What Happened to Us?

  

Gina B, CC BY-SA 3.0
 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons

I usually try to stay away from politics in my blog since sustainable living is a goal for many, regardless of ideology. I am a very political person and at this point, not being more so here is intolerable.

I went to a conference a few years ago and attended one of those generational understanding workshops. The facilitator broke us up into generational groups, and our task was to identify something that influenced our world perception when we reached adulthood. Our group took less than a minute to identify ours. When it was our turn to share, the entire group shouted, "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll!" The looks on the faces of the younger cohorts was funny.

I graduated high school in the early 70's so I grew up during the 60's. The picture on this blog captures how many idealized the 60's, but truthfully, the hippies were a relatively small, but very influential, group. A lot of important things happened in the 60's and 70's. The Civil Rights Act (1964), the Clean Water Act (1972), the Clean Air Act (1963/1970), Occupational Safety and Health Act (1970), end of the Vietnam War (1963), and Earth Day (1970). These all came out of a movement for a safer, healthier, and more inclusive world. The time wasn't utopian by any stretch, but the movements spawned or nourished during this time certainly made our lives and our country better.

And now, here we are. Everyday, I find myself thinking, "WTF! What happened to us?" I hardly recognize my peer group some days, let alone the children many raised. I am not sure what happened, but we have turned to a dog-eat-dog philosophy. It seems we recognize our neighbors as people of value (mostly) as long as they are like us, but somehow, we have become a nation of, "I have mine! If you don't have enough, then it must be because you deserve it." I recall the seagulls from the movie Finding Nemo a lot of days. Earth Day is barely a mention on the calendar and environmental and safety regulations are being rolled back. Our public lands are being taken for commercial interests without regard to preserving them as a national treasure for all. American workers are being left behind. We have a lexicon of words relating to race and gender we aren't allowed to write and books our children are not allowed to read and discuss in many schools. Women are increasingly represented as having value only as wives and children by the government, and have lost autonomy over their own bodies in most places. Our neighbors of color are being harassed and brutalized (not to say whites are not as well, but our neighbors of color are being specifically targeted). We can argue about whether a given policy is appropriate without throwing our overall values is the dumpster.

I am truly sad and angry. I tend to hang with hippies still. We're older. We have the t-shirts. We're definitely not as spry as we used to be, but we still cling tightly to our values. We didn't come so far to go backwards. It's discouraging to feel like we are going to have to start all over again, but I am not giving up.

Here's to Our Pollinators!

I know, I should have written this post at the beginning of the week, instead of the end, but....I am doing it now. Pollinators are just too important not to make a big deal about them.

On the hunt for pollinators

Beetles are great pollinators!

I celebrated Pollinator Week today by going out to Lake Arrowhead State Park and looking for pollinators with a few of the Texas Master Naturalists. We had some kids along as well, so we had a really good time.

Most people think bees are the only pollinators and they are important, but other bugs like flies, butterflies, moths, wasps, and beetles are also important pollinators. So are hummingbirds and bats. In specific instances, birds and even lemurs pollinate certain species.

I garden, as do many of you. Have you noticed fewer bugs in your garden? I certainly have. I also haven't seen many in my flower beds and I plant to attracts wildlife. I don't use pesticides or chemical fertilizers, although I think I am the only person in our neighborhood who doesn't. But back to the lack of bugs (well, except mosquitoes, which seems to be the only bug in the yard). This is not a good thing. If we like to eat, we need pollinators. More than 1/3 of all of our food has to be pollinated by some living thing.

So what is happening with pollinators and what can we do?

I have yet to figure out why people feel like they have to kill every living thing that they see as "icky." Bugs, spiders, and snakes, for example. Every year here in the Falls people go crazy because of rattlesnakes and kill every snake they see. But many of the pictures of dead snakes posted proudly in Facebook are not rattlesnakes at all--they are rat snakes or some other harmless snake. But at least for snakes, they are using blunt force trauma for the most part--not good for the snake, but the damage is reasonably contained to the snake.

However, then we have a rodent problem, so then we drag out the rodent poison. Not only is poison a horrible way to die, but these poisoned rats and mice are now eaten by other animals who were not the intended target, but who are now also poisoned. That might be your pet cat or it could be a hawk or an owl. Poisoned rodents are often taken by birds of prey, which also then die. So, first, let's not spray our yards with insecticides. If you have a significant problem and cannot find a nontoxic solution (and there are many out there) then use the least amount of poison possible. Home application of insecticides is much higher than agricultural applications. Many homeowners are like Tim the Toolman--if a little is good, then a lot must be a lot better. But that is not the case. The rest runs off into our water supply or blows into your neighbor's yard.

Next, lawns are a waste. There is nothing little for pollinators to use as food. Plant some native plants that appeal to pollinators. Not a single plant, but groups of them. Plant different kinds of plants to attract different types of pollinators and which will bloom at different times of the year, to provide food all year long. Besides, once these plants get started, you'll have less work mowing and putting down fertilizer and more poisons--costing you money and harming your environment.

Messy yards are not a crisis. If you want, make the front yard pristine (although I don't advocate that), but have some messy places, with leaves and brush, where pollinators and other small wildlife can live and be safe.)

I know here in north Texas it is almost a religion that climate change is a hoax. No, the hoax is that a small group of nutcases have managed to convince large numbers of people that science is wrong. There are only a couple of fringe scientists who are not certain that climate change is real and that people are the primary cause. Climate change is causing or contributing to a host of environmental issues--one of which is pollinator collapse. Make purchasing decisions based upon the product's impact on the environment. You may rightfully say that your single purchase makes no difference, but all of our purchases can make a huge impact. So stop using that as an excuse. Elect people who respect and understand science and who do not pander to a very loud minority. If you cannot understand the science and the long-term effects of government policies on the future my grandchildren will be living in, I don't want you in a position to make those decisions.

So, to summarize:

• Stop poisoning your home and yard
• Plant lots of native plants
• Let there be some messy spots
• Advocate for the environment
• Elect people who understand the policy implications of science and act accordingly

Let's support our pollinators in Wichita Falls.

Opportunities to Get Involved

Most of the readers of this blog are interested in environmental issues and are individually working to live more sustainably. However, I wanted to bring up some opportunities to get involved in the community on some important issues.

- Lake Wichita Study Committee. The City Council has appointed a committee to look at options to improve the recreational and economic value of Lake Wichita. The main committee, comprised of members of the cities of Wichita Falls and of Lakeside City has begun meeting. At the last meeting, the committee decided on several subcommittees to work on various issues. In addition to the main study committee, I will be serving on the Public Awareness and Permitting Subcommittees. There are several other subcommittees. These subcommittees provide a way for interested people to get involved in planning the future of Lake Wichita. If you are interested in serving in some capacity, email me at green.wichitafalls@gmail.com and I'll be happy to put you into contact with the right person(s).
- Region B Water Planning Group. Nominations are being accepted for members beginning September 1. There is a short fuse on applications as the nominations close Friday, July 19. For more information, see the public notice.

The more people who get involved the better.

Violating the Rules

Occasionally I ponder why many people don't have the same passion about the environment I do, and I have come up with 2 possible explanations:

- They are too disconnected from nature
- They don't understand the rules the environment operates under

I think the first is obvious. We don't see how small we are in the scheme of things because we have managed to create a barrier between ourselves and nature. With so many lights in the cities, you don't see any but the brightest stars. When you get out in the wide open spaces and look up, you can't  help but feel smaller--and I think it's a good think for people to feel less omnipotent.

We don't see the miracle that is life because we're disconnected from it. We've shut ourselves away from birth and death. We've lost contact with the interconnectedness of living things because we see ourselves as the only important life form on earth, and don't realize we depend upon the other life forms and chemical cycles to live. Bugs are to be killed; everything we invent is worth having; and "go forth and multiply" is a right of people and their pets--but not weeds or wildlife.

I love Walt Disney movies, but the fact is, these types of shows distort our view of nature. We think nature works like Bambi. Don't even believe it.

As a consequence of the disconnect between ourselves and nature, we have forgotten the rules the environment operates under.

- The Rule of the Commons. What is good for each individually is not necessarily good for the whole. for everyone to prosper, it may be necessary for the individual to submaximize his/her overall good. Garrett Hardin described the Tragedy of the Commons this way: a rational decision by a person that maximizes their short-term good leads to long term consequences disastrous for the person, others and the environment.
- The Rule of Unintended Consequences. We invent things or change things without understanding the consequences. For example, antibiotics are a good thing generally, but a consequence of overuse has been the development of super bugs--resistance to antibiotics of all types. DDT was heralded as a great invention and for the purpose it was invented, it was for a time. However, there were unforeseen consequences that led us to ban the use of this chemical in the US, although it is still used in other countries.
- The Rule of Environmental Economics. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Resources are finite--a choice to use that resource in one way has to be paid for, even if the payment is made later.
- The Rule of Nature. Nature wins. We think we have control over the environment--we don't. If we need a reminder, look at our drought situation, or the major floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc., that have been common occurrences in the recent past.

Somehow our disconnectedness with the environment has led us to believe (unconsciously perhaps) that the rules don't apply to us. Unfortunately, it may take some time before the consequences for our actions come due, but come due they will.