Composting with Kids

I recently did a composting presentation for three classrooms at my school: grade 1/2, grade 3, and preschool. As part of the presentation, the kids examined my compost from home with magnifying glasses. They freely and enthusiastically scooped up worms, millipedes, woodbugs, and any other goodies they could find. 

This is important- this fearlessness keeps them in touch with nature. If they establish an early connection with nature, then the next generation will revere it and preserve it. 

I am saddened and frustrated by the amount of people my age afraid of insects, spiders, and just plain old dirt. But that is life. Real life.

Let's keep in touch with it. 

The Value of a Tree

Walking in a sanctuary of nature, a pocket of pure biology amidst the parameters of an expanding university, a collection of suburbia, a military training base all paved with tar-littered roads and sidewalks, I breathe in a refreshing dose of infiltrated oxygen. The trees along my path, the Douglas Firs, Red Alders, Arbutuses, and Garry Oak, seemingly embody numerous profound metaphors. I see the trees as my oxygen tank, separate from platonic hospitals I detest, mysterious eyewitnesses into history, a jungle gym, twisted branches guiding arms- a map into uncharted territory, perhaps the voices of my re-incarnated ancestors. I, an avid poet, find limitless inspiration among a preserved forest. I also feel an undeniable serenity and a closer connection to my company. For example, my brother, who is three-years-old, comes alive as interacts with nature. He runs freely, hollers enthusiastically, breathes easy, laughs uncontrollably, and refrains from tantrums and whines to reverently absorb the wonder of a traveling millipede on the forest floor. We explore and discover together; our bond is strengthened like the firm roots of the towering trees.      

However, the natural system of a forest is becoming an unacknowledged novelty. I fear the overpowering dominance of new technology has devoured my and my younger brother’s generation. Youth and children are loosing their connection with nature. What does that mean for our future? Why is it even important to love, cherish, respect, and sustain the forest ecosystem? I honestly do not have an answer that will satisfy my audience of industrialized economists, profit-seeking companies, debt-fearing governments, and technology-glazed young peoples. My argument is based on my passion for the preservation of the esthetic value of nature for future generations. In my defense, I do understand the basic principle that is that trees absorb carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas contributing to devastating anthropogenic climatic change, but then I have the argument of the validity of global warming pressed upon me, as well as the eager economists claiming my nativity: we need the trees to produce goods that will revive our national economy.

This leaves me with pending questions. Are we consuming too much? Do we really need to tear down a natural forest ecosystem to insert another sprawl of pricey condos? Can we, and our economy, survive without the massive inundation of global forests?