100 Plants to Feed The Birds: Turn Your Home Garden into a Healthy Bird Habitat by Laura Erickson

 

 Learning the names of plants and trees is an exciting adventure. It encourages us to sharpen our observational skills, and we become aware of the diversity of shapes and colors surrounding us. It is also a fun challenge that inspires us to pay more attention to the web of life around us.

  This fantastic book gives us the opportunity to awaken to the diversity of plants and trees around us, but it also helps us understand how everything is interconnected in the web of life. 

 The stunning photography caught my interest when I came across the book at my local library.

  Nothing exists in isolation. If we poison the insects that birds need to exist, we are endangering the birds that visit our gardens. If we plant what they need to sustain their lives without the use of pesticides and herbicides, we are creating a safe home for them. For example, take a look at the vibrant Joe-Pye Weed. 

  Laura Erickson points out that “it hosts a wonderful diversity of both larval and adult insects—essential food to insectivorous birds—and also provides seeds for many small birds such as titmice, goldfinches and juncos.”

  You can see how Laura Erickson adds the green color on the map to make clear in what areas of North America the plant is considered a native one.

 As you know, birds and insects also play an important role in plant pollination, which is  necessary to produce our own food.

 When we do what we can to support the ecosystems around us, we support our mental and physical health as well. We create a balanced environment where we can coexist.

 This book by Laura Erickson is about plants and trees to support wildlife in North America, but I am sure you can find similar books about the kind of plants that thrive in the continent and area where you live, so do your own research and find the book that suits your needs.

   I have been delighted to see monarch butterflies where I live almost every day for the last four weeks, but I wonder if they will survive their migration considering the challenges posed by climate change. As I write this post, I struggle with the poor quality of air in my area. It feels oppressive. I continue to do everything I need to do but the atmosphere feels different. This is something that deserves attention. 

 The air we breathe is something that we cannot ignore.

 What is the trump regime response to the situation?

 The response of the trump regime is to make this problem worse. There are regulations in place to protect the quality of the air by curbing greenhouse gas emissions, but the trump regime is getting rid of these regulations. How is this acceptable? In other words, the trump regime will worsen the current issue instead of addressing it. It makes no sense.

     Another aspect of the issue I want to bring up today is the silent spread of unsustainable data centers across the United States of America. The spread of data centers is driven by the use of artificial intelligence. I live in one of the places where they are planning to build one. This will have disastrous consequences for our communities.

 I have been actively researching the matter.

 The data center will worsen the quality of the air we breathe even more. The trump regime has no interest in fostering renewable sources of energy to power the data centers. This means that harmful pollutants will be released into the air because of the addition of data centers powered by fossil fuels.

 Data centers require massive amounts of energy and water to function. This will increase the cost of our utility bills; our communities will have to pay more to have access to clean water. The data centers, on the other hand, will get the privilege of receiving discounts on their electricity use. We, the taxpayers, will deal with the additional cost.

 Data centers do not provide a significant number of jobs and they will affect our quality of life and make the cost of living more expensive.

 Communities are already suffering due to the impact of these data centers. This technology is a tool used by wealthy CEOs to make profits at the expense of our communities. Our air, water and health will suffer and we will have to pay more for our water and electricity; this is what the trump regime planned for us.

  On day two in office trump announced a 500-billion-dollar AI initiative and promised to use his executive powers to hasten AI development.

 In 2024 ChatGPT used over 500,000 Kilowatts of electricity per day, which is the approximate amount of electricity necessary to cover the needs of 180,000 U.S. households. The electricity needs of AI could rise 150-fold in a single decade.

  I am sharing some links here from reliable sources, and I encourage you to learn about this and to educate others. Contact your local politicians to voice your concerns; write to your local newspaper. Do everything you can to educate your community on the need to stop the silent spread of unsustainable data centers. I use the word “silent” here because data centers are being built without the consent of the communities they impact.

  AI uses massive amounts of energy, so every time you use artificial intelligence for a google search you are contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases. To address this issue, I add the words -AI to my Google search words. If you have any additional ideas, feel free to let me know. I also found some tips here:

https://usercomp.com/news/1430909/google-search-ai-disabling-for-energy-savings

 

 I am sharing the links on the impact of data centers here:

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl1ctf1_JxE

https://www.npr.org/2025/07/17/nx-s1-5469933/virginia-data-centers-residents-saying-no#:~:text=Concerns%20about%20power%20and%20land,person%20for%20how%20to%20organize.

https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2025/04/09/artificial-intelligence-water-climate/

 

https://apnews.com/article/data-centers-artificial-intelligence-technology-amazon-google-56b84cbb94942039754282afb076a87b

 

If you enjoyed this blog post, feel free to read my posts on the following books:

Birding to Change the World by Trish O'Kane

 

The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris

Addicted to Growth: Societal Therapy for a Sustainable Wellbeing Future by Robert Costanza

                                     

  Two years before he was born, Robert Costanza’s mother lost her baby when she was six months pregnant. It happened in the year 1948 in Donora, Pennsylvania, with the Donora Smog, an environmental disaster that helped to raise awareness on the dangers of air pollution.

 The incident led to 20 immediate deaths in October, 1948, and another 50 deaths took place within the following month. Respiratory problems affected a large fraction of the population. Robert’s mother lost her baby after she got sick with pleurisy and pneumonia.

  This environmental disaster and the unregulated industrial emissions and car exhaust in big cities like Los Angeles and New York sparked an outcry that led to the creation of the Clean Air Act in 1968. Yet these changes were not followed by any long-term plan to build a sustainable economy.

   How can we develop an economy that is not about providing short-term benefits but that evolves to develop a creative plan to address the issues the system perpetuates consistently? These issues are climate and environmental disruption, biodiversity loss, financial instability, inequality and eroding democracies.

    Robert Costanza argues that the GDP or Gross Domestic Product should not be used as an indicator of a healthy economy. Every country uses GDP to assess the health of the economy. The use of the GDP dominates policy goals and consumerism. Yet the GDP is misleading. He explains this thoroughly in his book Addicted to Growth.

 To understand the limited value of the GDP, take a moment to reflect on the true goal of the economy.

       What is the goal of the economy?

 Robert Costanza states that the economy should sustainably improve human wellbeing, and he reminds us that the quality of human life is interdependent with the quality of all life on the planet. On the other hand, what happens when humans are at the service of the economy? What happens if the economy grows at all costs by exploiting the environment, compromising physical and mental human health and causing the extinction of multiple species?

  According to Robert Costanza, "we are trapped in an addictive pattern of behaviors called social traps, or societal addictions, that provide short-term rewards but are detrimental and unsustainable in the long run.” 

 I would argue that it is detrimental right now if you consider the current effects of the climate crisis as I write these words.

  Robert Costanza’s reflections and facts encourage us to get together to create a vision of the kind of world we want. He also sets the strategies to face the addiction through something called Motivational Interviewing (MI), a non-judgmental approach that is based on fostering a positive vision. He describes the elements of the motivational interviewing technique in detail and I highly recommend this chapter. It has the potential to kindle conversations that may help us find common ground with others, and to work toward a shared vision of the future.

Overcoming an addiction

  “It is rarely effective to confront addicts concerning the damage they are causing to themselves and to others.” Denial is the most likely response when an addict is confronted. For this reason, an introspective read of the MI and the application of these elements in different settings may help create a path of understanding and hope.

 The fossil-fueled economic growth and the “economic growth at all costs” model are important aspects of this societal addiction. We must address it in constructive ways. To do this, Robert Costanza invites us to review how we dealt with societal addictions before. For example, he refers to slavery and tobacco as forms of societal addictions.

  How did societies overcome past addictions? He cites the example of slavery in the United States of America as a form of addiction. The American South wanted the profits of slavery, so they refused to abolish it. Even after slavery ended, it took one hundred years for the Civil Rights Movement to take place, and we are still dealing with the aftermath of slavery.

  Tobacco is another example of a societal addiction. Despite the clear evidence of the effects of tobacco on human health, it took fifty years to reduce smoking rates by fifty percent. Why did it take so long?

 

 “It took 50 years for smoking rates to halve in the face of tobacco companies seeking to lobby governments and muddy the waters of scientific evidence. Advocacy, policies, and education can work but in the face of determined opposition it can take a long time.”

  Like the tobacco industry, the fossil fuel industry knew about the dangers in using their products. They were well aware of the links with climate change and the consequences of spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, but they used the strategies of the tobacco industry. They invested in ongoing disinformation campaigns and political lobbying to prevent change.  Robert Costanza makes it clear: “In fact, both the tobacco and fossil fuel industries used many of the same scientists, publicists and advertising firms to downplay the dangerous impacts of their products. Both industries continue to work like drug dealers concerned with their own interests by preventing the addiction from being recognized and overcome.”

 On why I read this book by Robert Costanza

  When I read the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, I became intrigued to learn more about ecological economics, so I researched information on the topic and I came across the works of Robert Costanza. I borrowed his book from the library.

  Robert Costanza is Professor of Ecological Economics at the Institute for Global Prosperity (IGP) at University College London (UCL). He is the 2024 winner of the Blue Planet Prize. His work brought global attention to the previously understated importance of ecosystem services. As a co-founder of ecological economics, a new field of study that recognizes that the economy is embedded in society and a finite biosphere, Professor Costanza advocates for an ecologically sustainable wellbeing society. You can learn more about his work by visiting his website:

https://www.robertcostanza.com/

 

 Conclusion

  If you don’t have time to read the whole book, go to chapter 5 and read pages 102, 111 and 112. I hope this will help you to broaden your perspective on the subject and to set new expectations. I would like to ask Robert Costanza what the universities are doing to integrate ecological economics into mainstream economics.

  Finally, Chapter 6 of Addicted to Growth provides a variety of practical ways through which people and countries are already working to build a sustainable, healthy future in harmony with the environment.  We can all be part of this movement to embody the vision and policies that foster the development of sustainable, healthy, happy and fair societies, so I hope I inspired you to you explore his book. Hopefully, Addicted to Growth: Societal Therapy for a Sustainable Wellbeing Future will be shared in high schools and universities. I strongly encourage educators to read it and share it.

  A world of peaceful, healthy coexistence is possible when we create the medium and mindsets to make it possible.  

 

 Relevant links:

https://sph.emory.edu/about/communications/health-wanted/show-notes/episode-fifteen-smoking/index.html

 

https://commonhome.georgetown.edu/topics/climateenergy/defense-denial-and-disinformation-uncovering-the-oil-industrys-early-knowledge-of-climate-change/

 

https://www.greattransition.org/publication/farming-for-a-small-planet

 

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/wildfires-los-angeles-climate-crisis-john-vaillant

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22012025/trump-executive-orders-have-advocates-across-the-nation-on-edge/

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to check my writing on Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Photo by Sebastian Gabriel. Source: unsplash.com

Beyond the War on Invasive Species: a Permaculture Approach to Environmental Restoration by Tao Orion

 

 

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”-Charles Darwin

Thousands of animal and plant species are in the process of migrating to adapt to the conditions that climate change imposes on them for their survival. Considering this fact, how can we expect ecosystems to be “unchanged”? We can’t. Ecosystems are dynamic. The concept of “invasive” species becomes a controversial one when one cares to analyze the intricate ways in which everything is connected.

  New species have to adapt to their new surroundings. You are not alone if you have been wondering about the implications of the new situations that arise as a result of climate change and other phenomena. I have noticed how this subject has been conveniently neglected, so I am thankful for Tao Orion’s book.

    Tao Orion explains that non-native species are the symptoms of a complex situation caused by human actions such as logging, mining, emissions of greenhouse gases, unsustainable agriculture, pollution, war conflicts and other human destructive behaviors. The root causes of the presence of invasive species are not even taken into consideration when resorting to the use of herbicides and pesticides with the futile goal of eradicating a species under the delusion that these chemicals will not affect the native ones. (These chemicals may increase the revenue of the manufacturers, but there is no evidence that they support biodiversity, human health and the environment).

 When Tao Orion was employed to restore land in 2010, she was shocked to learn that she was expected to use Round Up for her work. As an organic producer of food, she disagreed with this management. Today we know more about the effects of herbicides and pesticides, and we are continuously learning about the consequences of climate change, so Tao Orion’s book has become more relevant.

  Research on the effects of Glyphosate, for example, continues to emerge. In 2023 research conducted by scientists at UC Berkeley School of Public Health showed that “childhood exposure to the world’s most widely used weedkiller, glyphosate, is linked to liver inflammation and metabolic disorder in early childhood, which could lead to liver cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease later in life.” You can read about it here, and learn more about the researchers’ recommendations.

 

  While it is necessary and important to foster the growth of native plants, it is also crucial to understand the issues that bring in new species to a place in order to address the root causes of the shift instead of adamantly trying to eradicate a so-called “invasive” species. It is also crucial to understand how new species interact with the environment, because this may help to advocate for strategies that can integrate non-native species into the new environment. For example, pollinators may benefit from flowers that are not considered to be native.

  Even though Tao Orion’s book was published in 2015 and some specific points may be outdated, her approach introduces the science of permaculture to restore ecosystems, and encourages us to apply this knowledge to our daily choices in our own gardens. The book contains a foreword by David Holmgren.

  Tao Orion advocates for methods that consider the relationships in ecosystems, not only those among the living beings in specific habitats but also their interactions with water, air and soil.

 Classifying species into “native” and “invasive” groups is akin to labeling them as the “good” versus the “bad” ones.

“We could define nativism as the war against naturalizing species, an ideology that sought to separate nature into good and bad species according to some fixed historical reference.” A paradigm shift is necessary. Ecologist Haikai Tane in New Zealand coined the term “ecosynthesis” to describe the restoration of ecosystem function in the process of combining native and foreign species that colonized abandoned landscapes.

 

I invite you to read this interview with Tao Orion to learn more:

https://macskamoksha.com/2022/02/beyond-the-war-on-invasive-species-interview-with-tao-orion

  You can also listen to a podcast with Tao Orion at Reseed Canada:

https://www.reseed.ca/listen/remembering-we-are-stewards

 

 As I type these words, my gaze wanders out the window to embrace the vibrancy of the fall leaves swirling and settling on the ground, creating a composite of hues: ochre, yellow, red and orange. Leaves are an excellent source of nutrition for the soil. Putting them in plastic bags to send them to the landfill is a very poor decision. Leaves are rich in minerals that can support the soil and the development of new plants. People waste money buying mulch when they could simply use the leaves as mulch. The leaves can also be shredded before using them for compost. This link provides some ideas.

 The leaves on the ground also form habitats, establishing new sources of shelter and food for various creatures. There are many worlds of life around us that we often take for granted…

 

 If you enjoyed this post, feel free to visit my writing on the following books:

Sweet inTooth and Claw: Stories of Generosity and Cooperation in the Natural World by Kristin Ohlson

Deer Man by Geoffroy Delorme

The Wisdom of Wolves by Jim and Jamie Dutcher

Helpful links I encourage you to visit:

https://www.beyondpesticides.org/

https://www.drugwatch.com/roundup/alternatives/

https://www.drugwatch.com/roundup/glyphosate/

What A Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories and Personalities of Bees by Stephen Buchmann

 

  Bees remember and recognize human faces. I wrote about this on a post last year, and I mentioned some facts about the fascinating brain of a bee.

 The brain of a bee is about the size of a poppy seed, but it contains almost one million neurons.  I was thrilled to discover Stephen Buchmann’s book, which was published by Island Press this year, so I borrowed it from the library as soon as I learned about it.

 Buchmann is a pollination ecologist who specializes in researching bees. His book takes us on an adventure to explore their sensations, minds and experiences. His goal is to spark wonder and curiosity for bees, and to dispel fears. 

 Buchmann describes the structure of a bee brain and the ways it functions. I was astonished to learn that brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that exist in our own brains and influence our behaviors also exist in bees. For example, serotonin and dopamine are also found in bees. 

 What a Bee Knows reveals details about the intriguing lives of different species of bees. We learn about their behaviors, moods, nutrition and special abilities. Most bees feed on pollen and nectar.

 You may have heard about the “bugs” living in our gut, and how these bugs make up the composition of our microbiome. Our microbiome is linked to our health and general wellbeing. You will be surprised to learn that bees also have a gut microbiome. Researchers are actively studying their microbiome and how this amazing assemblage of bacteria, fungi and viruses is connected to their health. For example, Buchmann and his colleagues have found Lactobacillus in the gut of honey bees.

 Some of the components of the bees’ microbiome transfer from the pollen of flowers when the bees visit the flowers, and some of the protein from the microbes in the pollen are part of the nutrition of the larvae of the bees.

 Pesticides and herbicides in the environment cause a disruption of the microbiome of bees, and this has the potential to compromise their health. Currently, bees are in serious decline and there are many reasons for this.

  Climate change is an important one. The massive amounts of carbon dioxide spewed by burning fossil fuels continues to worsen climate change. Everybody is impacted by climate change. Bees are not an exception. Pesticides are fossil fuel- based, so they belong to the same issue that deserves our attention and understanding.

 Let’s share some figures from Buchmann's book to emphasize the need to protect bees:

"About 80 percent of the world’s 369,000 species of flowering plants depend upon insect pollination for fruit and seed set. More than 80 percent of the leading 115 major crop species worldwide depend on or at least partially benefit from floral visitation by animal pollinators. Pollination by animals, with bees predominating, contributes to an estimated 35 percent of global total crop production. Globally, the annual value of insect pollination of crop plants is estimated to be around 253 billion US dollars".

 Bee pollination improves both the quality and quantity of the crops. Food, fiber and beverage production depend on bees. Bees even ameliorate shelf life and commercial values. "We need bees more than they need us". 

  It is time to push human arrogance aside and do what it takes to support them. The good news is that we can help bees to survive and thrive by making mindful choices:

 

Plant wildflowers. If you don’t have a yard, use your window sill. Everything helps. Avoid buying hybrid flowers because those plants are selected to please humans, not pollinators, so they may have little nectar or pollen. Choose plants that are adapted to the local soil and climatic conditions. Native plants will entice a vast array of pollinators and will enliven your garden in delightful ways.

 Avoid using insecticides. Neonicotinoids, for example, are responsible for decimating bees and other pollinators and they still continue to be on sale.

 You can learn more about this here:

 https://wisconsinpollinators.com/Articles/Neonicotinoids.aspx

Roundup contains glyphosate, which affects the gut microbiota of honey bees. Other ingredients in Roundup are also toxic.

Avoid using lawn chemicals. Lawn care products contain hidden insecticides and herbicides. Besides, you risk harming yourself, your family and your pets. Enjoy the dandelions and clover. Remember that clover enriches the soil.

Avoid herbicides; they lower the number of blooms. Roadside weed blooms are food sources for various pollinators. Even though fungicides used on fruit trees don’t kill bees directly, they contaminate the food used for the bee larvae. This contamination affects the gut microbiome, whose integrity they need to stay healthy. 

Avoid mulching flower beds or paths. Thick-chipped bark mulches in flower beds harms bees. Around four thousand species of native bees in the United States are ground nesting. They need bare ground to make their nests.

Dead trees or limbs provide a habitat for leafcutter bees, mason bees, and other wildlife. Don’t remove them. 

There are projects you can join to support bees as a citizen scientist. You can also visit sites that post relevant information about bees:

https://www.beesinyourbackyard.com

  It goes without saying that everything we can do to address climate change is crucial  to protect bees as well. 

 Understanding the complexity of their brains and behaviors is an important aspect of the book. However, when the author compared the bee brain to the human brain he stated that human beings are born with a fixed number of neurons, and that this number does not change after birth. This has been debunked by research. Neurogenesis has also been documented in human brains, and it is also relevant to emphasize the concept of neuroplasticity. 

 Neuroplasticity is the process through which new connections and pathways develop in the brain, and brain stimulation plays an important role in boosting neuroplasticity. Doing activities that stimulate the brain, such as reading, learning new skills and other activities can help to foster neuroplasticity. The good news is that keeping a healthy lifestyle with adequate nutrition, sleep hygiene, exercise and meditation helps to support the neuroplasticity of the brain. The bottom line is that neuroplasticity happens in bees as well as in human beings.

  I found this amazing interview to Dr. Julia Basso. She is a neuroscientist, yoga instructor and dancer who researches the effects of yoga and dance on the brain. Last but not least, if you want to keep your brain healthy, avoid smoking, alcohol and drugs as part of your supportive plan.

 I never understood the fear of bees. I work alongside them without any kind of problem. If we treat bees with respect and consideration, they have no reason to attack us, so it is time to make choices that support their survival. We can all do our part to protect them. In doing so, we are supporting our own wellbeing as well as the present and future of all life in this beautiful planet.

 

References related to this post:

https://wisconsinpollinators.com/Articles/Neonicotinoids.aspx

 https://phys.org/news/2023-05-evolution-honey-bee-brains.html

https://beyondpesticides.org

 

The Atlas of Disappearing Places: Our Coasts and Oceans in the Climate Crisis

 

“Someone once wondered why it is that if a work of man is destroyed, it is called vandalism, but if a work of nature is destroyed it is often called progress.”

Jane Goodall, Seeds of Hope

We only know about 9 percent of the 2.2 million species that inhabit the ocean. This means that about 91 percent is unknown to us. There is a complex elusive world under attack by us, humans, as we continue to dump plastic, fertilizers, toxic metals, pesticides, sewage, agricultural runoff, oil, etc. These chemicals kill and contaminate the fish that feed three billion people. Coastal pollution leads to the spread of infections; oil spills and various chemicals compromise the oxygen supply of ocean creatures.

  Phytoplankton are single-celled creatures that produce 50-80 percent of the oxygen on earth, so protecting oceans is tied to our own survival. Along with tropical, temperate, and boreal forests, phytoplankton make up the “lungs” of the planet.

 The warming of the oceans as a result of industrialization affects life in the sea. Warm water holds less oxygen, and the requirement for oxygen at warmer temperatures increases, so this creates a deficient supply for living beings in the sea. Furthermore, I already wrote about the acidification of the oceans due to the high emission of carbon dioxide by human activities when I reviewed the book Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid by Thor Hanson. In my post, I also explained what corals are and the bleaching that takes place when the water is too warm.

  The Atlas of Disappearing Places: Our Coasts and Oceans in the Climate Crisis, by Christina Conklin and Marina Psaros, details some of the challenges and transformations that various places are facing as a result of pollution and climate change, two issues that are inextricably interwoven.

   There is a chapter for each individual place; the authors explore the environmental issues and how they are affecting the economy. There is a section about their projections for the year 2050. In other words, in that section of the chapter the writers pretend that they are already in the year 2050, and they describe the outcome of the situation.

 The places portrayed and explored in the book include the following: Kure Atoll, Hawaii; the Arabian Sea; Camden, Maine; the Cook Islands; San Francisco Bay; Houston, Texas; New York city; Hamburg, Germany; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Kutupalong Camp, Bangladesh; The Arctic Ocean; Pisco, Peru; The North Atlantic Ocean; Ise, Japan; Kisite, Kenya; Pine Island Glacier; Shangai, China; The Thames Estuary, Britain; Ben Tre, Vietnam; and Hampton Roads, Virginia.

The book addresses the need to act to create a habitable future on earth for our descendants.

 Kisite, Kenya, is one of the places described:

For decades, the diversity and bounty of Kenya’s small-scale fisheries have been in decline. Unsustainable fishing practices-including cyanide to stun fish; bottom trawling to scrape from the seafloor into big nets; and exceeding (or failing to set) quotas on threatened fish species—are some of the culprits. Kenya has worked hard over the past few decades to better protect its wildlife, including designing a number of new marine protected areas that aren’t protected (MPAs). These areas, which restrict extractive activities, show increased biodiversity and larger numbers of fish over areas that are not protected.

 Even though Kenya has attained some degree of success, it is still seeing declines in fish and the degradation of coral reefs as a result of ocean warming, polluted runoff from coastal towns, and illegal fishing activity. This has deleterious effects for the thousands of subsistence fishers in Kenya, and it impacts tourism as well.

Perhaps the greatest feat of the book is to spur us to do our part to work toward a better outcome. Every individual action matters; each day is an opportunity to learn and improve, to lead the path toward a better future. Policies also matter. Voting is crucial to make sure that we support measures that care about the quality of the air and the water, so contact your representatives and inform yourself. It is an ethical responsibility to remember, no matter where you live.

 

There are many interesting facts that will help remind people to make better choices each and every day:

 We wash eight million tons of plastic into the ocean each year, and even countries with good waste management recycle very little of it—just 30 percent in Europe and 9 percent in the United States of America. By 2050, one major study projects, if we continue on the same consumption trajectory, there will be a pound of plastic in the ocean for every pound of fish.

 Chemicals in plastic, such as bisphenol A and phthalates, are endocrine disruptors and they cause cancer in humans. They also harm animals in the sea. It takes over five hundred years for plastic to break down, and the tiny particles remain in the environment, having an impact on marine life and our own health.

 Here's a recent report on the possible effects of microplastics on the brain.

    Placing plastic in the recycling bin is not a guarantee that it will get recycled. According to a recent article in the Smithsonian Magazine, only 5 percent of the total plastic met the conditions to get recycled during the year 2021 in the United States of America. Hence, it is necessary to reduce or avoid the use of plastic altogether.

  Despite our differences, we all want and need clean water and air, so we should do more to protect the planet. We depend on the existence of healthy soil as well. Yes, clean energy is crucial; conservation is paramount.

 The only aspect I did not like about the book is the authors’ utilitarian view of animals. I think they could have offered another perspective on this, one based on the current scientific research, to promote empathic solutions…

 What will our descendants say about us in a hundred years? It will depend on our actions in the 2020s…

I came across this lovely quote this past week:

The quote concludes that the earth is sacred, so we should treat her with respect and align our actions with this ethical principle. We are the Earth; the Earth is us. We know that when we harm the Earth and other creatures, we are harming ourselves.

 

The quote reminded me of the speech by Chief Seattle, a Suquamish chief. My mother shared it with me when I was little, and it has become relevant today:

“The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. But how can you buy or sell the sky? the land? 

The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them? Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people.

We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family. The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. 

 To read the full speech, you can go here.

 

I will publish my next post on November 11.

Enjoy the ride on My Writing Life blog.

To Speak for the Trees

 

“Trees offer us the solution to nearly every problem facing humanity today, from defending against drug resistance to halting global temperature rise, and they are eager to share those answers. They do so even when we can’t or won’t hear them. We once knew how to listen. It is a skill we must remember.”

Diana Beresford-Kroeger

Gifted with an incredible memory since a very young age, soaking up the nectar of ancient Celtic wisdom, Diana grew up with a love for the natural world and an unquenchable curiosity to learn as much as she could about it.

 How can I communicate the marvel of diving into To Speak for the Trees?

 If you feel rejuvenated and cheerful when you immerse yourself in a forest, reading her words will be a unique experience, a wellspring of inspiration and an invitation to learn more about trees and the boreal forest.

 Her book illuminates our spirit with hope, but not the kind of hope based on empty words; it is the invigorating energy underpinned by scientific knowledge and creative ideas to work together to become part of the solution to the environmental crisis.

 Did you know that pine trees produce an atmospheric aerosol called pinene? The pinene molecules are easily absorbed by the skin and the lungs, and they have shown to boost the human immune system and to uplift the mood.

 “The beneficial effects of a twenty-minute pine forest walk will remain in the immune system’s memory for about thirty days.”

 

 The Druidic physicians considered the evergreen pine essential to health, and they prescribed walking in pine forests to support the health of the respiratory system. They called it “forest bathing”.

 Diana migrated to Canada from Ireland when her research prospects were limited. In Canada she endured new challenges.

 She was always motivated to learn about the natural world and to share her knowledge and research. As a courageous independent thinker, however, she was treated with derision and underestimated. Tired of the biases against her, she left the academic system in the 1980s and embarked on a new path of research.  She explains it well in these words: “I had the whole of my scientific education, a baseline of knowledge and technique against which I could measure and make sense of the things I observed. I had the freedom of being loosed from institutions, the room to be myself and chased what caught my curiosity without external interference. “

Her honest reflections resonate on many levels:

 “I had the solitude and desperation of existence on the margins, scary and sometimes painful emotions that have the power to strip you down until you’re just your raw essence and nothing more. I had my painter’s eye for beauty, which could draw me to a discovery just as surely as the orderly thinking achieved by reason. And I had the ancient knowledge of Lisheens and the view it had given me of nature as the sacred source of everything that’s needed to sustain ourselves and the planet.”

 Her love for trees led her to save several species. Diana Beresford-Kroeger is a botanist, medical biochemist, activist and author of various books. Her research and work strive to influence the way we interact with Nature.

 She had settled with her husband in Ontario, Canada, on a 160-acre area of land, where they planted trees and a vegetable garden; a place they care for in partnership with nature, without the use of pesticides.

Diana Beresford-Kroeger plays a vital role in the preservation of the boreal forest. She empowers each and every one of us to do our part to support the health of the planet and our own survival.

 “From my childhood in Lisheens, I’d been taught to freely share anything I was able to, especially my knowledge, and to always look for ways to improve the world around me.  I’d never had the money to engage in the type of philanthropy favored by the Marias of the world. Instead, I gave back through something called philanthropy of the mind, using my scientific knowledge and all the energy I could muster to advocate for any worthy cause that came through my door and to spread awareness of the issues nearest to my heart.”

   Diana’s scientific knowledge and ancient Celtic wisdom were augmented by the teachings she absorbed from the indigenous people of Canada. To Speak for the Trees unleashes the power of the mysterious world of trees.

 The first part of the book is about her childhood, youth, work and experiences interacting with Nature. The last few chapters focus on various species of trees with interesting facts about them. (Some of the trees included are elderberry, birch, blackhorn, aspen, oak and many others).

Her enthusiasm to understand the natural world is an endless endeavor that creates ripples of transformation to support the planet and our survival.

 She never gives up.

 “There is never a day spent outside that you don’t learn something. It might be something small, but that small thing might also be a key to something very big. The discovery of those small things and of the ways they connect to one another and ripple through the whole web of life—that is one of the true beauties of nature. That is what I sought to understand and cultivate.”

  If I asked you to explain a way in which trees support the health of the oceans, what would you say?

 You will probably mention that forests absorb a quarter of the amount of carbon dioxide generated by human beings. This is how forests help to curb the acidification of oceans caused by the burning of fossil fuels. After reading To Speak for the Trees, I should also tell you about a  beneficial effect of Mother Trees I had never heard of before.

 When the leaves of these trees fall in the autumn, they contain high amounts of fulvic acid. As the leaves decompose in the ground, the fulvic acid dissolves in the soil. Fulvic acid is rich in iron, and when this form of iron is flushed out into the oceans through rivers and other waterways, it helps to feed the phytoplankton, supporting the health of the ocean ecosystems.

 Everything in the planet is connected. Hence, the effects of Mother Trees extend into the oceans. This is why when those trees are cut down, fish die; ocean ecosystems are disrupted.  

 When Diana shares her childhood years, she also offers interesting information about the Celts and their history.

 The Celts were woodland people; their culture was born from the deciduous rainforests that covered much of the country in the past.  In the penal years, the British subjugated the Celts and destroyed these ancient forests with the purpose of severing the ties of the Celts with the roots of their culture and language.

“During the penal times, the Irish were not allowed to own trees or even certain seeds—they were only allowed to grow potatoes for food.”

 How can we listen to the trees?

Some people are more attuned to trees than others. Celtic cultures believed in the sentience of trees; many ancient cultures did too.

  I already wrote about ways through which trees communicate. However, I had never read anything about infrasound or silent sound from trees until I read To Speak for the Trees. These are sounds below the range of human hearing. They travel great distances, and they are also produced by elephants to communicate.

 How are trees related to these infrasounds? I wonder about it. Science does not know, but some research is emerging about sounds and plants:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7671032/

The mystery of trees… an endless exploration to observe, feel and ask questions.

 There is a documentary she made called Call of the Forest.

You can also learn more about Diana Beresford-Kroeger’s work by visiting her website.

 

If you enjoyed this post, you may welcome my writing on the following books:

The Ecological Gardener

 Finding the Mother Tree: discovering the wisdom of the forest

Butterflies: their natural history and diversity

Enjoy the offcial trailer of the documentary Call of the Forest: