Chapter 129
Greetings friends. I generally try to avoid ramblings such as this, but I guess the time has come…
I’ve been seeing an awful lot recently about clear-cutting and general deforestation practices and the way in which companies exploit land through destructive monoculture ‘farming’. These are huge contributors to the spread of disease and the resulting pandemic the globe is now experiencing. By consistently eliminating natural habitat we are pushing the rest of the global population into smaller and more stressful situations. This brings humans and wild animals into closer contact on a more regular basis. This facilitates the jump between animals and humans for viruses and disease… studies are ongoing to explore these relationships. It is easy to forget that we are the invaders, the new arrivals, not the animals and plants who have co-existed here for much longer than we.
In 2013 Fantuzzi & I were hosted in the Philippines as ‘stars’ headlining the Summer Peace Festival held that year in two locations in the southern islands of this beautiful archipelago of 7,641 islands. Well, Fantuzzi is a star for sure, and I seemed to get a little of that gloss rubbing off on me and it was lovely. The people we met were wonderful; bending over backwards to accommodate our strange dietary requests and to create a wonderful experience for us as visitors to their country. We were shocked and amazed at the paucity of food available to the average Filipino. It seemed to consist entirely of mass-produced deep- fried pork and sugar-laced pre-packaged things we couldn’t identify as food most of the time. In this tropical climate one has merely to throw seeds at the ground and things will grow. The options are numerous, yet Del Monte and Dole have eviscerated massive amounts of land in the Philippines to grow pineapples and nothing else. As a result, disasters ensue – huge deforestation followed by consequent erosion and landslides, killing people in the small villages and towns closer to the perimeters of the islands. The financial strength of those two conglomerates ensures that their practices continue, after all… they are giving the locals jobs, aren’t they?
We spent one night at a ranch whose owners were fortunate enough to own a large amount of land themselves. These people were building sustainable farming back into the Philippines – promoting the propagation of ground cover that grows in harmony with the native trees and with farmed fruit trees, researching species that will provide cover and reduce the fragility of the soil without introducing new issues of parasitism or overtaking other native plants. Their project was and is very successful, but is so small in comparison to the big multinationals. Along with this type of research and innovation, they were planting bee-friendly flowers and shrubs all around the ranch houses and producing honey, vegetables and flowers for the local market.
Globally, smallholder farmers still produce around 70% of the world’s necessary food supplies. The other 30% are the big guns, the ones that are rolling through the tropical forests of South America and Asia, destroying habitat and creating ripple-effect negativities that will continue to develop and become more significant as time passes.
On the other hand, although we have bitter winters and frustratingly short frost- free growing seasons here, solar energy in Southern Alberta is freely available year-round. We have extraordinary clear skies. Why don’t we harness that energy into a prolific market-garden greenhouse industry in this province? We could be enjoying year-round fresh, locally-produced vegetables in Alberta. I wonder…
The current domestic crisis regarding the unwarranted coal exploration ongoing in the eastern slopes of the Foothills is a perfect spotlight on the disparity between need and greed. This type of destruction has endless repercussions: We do not have a handle on the true extent of the negative impacts that merely allowing the exploration process to continue will bring, let alone the actual excavation and destruction of the mountains themselves. Although businesses are interested in proving that they can work within the current legal parameters, that is their prerogative in order to fulfill their obligations to investors to make a profit and return dividends. Their priorities are not to preserve our wilderness, ensuring water is clear and clean for all, to preserve the normal breeding grounds for fish, birds and animals, to ensure that erosion does not take place.
I recognise the need for coal… to a certain extent. I use steel every day (see a couple of columns back). But the steel I use is decades old. I don’t need a new set of cutlery or a new chopping machine for the kitchen every six months. If things are well-made, they last for years. My vehicle is well-maintained and will last a few more years yet… in contrast to the apparently ubiquitous attitude we discovered when we first came to Canada… that cars should be traded in every two years so one can drive around in a shiny new vehicle. Where are all the old cars? There are junkyards and dereliction sites across this continent full of old and abandoned vehiclesandappliancesthathavecometo an early end. With decent construction and maintenance, so much of this waste could be avoided.
Clean WATER and FOOD are vital! Buying and preparing real food benefits body and soul. Buying pre-packaged and processed “food products” is not doing any good for either body, soul or the future. Be nice to yourself with fresh, locally-grown food whenever and wherever possible. Eat slow, not fast. Prepared with love and consciousness, food tastes different & even if your taste buds are a little depressed, never fear! They will recover with a little care and attention. Eat more vegetables and smaller portions of meat. Enjoy the fabulous Alberta beef we have, the amazing array of domestic produce, the occasional wild- caught beast. Give thanks for all the lives that are sustaining ours.
And, don’t forget to max out your account with the great gold orb in the sky. Sunshine keeps us healthy and we are blessed with an abundance of it!
With gratitude and love,
Kat Dancer
bodymudra@gmail.com
403.931.3866 (h), 415.525.2630 (c)
