Renewing Our Commitment To Nature

It’s been a rough year for everyone and everything, but especially nature. I don’t know why so many people raking in millions of dollars think they are immune to the ongoing devastation of our environment, the poisoning of our water and food supplies, and the gleeful destruction of forests, marshes, rivers and fields. What I do know is that nature is getting tired of it all, and like preteens who have pushed their mothers too far, we will soon suffer the repercussions, including those who think they are above it all.

To be honest, we are already experiencing far too many losses. What once sustained us in abundance is now threatened all over the world. Killing off the trees, polluting the ocean, stripping mountains, and mining resources for technology are all causes for alarm, not just concern. In spite of evidence to the contrary, we have a bunch of people running our country as if we knew nothing about climate change or the dangers of poisoning the people as well as the land, air, and water. There are days I feel I am living in a Saturday Night Live episode, but it never ends and I end up crying in frustration instead of laughing at the idiocy of it all.

For those not reading the news, we are in the midst of one of the largest extinctions ever. Many of the species going extinct are small and unknown by the majority of humans. Some are plants, lichens, algae, fungi and phytoplanktons. Others are insects, worms, mollusks, crustaceans and other small creatures. We all know that polar bears and many kinds of penguins are threatened with extinction, but there are many others that are not as well known or photogenic. 

Some people I talk with wonder why these losses matter. Every species has a place in the huge net or web that is nature, that is the physical world we live in. Some are more noticeable, even more charismatic than others, but all have important roles to fill in the larger scale of life. 

By now most of us are aware that putting out poisons to eradicate pesky rodents affects far more than the rodent we are targeting. It affects those that might otherwise feed on the rodent and those that feed on those that feed on the rodent. In other words, it interrupts and disrupts the cycle of life. Every time a piece of a puzzle goes missing, it affects the picture we see. Every time a species disappears, a whole chain of life is affected. Some we see but many we don’t. Untold numbers of plants and animals have gone extinct all over the world that may have offered us ways to understand and even cure certain ailments and diseases. Others may be simple decomposers or scavengers, without whom our world would look and smell quite different. 

In a world where people constantly try to prove they are better or worth more than other people, it isn’t too surprising that concern for animals and plants many believe to be inferior is close to nonexistent. This is so puzzling to me, for we, too, are part of this amazing circle of life, dependent on so many facets of nature. We as a species seem unable to grasp that without clean air, water, food and sustainable shelter we have nothing. 

As this tired old year fades away, we are offered a new year, a fresh start. We can commit to carrying on in the same old ways of destruction, cruelty, greed and war, or we can commit to ways of sustainable agriculture, cultural inclusion, compassion and generosity and an economy that acknowledges that natural resources are not simply consumables up for grabs by the richest bidders. Imagine if we accepted these truths instead of giving a gang of greedy thieves the keys to our future. 

There are no easy answers. I know this. But I also know that each of us can honor our commitment to the earth as best we can. Every day we make choices that may seem small but add up quickly. We can consider our trash for one thing. How much do we throw away each week? How can we reduce that? We can consider our buying habits, our transportation habits, the types of food we buy and consume.

Probably the biggest thing we can commit to in terms of the earth but also our own health is the use of poisons in our homes and yards. Cleaning supplies, scented anything, artificial flavorings and preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, rodenticides, all are poisons that we live with every day. Here on Cape Cod, our water supply is very close to the surface. Our single source aquifer is tested constantly for toxins, and in doing so, many things, including hormones and medicines, have been discovered in our water supply. So far these are in tiny amounts, but as more and more people settle here those numbers could get worse. 

Every single one of us has an opportunity to make a difference. We just need to decide to do something positive or at least stop doing something negative. 

Here comes a new year, a new chance to create something good. I know it’s rough out there, but a shift is happening. Don’t give up. We can do this. We are each an important piece of this puzzle we call life. Happy New Year, everyone!