These days, two C words I think a lot about are Climate and Change.
Betty Shelley
Does that remind you of Sesame Street? I loved watching it with our son when he was little; it was a good way to have some quiet time with him while learning interesting things. One of the things they did on the show was highlighting a particular letter, explaining how to use it in spelling various words like Cat and Cow and Cup and COOKIE! And they would use the words in sentences to make sure the children Comprehended the meaning of the word.
These days, two C words I think a lot about are Climate and Change.
Other C words that come to my mind are:
Concentrate
Consciousness
Create
Convenience
Community
Courage
Consider
Compassion
Cry
Cooperation
Conscience
Curiosity
Communicate
Connection
Comprehend
Consequence
Collaborate
Conserve
I just finished reading the new book by Kathleen Dean Moore, a philosopher, and activist who writes from Corvallis, Oregon, and Chichagof Island, Alaska. The book is entitled Earth’s Wild Music: Celebrating and Defending the Songs of the Natural World. Her writing is so engaging, illuminating, powerful, and filled with love for the world.
The book inspired me to think more deeply about our Connection with all of Creation. And then I thought of all the C words that can be used to enable us to Comprehend the Consequences of how we are treating our only home and the future, especially that of our children. So, in the tradition of Sesame Street, I’ll use some C words to highlight Choices and Challenges.
Let’s start with Consciousness and Conscience: How aware are we of the impacts of our actions and Choices when we can simply throw things away and go get more at the local big box store? And when over and over we are referred to as Consumers rather than as Citizens, members of the Community of life? For example, Convenience has more benefits, such as when we use paper plates when we could use durable goods that do not require cutting the trees that clean our air and store carbon.
But, what happens to the animals that depend on that disappearing forest? What happens when it rains heavily and there are landslides because the tree roots no longer hold the soil in place? Our choices have impacts we have not been taught to Consider. Why?
Compassion and Connection: Perhaps you’ve heard about the loss of habitat for various species like bees, manatees, beavers, etc. The losses are generally driven by human interference, such as developing lands that have been the habitats of species forever until we come along and decide that our interests are more important than preserving these species and their benefits. In the case of the manatees in Florida, there are two major threats: loss of habitat and collisions with boats and ships. As new developments are built along waterways, natural nesting areas are destroyed. Sewage, manure, and fertilizer run-off enters the water and causes algal blooms. What would birds do if the bodies of water that serve as their way stations to their summer breeding grounds are all dried up because of development or because some humans think their need for water or profit is more important than the Continuation of a species? What are the cascade effects of losing a species? What other species are impacted, including us?
Cooperation and Community: Not only is it beneficial for us to practice Cooperation and Community with our fellow humans, but it is also imperative that we see all life as part of our Community. We must care about slime molds and flying squirrels and woodpeckers and bears and coyotes and toads and pollinators and slugs and opossums – every bit of life. Please read Kathleen Dean Moore’s book to grasp the scientific knowledge that shows how interdependent we all are and how vitally important each species is.
Curiosity and Consequences: Do you ever stop to think about what is in your food or how it is produced? Or what chemicals are used in your food’s packaging? Or what happens when the temperatures keep rising, allowing mosquitos and ticks to go to areas they have not been before because previously it was too cold for them? Or why do we use drinking water to flush our toilets and wash our cars? Be Curious and ask questions about how we have gotten to this point. We are responsible for what we could have done had we not chosen to look the other way.
Communicate and Collaborate: You know, I understand that learning about Climate Change and its Consequences is really hard to invite into your head and heart. It is painful. Kathleen Dean Moore admits that she Cries sometimes. So do I. But then I think about how badly I’d feel if I just pretended it wasn’t real, that it didn’t matter, and that I could do nothing to make a difference. So I will keep trying to find more ways to make a difference. In addition to always trying to reduce my use of resources, I intend to keep trying to Communicate and Collaborate with others to bring about more Community, to support each other. From the experience of mentoring discussion courses for Northwest Earth Institute, I know that once people have information, they want to DO something, and being with others who have the same interests is hugely powerful. So we do make a difference.
Create and Conserve: As Kathleen Dean Moore states, “Create lifeways of respect and restraint that brings civilization into harmony with Earth’s swirling music. There has to be a way to live on a beautiful planet without wrecking it. There has got to be a better way. Our work is not to save our way of life, but to save the world from this life’s destructive power. The cosmic challenge of our time is to re-create our humanity through this great crisis. And this means realizing our full humanity as it evolves in kinship with all the world’s blooming, bellowing lives – so that we can learn what it means to live in concert with the Earth. This will require moral courage and a clear vision of a human civilization worthy of Earth’s wild music.”
Betty Shelley’s Book Recommendations
Anything by Kathleen Dean Moore
The Heartbeat of Trees and The Weather Detective by Peter Wohlleben
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
Betty Shelley is a Master Recycler (class #2), a former Metro Recycling Information Specialist, an Agent of Change, and the founder of Reduce Your Waste Project. Betty found Northwest Earth Institute in 1993 when it was founded in Portland. The NWEI discussion courses made her more aware of the choices we make as well as the consequences of those choices. Since 2006, Betty and her husband, Jon, have had just one 35-gallon can of garbage per year. The Shelleys offer the class “Less is More: Getting to One Can of Garbage a Year”.
For more info: www.reduceyourwasteproject.com
