Reconnect with the Earth
April 22, 2005
Mom called, Mother Earth that is, and she wants to reconnect. She’s feeling a little taken for granted and out of touch with her six billion hairless two-legged kids. Like every mother, she just wants to know she’s loved. So since it’s her big day today, I thought I’d share some ideas on how we can show her how much we care.
See Mom for who she is.
Our modern lives are still as dependent upon our environment as those of our early ancestors who knew that living in balance with nature was critical to their survival. But that connection and need for balance is less obvious in a country where many of the resources we use come from far away, food seems to come from the grocery store, not the soil, and clean water flows magically from the tap.
The first step toward reconnecting with Mama Earth is to recognize her in all her many forms. When the morning paper isn’t paper anymore, but a tree, or when the squashed beer can on the sidewalk isn’t just litter but precious rock from a rainforest, we tend to have a little more respect for Mom’s gifts and the reasons to protect them.
Why don’t you ever visit?
Our local tribe has grown a bit since the time of our ancestors, but we can regain some of the connection they knew by following our water pipes, food supply, and garbage trucks to learn the source and destination of the resources we use. Even if we’re not personally pulling water directly from a creek, each of us survives off of one. By visiting our water source, we can picture it every time we pour something down the drain, knowing that all drains eventually find their way back there. You can learn more about your watershed from the Boulder Area Sustainability Information Network.
Where is the food coming from? If you can’t be pulling it out of your own soil, we are lucky to have many local organic growers. Food tastes better when you know who grew it and where. Visit the Boulder Farmer's Market to experience the pleasures of buying local, organic food.
Where does the garbage go? There is no such place as “away” when we throw something out. If you’ve never been to a landfill, it’s worth the field trip. You will never look at your trash the same way again once you’ve seen where it’s going.
Follow Mom’s rule: Leave it better than you found it.
We don’t have to just focus on lessening our negative impacts on the environment. We can look for ways that our being on the planet contributes to a healthier place. Start simply by picking up garbage or pulling noxious weeds whenever you take a walk, leaving a cleaner trail behind you. You can learn to identify these weeds or volunteer for a weed clean-up by visiting the city of Boulder’s open space website or the county’s.
Help replenish our depleted local soils by adding compost or compost tea to your gardens, flowerbeds, or lawn. Click here to learn how to apply compost or where you can purchase compost tea.
Learn how to make the place where you live a shared habitat for native plants and animals to flourish using the native plant guides, books and starter kits offered by the National Wildlife Federation. Get tips on choosing and caring for water-wise Xeriscape plants by contacting the Center for ReSource Conservation or 303-441-3278, or by attending one of their upcoming Xeriscape workshops.
Stay in touch.
It’s easy to get caught up in everyday things and to overlook all that Mom does for us. So today, and every day, take a moment to appreciate how everything around you is a resource or service provided by Mother Earth. She spoils us kids and we can all do our part to say “thanks, Mom, you’re the best.”
Posted April 2005 |
