- earth.

Often, I hear a lot of people think isolated thoughts such as "I don't like this." Be creative and figure out why you don't like something, and make that lemon into lemonade.

As a child, I almost drowned, and hence, I was scared of going into deep water. Now I swim once a week to keep fit and as therapy for my feet and back. I also try to medicate while I swim and some of my most creative connections have occurred while swimming. These creative connections include everything from great test questions for my students to positive actions I can do for my community and our earth. Here is an example:

I noticed a lot of clogged traffic at all of our schools, especially during special events and practices. For the elementary school, we would walk to events, and I would offer to take other children with me to decrease traffic congestion, but parents were not always willing to have their children walk the 0.5 miles to school, especially in the rain and in the dark.

Now that my children are in middle and high school, it is more difficult to walk the 1.5 miles to school. Hence, to minimize traffic jams, minimize car emissions, and to build a community, I offer rides to all the kids I know from our neighborhood that are going the same way. For example, last night, there were three sets of band practices at the middle school. I knew that one of the kids in my neighborhood is in the same band as my younger daughter while another one is in a different band. I looked up the schedule and realized that I could offer a ride to one neighbor going there, and then in addition to picking up two children (mine and a neighbor's) at the middle school, I could offer another child a ride to the middle school for her band practice since her band practice begins right after my child's band practice ends. Hence, we were able to take two more cars off the road, and at the same time, get a chance to talk to more neighborhood children. :-)

Walking in the dark on a raining day

As I was walking back from dropping off my 10th grader at the bus stop this morning at 6:45 a.m., in the dark and in the rain, I saw a groundhog wobble past me in the semi-darkness, and I smiled.

It reminded me how walking is truly a solution that begets solutions. By walking instead of getting in my car:

• I don't have to spend time going to the gym. That decreases my carbon footprint and increases the time I can do other things -- like volunteer at our schools and for my county.
• I feel a connection to nature and hence, have improved spiritual health as well as physical health.
• I get to talk to my children one-on-one as I walk each to a different bus stop each morning (one is in high school and the other is in middle school).
• I get to see more of my neighbors, bringing about a greater sense of community.
• I get to rescue the worms that end up on the sidewalks during rain

Walking instead of getting in your car: increases one's spiritual health, physical health, and social well-being while saving money and time!

Finding Common Ground

I had a few wonderfully lazy days this summer. During one of them, my girls wanted to go to a book store as part of our errand running. We did not have to rush back anytime so we had a leisurely look in the book store. I picked up this very large coffee table book about our two poles called "The Spirit of the Polar Regions". It contained gorgeous pictures and educational text on our polar regions.

As I was looking through the book, an elderly gentleman began asking me questions about what I was reading. Hence began our conversation about the polar regions. I mentioned about the glacier melts, particularly in the arctic, and this elderly gentleman said, "Yes, but it has happened before." I agreed that periods of warming (and cooling) have occurred in the past before, but what I was concerned about is humans' role in climate change this time around.

That began a rapid change in his attitude toward me. He insisted on all the data and models that would argue against human-induced climate change. I asked this elderly gentleman about the fact that we have 35% more carbon dioxide than we had 150 years ago. Since carbon dioxide absorbs heat and since there is 35% more of it now than 150 years ago in our atmosphere, and since it is humans that have emitted literally more than a few million tons of carbon dioxide, wouldn't this suggest that human have played a role in our present climate change? This elderly gentleman told me in an agitated voice that carbon dioxide plays a minor role in our present climate change, and he knows because he is a physicist.

To this, I smiled and said that although I am a mere chemist, I have read some about climate change models, and see how complex the models are, and how interdependent and sensitive many of the variables are. He paused, looked me in the eye, and nodded.

So, we agree that there is a lot of data scientists have gathered and examined, and that there is uncertainty in both the data and the models? I looked him in the eye as I ask him this, and he nods.

Well, I have ben thinking about my effect on our environment from a practical and moralistic point lately, I told this elderly gentleman. I see that practically, burning fossil fuel has really not done this world much good -- all of the harm we have done to habitats through extraction, production, and spills to all the runoff we have due to our roads to the obesity-related problems we have due to our dependency on cars. And I have looked at it from the moralistic point of view -- do I have a right to use so much resource on our finite planet when I am a mere one in 6,800,000 people? This elderly gentleman's eye and mouth softened.

I went on to tell him how I have reduced my driving down to 4,000 miles per YEAR, and I feel better for walking and biking more, and have greater connections to my community for all the carpooling I have done. He stares at me for a moment, and then said "That I agree with."

At this point, my two daughters show up, and give me the "we are ready to go" look. The elderly gentleman sees my daughters and said to me with some sadness, "Oh, you did not come alone." As we said our good-byes, he told me that I reminded him of his daughter. (And I look nothing like him, so I was very pleased that he saw the inner me and not the outer me.)

This occurred a few months ago, but I have thought quite a bit about this. Part of the reason I think about this meeting is that this elderly gentleman is the first "scientist" I have met to disagree with the general scientific community's consensus that there is overwhelming evidence that our present climate change is largely human-induced. But the main reason I think about this encounter is that I was rather proud of myself for not getting emotional about his insistence on examining certain data and certain models, while ignoring others. That is a very unscientific thing to do, and my old self would have been just as unscientific by arguing for the models that made sense to me, while not listening to what he had to say, and how he was saying it. I would have forgotten to examine the larger picture and hence failed to meet him on common ground.

We must find common ground if we are to avoid greater environmental crisis. And the only way to find common ground is to listen to each other, agree to disagree on the things we cannot resolve, and then look at what are truly important to us --- such as justice and community and good health and family, and agree to work together toward the things we do find most precious in life.

Sharing resources from those who have more than enough with those who have too little

Where we are born is an accident of life.  Hence, I feel very blessed that I was born into a family that had the ability to get out of a poor situation (Rangoon, Burma) and born with a healthy body and decent brain functions.  I have felt guilt for portions of my life about the fact that so many people have so little and I have so much. 

But we must do more than throw money at the problem of inequality – it has to be done with behavioral changes and with great heart.  One organization that has had great success in breaking the poverty-high fertility cycle is Grupo Primavera, a Brazilian Charity that began by taking poor young girls in (in the spring of their lives as primavera means spring), feeding them, and educating them with skills they can use to become independent women.  Organizations like Grupo Primavera breaks the cycle of poverty-and-population increases by empowering women with better lives, and enabling women to have smaller, more stable families they can take care of.  One of the American women who were involved with Grupo Primavera, Judy, came back to the U.S. and began Educating Latin American Adolescents, Inc. (http://educatinglatinamerica.org/default.aspx) in order to continue to support such a great organization as Grupo Primavera. The creation of Educating Latin American Adolescents allowed Judy to sell the crafts (such as dolls and cross-stitched cards) that the girls make and send the money back to empower the girls to achieve more.

I met Judy at a craft store about seven years ago, and supported Grupo Primavera by buying their great cards and dolls the girls make, and then when I had enough cards and dolls as presents after several years, we discussed other options, and settled on the most effective method of contribution as money.  One of the ways we contributed money was to write a check for each of our two children’s birthdays to this wonderful organization, and ask others to contribute in lieu of a present.  We have had four birthday parties for our girls, asking that people contribute to Educating Latin America Adolescents, Inc./Grupo Primavera in place of presents.  I had hoped that others would want to do the same after learning about such great organizations (there are other worthy organizations as well).  A few parents have commented how wonderful an idea it is, but I have yet to see birthday parties as fundraisers for charities catch on. 

It seems to me that a sense of something larger than ourselves must be part of solutions that begets solutions. This is just one idea on how to be part of a larger whole.

The pictures above are those of the slums of Brazil and of my youngest daughter’s birthday party used to raise money for the children who live in such slums.