Sharon McNeil: Caring for Earth is caring for life
The natural world offers preventive care that mitigates and prevents disease — a place of beauty, diversity, connection, sustenance and healing. It is the best nursing and mental health plan. And it is where our bodies remain when we die. It is us.
On some level, even as a child I knew being in nature was transformative. Being outdoors — in the sun, under the stars and moon, making snow angels, or catching lightning bugs — felt transcendent. As the years pass, nature’s abundance is an enduring source of comfort and joy.
Now, more than ever, this extraordinary home we depend on for existence needs humanity’s action to preserve the wild, the Great Lakes and species of every kind. The diversity of the planet is on life support, in harm’s way, largely because of us. And our way of life is unsustainable.
What would our existence be like without trees, butterflies, birds and other species? Do you notice the decrease in birds? Since 1970, 2.9 billion birds are gone in North America. 90% of the loss are from 12 common families, like the red-wing blackbirds, sparrows, finches and warblers.
We’re programmed to live in the present and not to think of what may come. We have enough worries. It’s difficult to fathom the end of our way of life — despite catastrophic floods, fires and winds hitting us in the face. It’s almost unimaginable the emotional, economic and physical toll it takes on millions. And it’s accelerating dramatically.
Take salmon. In 1991, one salmon species was endangered. Today, 14 salmon populations are going under. Warming waters, pollution and habitat destruction have forced out salmon from rivers.
Bees are vanishing. Called “busy bees” for a reason, they fly about three times the Earth’s orbit to gather 2 pounds of honey in their lifetime. Bees pollinate 84% of our food supply. If they are endangered, so is our food supply.
The World Wildlife Fund website gives a running list of the most endangered species.
So, what can we do? Living in the Great Lakes bioregion, we can help protect the water. Here are some suggestions.
Clean up after pets. Keep our watershed clean by disposing of pet waste in garbage. Don’t hose pet waste into streets to flow through storm sewers, into lakes and rivers. One gram of dog waste can contain 23 million fecal coliform bacteria.
Clean up car leaks immediately and recycle used motor oil. Leaking automotive fluid is one of the biggest polluters in our waterways. Small spills from millions of cars add up. It’s estimated Americans spill 180 million gallons a year — 16 times the amount of the Exon Valdez disaster, according to the Greater Lansing Regional Committee for Stormwater Management. www.MyWatersheds.org
Safely maintain lawns and gardens. Limit lawn fertilizer to protect surface water from nutrient pollution. Excess phosphorus and nitrogen in waterways cause algae to grow faster. Most storm drains are not connected to treatment plants, so these pollutants can end up in wetlands, rivers and Lake Erie. Consider using organic fertilizer.
Let grass clippings remain on lawn to recycle nutrients into soil. Don’t overwater. Mulch, mow, compost or bag leaves. Keep leaves from blocking storm drains.
Be a humane gardener. The following are tips from Nancy Larson, author of The Humane Gardener:
• “Cultivating a humane backyard can be as simple as reducing your turf grass, instead letting a variety of native plants flourish — and enjoying all the fauna who use them for food, nesting materials and shelter.”
• “Simple adjustments to yard maintenance can help create a welcoming environment. Let fallen leaves remain beneath shrubs, trees and perennials to create a winter refuge for amphibians and insects and then return nutrients to the soil. Resist the urge to prune plants to the ground. Hollow stalks and stems harbor chrysalises and bee larvae, ensuring you’ll have plenty of insect visitors in the spring.”
There are personal, societal and global choices to make now. Humankind is meant to live in harmony with nature. Caring for Earth is caring for life.
Sharon McNeil is an avid gardener, social worker, retired nurse and member of Stronger Together Huddle, a group engaged in supporting and promoting the common good. She resides in Monroe and can be reached at mcneil102@icloud.com
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Sharon McNeil: Caring for Earth is caring for life
