Earth Day - Still Going; Intercultural Teamwork vs. The Trash

Saving the world one project at a time should be the motto for Earth Day.

It is awesome to see the excitement of everyone when the day comes around. Like Valentine’s Day, it does not have to be just one day, so let us celebrate a couple projects that have worked towards continual Earth Day efforts.

Groasis Waterboxx© - an innovative use of an alternative to drip method growing. The water situation on the planet is in a dire state. Between heat plumes in the cities and desertification happening I the arid climates, the seasons are noticeably changing. For instance, having grown up in Maine, snow season would leave snowbanks as high as the powerlines fueling the lakes and rivers for the summer season fun. And farming needs.

Designing a water conservative solution to re-green the world is a great option to help balance the environment.

With water scarcity on the rise water will become the next gold. I would even argue that has happened already. With that, working towards reducing the water load of our oxygen producing foliage will counter the greenhouse gases. In theory.

The idea of growing crops in the Waterboxx© is said to use 90% less water to grow a tree, within 13 months a tree is ready to be replanted. This method would be ideal to use in urban areas. Working the solution from start to replanting will need a little project planning consistency:

1.      A good space to plant the grow pod.

2.      Good observation habits.

3.      A love for growing things.

Completing these steps will produce a positive feeling of green thumb-ery like you have never had, plus the help to the environment will be compoundable over time. Each year you plant another.

Another game changer is the The Great Bubble Barrier, designed to catch debris, or aquatic trash, before it gets to the ocean. The idea, tube with slates, or holes cut into the plastic tubing that catches/snags debris, while allowing fish and wildlife to pass through the core of the tube.

The Great Bubble Barrier - thegreatbubblebarrier.com

It is estimated that this device can save, catch up to 80% of the river debris before it gets to our oceans. This is remarkable!

Aquatic trash costs the U.S. around $11 billion per year to clean up water debris, the polluting of our rivers and oceans is a disastrous state of a situation. Working through possibilities to clean these waterways may need to be a roll call situation for city planners to beef up their conservation crews. Marine cleaning crews will be a future position for cities and wildlife management teams. Unfortunately for the citizens this either falls on us to maintain our own waterways, or for taxes to be elevated to reflect the required cleanup efforts. Either, or both, is necessary. Leaving the best legacy for the next generation is necessary.

Key signs of pollution:

1.      Trash along the riverbanks.

2.      Food waste containers near the street gutters.

3.      Reduced number of garbage bins.

4.      Dead/dying vegetation and flowers.

Shifting from a use & waste mentality to a conserve & reuse will take generations to accomplish. Recycling, conservation, is not new to humanity. Various cultures have used similar techniques throughout history. One such technique is a mental technique that I feel would be valuable during this Earth transformation is the 7-Generation Principle.

The Indigenous culture has a philosophy – The Seventh Generation Principle. It is a philosophy that decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world for the next seven generations. This should be our borrowed mission. By incorporating this philosophy intergenerational partnerships will form naturally from respect and accountability. Learning from our ancestors while pushing the boundaries of technology within the newer generations.

This is the time to share ideas, increase the continuity of cultures, and save the planet.