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These choices, to find ways to directly interact in a practical way with nature are motivated by

enjoyment...and also concern & awareness. 

 

I want to express what is my experience and understanding regarding global warming and other ecological concerns I have.

I almost feel apologetic, since I know some are opposed to my concerns....

and I also think it is surprising that as educated as we are...we don't even commonly know such things as

what a "synthetic" is...or of what..and how it is made !

 

Here goes my best try --

 

When I experience the warm weather..... I consider the possibility of human impact.

It makes sense to me that some impact on environmental temperature would occur

as a natural result of seven-fold population increase over the last 162 years

         -- from 1 billion in 1850 --  to 7 billion  in 2012 --

accompanied by increasing output of heat-trapping CO2 & other gasses created by

the use of coal, gas & oil.

 

These fossil fuels create C02 when burned to provide energy to heat, cool and run our homes, transportation, factories,

CO2 is the same gaseous material that holds the heat of the world in, naturally....only now, the blanket of heat-trapping

gasses has been increased, creating warmer temperature on the whole world-wide and shifting, disrupting, climate.

 

Why is it a surprise that we affect the earth? How can this be in question?  How could we NOT be impacting our surroundings & planet ?

Why wouldn't we care, and want to live as gently as possible on this beautiful earth?

 

In addition to the issue of climate disruption...humans are creating materials and chemicals that

never before occurred on this planet....by taking apart and recombining molecules of oil.

These synthetics, such as plastics, though useful, are strangers to the circle of life as we know it. 

Some of them are created to poison (such herbicides & pesticides) while many others have unintended

consequences (such as bleach which creates dioxin which disrupts the hormones of animals).

 

Humans are also recombining genes, (called GE: Genetically Engineered - or GMO: Genetically Modified Organisms)

which affect in intended, and unintended ways, the subtle interactions in the dna of the plants, animals.  This is not hybridizing, but an injecting of divergent divergent genetic material into the dna.  Through this process the BT bacteria can be integrated into corn dna, to make it resistant to pesticides (so fields can be sprayed but the corn doesn't die) or fish genes can be integrated into tomato dna to help keep them from freezing.  And don't even get me going on

breaking up and combining atoms (nuclear fission and fusion).

 

My response to all these unknown consequences - is to focus on natural, local relationships with nature.

Local organic food, natural building, super-efficiency and simple life-styles, local fun & community. 

I would love to keep the internet and cell phones if we an figure out how to do them without being toxic

to life as we know it.

 

Additional to that, we are depleting our resources, such as fisheries and wetlands, while taking away nurturing habitat

and creating or dumping things into our environment with pollute...like oil spills, soil erosion and river contamination from mountaintop removal for coal, extraction of oil from shale, and high pressure chemical-laden water extration of natural gas down 1 -2 miles in the earth - "fracking" or its scientific name: "fracturing". 

 

At what point do all these rather un-seeable things (depletion, cancer rates, increase in greenhouse gasses) add up to

a RESPONSE from humans to live in a regenerative way, in conscious and caring way with "all our relations"

- the earth community of plants, animals and all the supportive intereactions between ?

At what point do I shift away from participation in a grossly abusive, indirect, unconscious, unknowing, relationship with nature?

At what point do I make a commitment to , and actually make changes  -- small, medium and large -- that contribute

to the well-being of the earth community, the soil, waters and all beings, which make up our larger self, or larger body?

 

My response is to seek local natural solutions: local natural food, building, local fun and community.  It solves a lot of things:

increases connection, relationship & awareness,

decreases pollution of travel, packaging, toxin of synthetics, unintended consequences of all sorts.

 

To the extent that I have sought out and participated in gardening, foraging, fermenting, community potlucks, singing together...

to that extent, my happiness and satisfaction has been increased. 

 

Ah.  Win/win