Please note, I try to use lighthearted titles because point blank some of the issues and topics in which we discuss are rather dismal and downright depressing and I refuse to let anything steal my joy.
That being said I enjoyed to discussion on trees and the whole issue of deforestation which I will admit did not mean much to myself. The only time I think about trees in the city is when I have to rake my yard and then I think get rid of them all. I have noticed since enlisting in this field that there is a forest preserve that I pass on my way to church and I always wondered the reasoning behind preserving a forest, I mean like what is the use. It was not until I read the article about the effects of deforestation and how women in other countries has to walk further just to try to find wood for fire in order to cook and about how it affect the soil, etc that I began to see the need for preservation of our trees. However I must admit that I can see the other side of the argument because there are necessities in which we need that trees provide and it is recognized as a renewable resource so that sort of decreases the face value of the forest because we see the trees as profit. Talk about seeing the forest for the trees. ( I should have titled this) I really was impressed with the article about Wangari Maathai and her tree-planting efforts in Kenya. I really enjoyed and felt moved by her article because it incorporated the sense of community and allowed the common folks like myself a part in the mission. I felt connected and inspired and if I was in Kenya I could and would have participated in. It also offered hope!!! The story highlighted her efforts and noted the issues while presenting solutions which were activated and not just spoken of. Because plainly talk is cheap.
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I hear you! These issues are very depressing. I liked the point you made in class the other day about the un-realistic nature of the "don't cut down trees period" opinions. I think, though, that people who are of the "don't cut down trees at any costs" opinion represent a small portion of people concerned about the environment. I agree that we shouldn't cut down trees in natural areas to make more space for farms, but would your mother be against cutting down trees in sustainably managed tree farms? I think the people working on the issues realize that they need to come up with solutions and also allow us to have paper and lumber, which is what makes it so difficult. And they obviously aren't getting anywhere, because natural areas are still being felled at alarming rates. Maybe we need a little "don't cut down trees at any cost" people in the mix to remind us what horrible things are going on.
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