Global Citizens/Planet Earth: Plant Seeds Today for a Hopeful Future

Whatever it’s called – climate change, global warming, greenhouse effect – our planet, along with huge populations, is suffering. Nebraska farmers, overwhelmed by calamitous spring floods, are calling it “extreme weather,” and are resigned to it continuing. When you think about it, “extreme weather” is better than “climate change” which, realistically, sounds way too benign for the catastrophes of flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and fires we have experienced the past few years.

It – whatever it is – almost feels insurmountable.

Gus Speth, former Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies has said,

“I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy…and to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation. And we scientists don’t know how to do that.”

Ok then. Now we’ve got something to work with!

InspiredToGive.org is all about identifying, strengthening and amplifying those inner values or spiritual qualities that motivate good action for the benefit of humanity. The effect? With focused intention, the good motive energizes creativity and productivity, potentially overcoming the negative barriers to progress. It’s the only way to advance.

What good intentions can spiritually transform our individual and collective wisdom to eliminate the “selfishness, greed and apathy” preventing environmental solutions?

Here’s a start – but please add more: unselfish compassion and responsibility, generous respect and love of community, alert and active creativity, desire to help and save all life.

Qualities like these create a rich soil for good seeds – good ideas that spring up and offer the bounty of environmental solutions benefiting all.

Here’s good news from the past week showing what can happen with seed planting…resiliency!

Sikhs are planting 1 million trees for climate change

Sikh groups around the world will plant 1 million trees in 1,820 different locations by November 2019. EcoSikh was founded in 2009 to connect Sikh values with solutions to environmental issues. With about 27 million followers, the fifth largest religion in the world, Eco Sikh’s tree planting effort could have a major impact. In Washington DC, a forest with 550 trees has already been established.

Nebraskans Prepare for Extreme Weather

The floods throughout the Midwest this spring have thrown a bright light on the benefits of the “regenerative farming movement” as a way to adapt to extreme weather catastrophes. It focuses on the health of soil and emphasizes techniques like planting cover crops to keep more roots in the soil – roots that keep more nutrients in the soil, facilitate water draining in flood, and keep water stored in the soil in drought. As the article shows, there is a “change in thought” about weather and farming, coming from farmers themselves.

Drones that Fire “Seed Missiles”!

The tool of technology – and the unrelenting pursuit of application regardless of environmental impact (read, human motivation) – is the single greatest contributor to climate change since the industrial age began. But as a tool for creative solutions, it can help us innovate our way out of climate crisis. In September 2018, a project in Myanmar used drones to fire “seed missiles” into remote areas of the country where trees were not growing. Less than a year later, thousands of those seed missiles have sprouted into 20-inch mangrove saplings. With the help of drones, there is hope to plant another 4 million before the end of 2019.

What do Global Citizens do to diminish the impact of Extreme Weather?

Plant!

Plant good ideas in your own community – at work, at school, at neighborhood meetings.

Plant your own tree.

Plant money to help others plant ideas and trees: Arbor Day Foundation (The largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to tree planting, since 1972.)