Northwood News ♦ February 2005

President’s Message

By Carole Barth

Like everyone, I have been gripped by the unfolding tragedy of the December tsunami.  It is simply too big and horrific for the human mind to grasp or for our words to convey, yet thanks to around the clock media coverage and instant communication through the internet, I feel something of the agony of people half a world away.  But, of course, we have always been connected, whether or not I ever thought about it.  All humans are “plugged in” to natural systems which operate globally.  And as this event starkly illustrates, nature is not a commodity under our control or available on demand.

In fact, we are not just at risk from natural disasters; we are dependant in every way upon the functioning of natural systems.  As the book Nature’s Services puts it, “The earth’s biosphere is affected by and dependent on the large-scale global geochemical processes that cycle the materials necessary for life itself.”  A climate that supports life, breathable air, drinkable water, and arable soil are only available to us because these fundamental processes move and transform elements.  Each system also requires living components such as plants, bacteria, and fungi.

Recently, scientists have begun to understand some of the interactions that support ecosystems such as the relationship between forests and salmon.  It turns out that forests along streams where salmon spawn derive much of their nutrients from the fish that die after spawning.  In turn, the forest shades the stream to keep the water cool, filters and slows runoff, and provides food and habitat for the aquatic insects and other creatures that nourish young fish.  Scientists have also begun to document the many ways humans are damaging natural systems on both local and global scales.

It all begins to seem pretty overwhelming, doesn’t it?  Still, I try to remember that there are lots of simple things I can do right now to make a positive difference.  I can, for example, contribute to the tsunami relief effort.  I can even do things right here in my own neighborhood to help keep our natural support systems functioning.  I can plant trees, pull invasive weeds, and pick trash out of the stream.  Together, we can do even more.

Wangari Muta Maathai of Kenya understands the power of people coming together to take simple actions benefitting the earth.  She began by planting nine trees in her backyard in 1977.  Last year she won the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her Green Belt Movement which has mobilized more than a hundred thousand African women to plant 30 million trees.

As you look through this newsletter, you will find lots of simple actions you can take with us to support both our natural and human community.  As the Ethiopian proverb says, “When spiders unite, they can tie up a lion.”   ■