Timelines
Over the past 3 years, I have noticed the incredible decrease of “Green Areas” and the massive expanse of residential and industrial areas within the Greater Boston area. I can rest reasonably assured that upsurge in residential housing is overpriced, has nothing for the thousands of people who are currently “living on the edge,” and are anything but “Green”.
I have seen many private homes add solar panels to their rooftops(not nearly enough), but progress is, after all, progress. None of the units that have gone up in my area have solar panels. That, however is an aside to what bothers me the most; the declination of Green Spaces all over the Greater Boston area.
What the heck is a Green Space?
A Green Space is an area where nature can thrive, like bees, butterflies and other pollinators. We rarely see these tiny workers, who toil away from birth to death ensuring that a natural balance is maintained. Honeybees will toil away, until, quite literally, their wings have shredded away and they fall to the earth. They and we deserve better than the constant eruption of concrete that has taken hold of the Greater Boston area. This destructive form of creation mankind has placed upon the resources of the area will be felt for generations to come.
Runoff Pollution?
The buildings I mentioned above, took several acres of tended grass and tree laden areas and turned those areas into dead spaces. Topsoil was discarded, and replaced by concrete and relatively inferior housing units that create little more an additional strain on our resources. Runoff from storms has only the street to take it away, most often directly into a stream, river or the Bay. The pollutants alone should beg us to be cautious. In all honesty, would you eat Cod, or any other fish, if you knew it came from Boston Harbor?
How does this happen?
None of this is difficult to understand, but the monied people, most of whom don’t live anywhere near Boston much less in Massachusetts, could care less about what will happen in just a few short years. Soil (not dirt) is what brings things to life. As we strip away the soil, we remove the very mechanisms that filter rainwater, runoff and snow of its pollutants to create and sustain a clean aquifer. We destroy the habitats of countless creatures the soil depends on to fulfill its mission. Each dead insect adds to the nutrition of the soil; earthworms aerate the soil and feed on bacteria that becomes nourishment for the roots of the plants that grow. Bacteria play a huge role in the ecosystem. As large as that role is, it is incredibly misunderstood. In a nutshell, bacteria both break down and rebuild our entire ecosystem. I suppose I should explain here that bacteria, fungi, spores are not germs. They are an intricate part of how the earth recycles and maintains its health.
What can I do?
I hike quite often in the Arnold Arboretum. When I find a good place to park my body, I sit for 15 minutes and all of the things I scared away come back to life before my eyes. With binoculars, I can see the beauty of a Cardinals plumage, a wren creating a nest with it’s partner. I see chipmunks clearing the forest floor, hawks on the prowl and lines of ants toiling away at some distant food source and bringing it home. I can see flowering trees come to their glory, I watch leaves as they unfurl from tiny buds to full fledged symbiotic parts of the whole; taking in carbon dioxide and expelling oxygen. It's not just trees, every green plant performs photosynthesis. Crops planted for food are important oxygen producers, the difference between them and trees is that trees store the CO2 far longer and in much greater volumes.
Here is something inexpensive that almost everyone can participate in. For $15 you can get ten trees that are specific to the area you are in, complete with instructions and just in time for planting. For years, I have gotten the trees and given them to various groups, Boy/Girl Scouts, 4-H Clubs, Special Olympics, you pick it, there is a group that is willing to plant trees, especially groups with children. My recommendation is that you check with the supervisors of any group you choose. Some have turned me down because small tools were necessary, and some of the youngsters were not capable of using them!
What should I not do?
Argue with people. Face it, some people will never “get it”, some just don’t care. If you can discuss, rationally, what is happening you will have a positive impact. We will not change the earth in 24 hours, what we are doing now is planting the seeds of ideas, nurturing them and allowing people to act within their own timeframes. Remember, people are afraid of change, give them time and space. Trust me, 95% will come around, the remaining 5%, try not to waste your time.
There will be pitfalls.
If this were easy, we’d have done it long ago. But we must enter this with our eyes wide open, we must realize that future generations are depending on us to make headway. We can get away from plastics, petroleum and noxious chemicals. Humans have lived for hundreds of thousands of years in harmony with the planet. Everything we do positively today, will reap huge rewards in the future.
Robert Funke is a Massachusetts Sierra Club volunteer