Rooted in The Earth: A Book Review

       Rooted in the Earth: 5 Green Thumbs Up

Rooted in the Earth is a grounding book for all readers who are looking to unearth the truth about African American environmental heritage.  Written so eloquently by Dianne D. Glave this book is filled with knowledge and captivates your imagination with a bit of story telling.  Her ability to capture our deepest connections with the environment in all its facets is not surprising as her affinity for the natural world was shaped at an early age which she gently shares in the preface of her book.

A history lesson is on every page yet authored to give acknowledgement to those who are accused of being invisible.  Ms. Glave synthesizes over a century of African American environmentalism in 10 chapters and what may have taken the average person years to dig up.  Her wide eyed perspective covers aquatic and terrestrial efforts, and includes a chapter on religion, conservation, children and women. I appreciate the final chapter Environmental Justice not being the first.  The composition of the book allows for your adoration and pride in the stories she's cultivated and the truths she has harvested. We were not always disconnected and her respect for this field shows that we are not all disconnected.

Author: Diane D. Glave

Her point that African Americans have possessed an environmental and land ethic is clear.  The statements that Blacks don't care about the environment, or that we lack a prioritization of such are false and her thoughtful research supports such.  Her gathered knowledge captures what we in the Black community know all to well. When someone speaks for you and about you they probably don't know what they are talking about.  Ms. Glave articulates more than what happened when but also gives insight to how people of color connect with nature over time and how deeply rooted our culture is to the earth and its resources.

This book is an ideal read for anyone who is interested in understanding African American communities beyond that of Environmental Justice and Food Deserts.  It is an excellent book for advanced high school students as well as undergraduate and graduate levels in philosophy, recreation, history, ecology and African American studies.  Her stories at the beginning of every chapter are narratives that lets your imagination usher you into the reality on the following pages.  The photos are timeless and I found myself wanting to see more of who we use to be when we were living in a world where our families, health, livestock and homes were rooted in the earth themselves.  There aren't many books like this written to give account to the diversity of our efforts beyond the discussion of slavery and agriculture. For that anyone who wants the truth....Diane D. Glave just gave it to you.

                Have a book you want me to review?  Inbox me on twitter @greenkels

Hot Heads Make Low Scores?

The average classroom temperature for students in Chicago depends on which school you attend.  Climate controlled classes are not in the majority of schools.  While I'm sure the administrators have cool offices with window units, students and teachers are left to swelter in rooms with little air flow and rising temperatures.  So what is the big deal about how hot a students classroom is? Does this have anything to do with climate change?  Chicago and other midwest cities suffer through winters and welcome a warm seat for studies.  Summer time however is an entirely different scenario.  Below is a graph of the Back to School temps in Chicago only for the month of September. These are averages for max (blue) median (red) and min (green) temperatures.  While at first glance it may not seem as if there is much difference between the years but the main point is that over the past nearly 20 years the temperature has gone up and not down.  Now I know what you are thinking.....whats the big deal and why does it matter?

It matters because outdoor temperatures influence indoor classroom temperatures and air quality.  How is it that all prisoners are kept at ideal temperatures that keep them comfy regardless of the weather, but our most prized people in society, those whom we are educating and investing in to become the next generation of leaders, workers and employers have to suffer when they are inside being held captive (total pun intended but I digress). My point is that our children regardless of age and or ethnicity deserve to have healthy working conditions just as any other employed population does.  Because of the expressed concern over a warming climate I think people have missed the connection between hot classrooms and performance levels of students.  Now it is an issue in my opinion for a few reasons; schools are beginning earlier or going year round back in the day students were not indoors during the hottest months of the year. Next is the unexpected fluctuations of heat extremes, we can predict the weather but we don't know how hot November 2014 will be until we experience it.  Finally it is staying warmer longer into fall in some places where fall use to be cooler, this exposes all children to increased temperatures during the school year as well. Looking at the figure below from the Chicago Climate Action Plan one can see what the impact of emissions of green house gases (gases that trap heat in the earths atmospher) on the heat wave events of Chicago. 

While the figure does not indicate when these heat events will occur it does express that heat waves will become more frequent and it is more likely ecologically speaking that there will be more intense heat waves during warmer times of the year.  Could you imagine sitting in a classroom that is 85 degrees F? There is no city worker that has to endure such conditions but our children do! There are 664 schools in the city of Chicago that serve over 400,000 students and approximately 40% of those students are African American and 45% of them Hispanic/Latino.  Students of color make up nearly 90% of public school students. However the city of Chicago and CPS have been working fervently to address what I see as a public health issue as well as an environmental justice issue.  Of the 664 schools in the past two years 157 of them have received air conditioning. The effort is a part of a $20 million investment that also distributes those monies for a/c equitably across the landscape. 

The design of more efficient learning spaces is crucial for us as a society as we try to create intelligent thinkers and problem solvers. The quality of your environment impacts the level of your performance mentally, and physically.  For students in disadvantaged settings where they live in a food desert and have an unhealthy diet, as well as a built environment with little nature, unsafe neighborhoods and schools that make you sweat one need not wonder as to how underperformance is so common in certain communities.

If we are serious as a society about sustainability we have to address the inequity in our built environment, in our education system as well as our health system. We can not have cities that thrive simply because they are siphoning resources from another group of people in the city.  We can not have a population of residents that we don't invest in and allow for them to reach their full potential.  I'm pleased at the advances CPS has made however 100% should be the goal before the summer of 2020 in my opinion. Another aspect of this conversation is the ability of the systems to be adopted in these very old buildings.  As we transform our built structures to be more efficient or serve us more appropriately there is no one size fits all.  The electrical loads from these conversions can be immense and many schools must be completely rewired for these systems to put into place.  

For the most part we need to understand as a community of color how climate influences our lives and wellbeing in the city. We need to learn what our role is in adapting to those changes and be clear with our policy makers and decision makers what we need from them to protect our homes, health and businesses from the looming threats climate change imposes. Stay cool and I hope this school year brings us all great memories and new insight.



Online resources: 
Indoor Air Quality Scientific Finding
http://www.iaqscience.lbl.gov/performance-temp-school.html

Healthy Schools
http://healthyschools.cefpi.org/temperature.html

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Be Ready: Prepare, Survive, Recover

"Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them" Ezekiel 38:7 

For communities of color it seems like we are always in a state of reaction. There is seemingly something to be said for those of us who plan and prepare in society regardless of ethnicity. But what I have seen far too often is the displacement of preparation.  While I have yet to join a congregation I am a spiritual lady and yes I am also a scientist. I proudly am a woman of God and sometimes go to the Word to help get the message across to my own community.  May I remind the public that yes every community needs to be talked to in a language that they can understand and that is why I decided to do a blog of this nature. I speak as a Black woman, a city girl and a mother. I speak as a scientist as well as a woman of God. I speak as an activist for change and an advocate for equality. I hope that my intentions and love for the communities which I belong come across in my sharing of information. Simply because there are few opportunities for us to even have these sorts of discussions. 

There are tragic consequences to our local governments inability to adequately respond and prepare communities of color to disaster events.  In 1965 Hurricane Betsy (see the video below), Katrina's big sister was a template  for  how urban disasters and communities of color would look in the future with continuous absence of investment in infrastructure as well as the consequences of lack of preparation by the people. While we can argue about the barriers to preparation in 1965, I wholeheartedly believe this is not the case in todays society.

Another example of an urban disaster would be the 1995 Chicago heat wave in which socio-economic status determined if you died in that ridiculous heat.  I remember my mother being called for duty to respond to the many calls for assistance during that week. I also remember news casters cracking eggs and cooking them on the sidewalk. There wasn't much one could do to prepare for such an event because if you couldn't afford an air conditioner you were out of luck. However the city as many do have seasonal cooling and warming centers along with transportation for those who need relief from the days weather events.  As you can see the 1995 heat wave was a beast compared to 2012. Preparing for changes in our urban climate means that we have to look to the past and see what happened and how can we be better prepared in the future.

Even my last blog about "Under Water and Over It" was about preparation of some sorts related to water.  The disasters cities will face somewhat depends on your location. Coastal communities are at high risks of flooding, whereas cities such as Chicago our flooding is in our residential basements but loss of energy and clean drinking water are not too far from a reality. Furthermore in such a time of violent weather we don't know how tornados and winter storms will impede upon our structures let alone our health and well being.  For Black communities in segregated cities this is an even more impressive realization that we have to figure out how to prepare, survive and recover as a community, maybe even block by block.  I want to offer some solutions on how to even get this started:

1. Block clubs

Working at a block club level helps to create a neighbor network. Understanding what are the blocks resources and who is good at what would help. Knowing your block is mostly seniors would mean having to understand what external resources would be needed from surrounding blocks 

2. Attending training

Local Red Cross groups offer disaster preparedness training, this includes First Aid and recovery organizing. If your local church is interested in being the point location for congregations to have aid then beginning a disaster preparedness ministry would be a great idea

3. Talk to local government

Get involved in what your city and municipalities are doing related to extreme weather events and disasters. SPEAK UP!!! You pay taxes too, and it is extremely important that you understand what is needed to protect your property, businesses and more importantly your lives. Your elected officials are there to be held accountable make sure your community is prepared for the future.

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Under Water and Over It

I am far too familiar with what too much precipitation means for a city whose storm water management is incapable of handling intense rainfall events.  But some more than others have to deal with the reality of what that actually means.  Here in Chicago people expect us to have a healthy relationship with water because we have the Great Lakes but too much of a good thing can still be bad for you.

The recent flooding in Detroit, Michigan brought up some memories and experiences of my own. Unlike Detroit, Chicago proper per my recollection has never seen such a disaster that shut down multiple freeways and flooding resulting in the loss of life.  Some things came to mind as I began reading the stories about the history of Chicago and how our water system both sewage and storm came to be as we experience it now.  The outdated systems have resulted in floods over the years and I am one of the people that lost EVERYTHING in the storm of 2011 where myself and my three kids were living in a garden apartment.

I feel as though as an urbanite I have to address this entry to those whom are rebuilding cities and let them know that there are consequences to the inadequate design of these systems that impact all people but really creates anxiety for the cities poorest.  While those who live along the Des Plaines deal with this as a consequence of living near a water way, those of us who assume we are living in the safety of the boundaries of the city away from water don't expect it to flood us out of our homes.

As we think about water, infrastructure, flooding, equity we must be mindful of all the players in the game. While I have my own private thoughts on policy makers I will say that amidst the conversations of water issues and climate change in the Black community not one...NOT ONE conversation has included a piece on policy and elected officials that hold our communities in high regard.  With the upcoming races in Cook County I would strongly suggest locals to look into who is running for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and what their positions are relative to the issues of water and people of color....of course not just our communities but looking at what the ideal candidate for managing water policies for our entire city actually is.

Yes our communities are under water and yes we are over it.  When I was thinking about flooding of segregated communities and whose hit hardest and what recovery looks like I began to feel sick.  The reality of poverty is lack of resources and preparedness. Then I considered simple things such as flooding for me is no big deal because I can swim. When I read the accounts of people stranded and at risk of losing their lives in the water. Data shows that minorities are more at risk for drowning, as well as children within minority communities.

The data below is from a Special Report on Minority Drowning

So not only are we being flooded from our homes in severe events for me I'm not only considering the loss of real estate and material things but fundamentally what this also means for Blacks if too much water were to hit too fast how much more likely it will be for us to survive considering being prepared through swimming or at least life vests.  To realize that up to 75% of Black women in this survey reported they can't swim was mind blowing. I am a competitive swimmer, life guard, WSI and I played water polo I am an aquaholic. I hope we as a community begin to recognize that while we can not say that one event is climate change but that there are some interesting relationships between access, race, class, income and peoples abilities to survive any weather or climate related event.

Let us hope our society begins to think with a survival lens of wanting all our residents regardless of culture, income or age can be protected through a thoughtful approach to building better cities and better access to live in them.

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Cows make Coach People!

 I'm blessed to be in a position to share what has been gifted to me...the passion for life and quality of life and life force of contentment with helping others see just how special, fragile and amazing this planet is. Not to sound too much like a tree hugger but life is so fixed within boundaries and sometimes we forget that the earth is just as alive as you and I. It gets sick, it responds and it attempts to get better. To no fault of its own it will do what it is supposed to do under the conditions we have created. To ignore the life of our planet the living energy of it that sustains us, to act as if it is unintentional and replaceable is to mock the creator in my opinion. So when you are flooded once again, when you realize your feet are frozen because of the below zero temperatures, when you reach for the ice or your inhaler this summer or end up at the University of Chicago emergency room gasping for dear breath because of smog and humidity, when you realize the crops at your garden can not grow because it is a drought and there is a water ban (like Chicago does) or that you can't swim at Lake Michigan because raw sewage has been released due to the sewer system overflowing, when you are wondering what that bulls eye mark is after you go hiking, or even wondering what will happen to your vine videos when so many people are trying to keep cool that it causes power outages and you can't charge your Iphone 5c....you'll realize that earth is simply attempting to right what we've wronged and she will make us as uncomfortable and sick as we have made her. 

So what then do we do? We meaning people that look like me.  Yes I'm Black and sometimes I forget that I have to reaffirm that while I'm accused of leading a white life and being interested in all things that are white it means that I am not Black.  In order to make my point clear I have to "get on your level" so to speak, I am an educated scientist driven to study this amazing planet we call home and a finesse for making others care too.  Others meaning my people....my beautiful Black people.

I think it is time that we hold ourselves accountable for the disinterest in the conversation of natural resources, climate change and or global warming.  Honestly I have no clue as to why it is so difficult to make these connections considering the consumerism of Blacks in America.  I find it hard accepting that a generation of people that fought for policies reconciling environmental injustice would be so very quiet as the threat of climate change floods our basements, has us shivering in our uninsulated homes and missing school because we chose to buy some Jordan's instead of waterproof insulated boots.

We aren't serious....(I'm laughing).

 I'm serious.

 Y'all aint! 

In Chicago when it was below zero I was good, my kids were good too.  They had their long johns, thick gloves, layers, hats, scarves, snow pants, they were ready for the weather, and I made sure of it.  I made sure of it because I kind of know Chicago like other large cities are changing, and we must be ready to change as well.

 I  also was ready because I study this stuff....but we all live it together. After winter in Chi-Beria (which in all honesty is cute, catchy and clever) I just knew Blacks would be all about preparing for and finding out about climate change....eeeeeh not so much.  I was disappointed at the lack of energy that was stimulated around the consequences of socio-economic status in a changing urban climate.  The fact that your child can not attend school because they don't have the proper climate clothes was honestly the most direct and in your face correlation I have ever seen play out in the public eye.  Do we not recognize that as the seasons pass it will be more than our clothes that will prevent us from being able to live in a prosperous way.  

I feel like I needed to say a little bit on this because I was thinking how do I say it again? How do I share my excitement for what a climate change position will do for the revitalization of our community health and wealth. The conversation is now off of trying to prove or disprove an environmental injustice from a factory it is obvious we are and will continue to be (all people) affected by a changing climate.  All means ALL. Every single living creature above and below ground as well as in the sea.  

So ultimately I have to take the very bougie position (insert haughty condescending laugh all in good humor of course) and tell my people....my beautiful Black people (takes deep breath)

The sun makes energy for plants. Plants use that energy to grow. Plants need water, light, and nutrients to give us food, fiber and fuel.  Unhealthy air, and water means unhealthy plants. Unhealthy air and water also means unhealthy people. Unhealthy air and water also means unhealthy animals. Unhealthy plants means unhealthy food for people and animals. 

 So my final rally cry is Cows make Coach! (hahahaha) Yes! Cows make our beloved leather Coach and Dooney & Bourke purses, belts, and shoes.  So if you love Coach and want to keep looking fly...care a little about our climate and change! 

Pick Your Plants Wisely

 In 2010 Blacks were reported to have the lowest amount of home ownership of any ethnic group at 45.4% however more often than not those African American homeowners are living in African American communities. When the housing and financial crisis hit, Black communities suffered tremendously, like in the Chicago community of Roseland where home ownership dropped from 64% to 53% in 2013. What people don't realize is that these were more than just houses, they were homes sitting on pieces of land. Living land, that requires attention and care.  The type of attention and care that also require energy and income to make it into something beautiful.  That beauty can be grass, a rock garden, a water feature, veggies, or flowering bushes, bird feeders, or mulch.

 The social consequences of segregation  such as inequity of eduction and distribution of resources and services are always discussed,  but what about the environmental consequences? Yes, the environment reflects the decisions of the people in an area.  While every individual in the African American community makes up their own minds about what they like and dislike, we do share similar world views and perspectives based upon our upbringing.  It is not a bad thing, it's just a thing.  Yet when we look at how environmental decisions are made in accord there are unintentional consequences. The natural areas of our homes creates a collective natural environment.  When we see our neighbor plant something it is more likely that we will plant it too.  What ends up happening is that we suffer from "Who wants to be like/who wants to be like/ The Jones'" (You should hear me sing it, lol I sound just like the Temptations).

So what on earth does this have to do with invasive species awareness month? I thought you would never ask! Our decisions to care for the pieces of land that are ours comes from first understanding how to make good decisions.  If you are a homeowner you are directly responsible for the decisions of what you do in your yard.  Together our communities and homes play a huge role in the environmental health of our cities, because often we are so segregated our choices for plants and landscaping turn into something much larger.  If all of us are unaware and chose invasive plants for our homes trust me it is not a good thing to have that in common with ALL your neighbors.  I celebrate our culture and closeness, but I am disheartened by our lack of information.

While invasive plants are sold in nurseries and plant stores if you don't know what is and what isn't invasive you buy whats pretty!  I know when I was planning my landscape at first it wasn't even a thought to consider what should and shouldn't be in my yard.  I thought if it was being sold it was ok.  This is so far from the truth. I also thought if I brought in a landscaper they would know, but they too were just as lost.

It really is YOUR responsibility if you are TRYING to ben environmentally friendly to first educate yourself.  Sometimes you may not have the mindset to do so, which is why you should follow me (shameless plug) as your green guide to the fertile land of sustainability....(insert Ease on down the road song here from The Wiz). It is ok that people in our community are starting from scratch, we have a lot to learn and lots to do so that our communities can contribute to our own health and the health of mother earth.

If you are wondering how to find out information on what to plant in your yard, there are very close friends to help at the Chicago Botanic Garden. On their website they have a list of plants in the Chicago region that are invasive including trees, shrubs and grasses.  If you are thinking of visiting a nursery looking for new life for your space take care to find out if you are adding to the problem through your purchases or being a leader and knowing what you grow is going to be a good thing for nature.  Below are the CBG's ways you can help control invasive plants. You know what we say...."when you know better, you do better" I'm remixing that to say "when you know better, you grow better".

• Learn about invasive plants.

• Phase out the invasive plants on your property.

• Plant only noninvasive species.

• Attend Garden classes and symposia about invasive plants and biodiversity.

• Volunteer to monitor threatened plants of the region.

• Volunteer for stewardship activities at the Garden and other natural areas.

I very much wanted to articulate how much land is owned by African Americans through home ownership here in Chicago, but came up short in looking at the Census data.  It appears as though you can get the average of home ownership but it doesn't tell you how much land in terms of the sizes of homes.  (Crossing fingers for an interested reader to find out and share for us!)

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Why Blacks should care about Invasive Species

It has been over a year since I've written in this blog. Mostly because there are so many blogs in cyberspace about the environment, but this one is different.  Grass vs. Glass is really about helping city folk realize that our urban environments can help us or hurt us.  That hurt can come from man made products like vehicles causing air pollution, or from plants like ragweed that also cause air pollution.  Pollen pollution while seasonal can have extremely harmful consequences on the young, and elderly. While pollen is responsible for making new plants such as beautiful flowers and even apple trees, pollen also can cause allergic reactions.  With May being Invasive Species Awareness Month, I thought this was a perfect time to start the discussion on the direct relationship between city plants, and the health of city people.  Primarily I want to make sure, my community recognizes the importance of being aware, making decisions and supporting a healthier environment that directly benefits us.  

First there are some basics we have to cover so that everyone is on the same page.

What is an invasive plant?

It is a plant that grows very fast and very aggressive. These plants spread quickly and rapidly and while they can survive here are not supposed to be here because they cause problems for the plants that are native.

What kind of problems do they cause for other plants?

You can think about invasive plants like thieves. They steal sunlight, water and space from the plants that are native to an area. What happens is that the invasive plants take over completely leaving no space, or nutrients for the other plants.

Why should I care?

Overall everyone should care about our environment, but for Black people urban air quality creates health issues causing hospital visits and in rare cases death.  We should care about all the sources that lessens our air quality because it affects our wellbeing.

Air quality and asthma 

The below figure also tells a striking story, that by in large when looking at children under the age of 18 income and ethnicity matter, this is especially true for being a Black child in the city.  Essentially, income matters less than your race/ethnicity, and if you are a Black child it is more likely that you will develop asthma when compared to children in the same income level but of different races/ethnicities.  While genetics plays a role in it, your environment and the quality of your air plays a significant role in the development of asthma.  But we know this right we know that our communities have high rates of asthma especially here in Chicago. Some of it is from transportation and exhaust or from factories and some.....well some is from the very thing that gives us oxygen to breathe, plants.

Plants are amazing and wonderful, but sometimes can cause problems.  Depending on the species of plant the pollen can make people very sick affecting the respiratory system. Ragweed pollen is infamous for causing such problems.  This plant makes large amounts of pollen that is blown by the wind into the air that we breathe.  Most often this weed grows along roadsides with other weedy plants.  Invasive Species Awareness Month is to help the public understand the significant impact of invasive plants on society and the environment.  

If you care about the health of the people you MUST care about the health of the environment. Similar to the diseases found in our bodies you can consider invasive plants as the cancer equivalent in nature.  For Blacks in the city, we are already exposed to higher rates of poorer air quality because of, industrialization, and where we can afford to live.  While there are some air quality issues that may take longer to resolve, such as transportation and factories, pollen from invasive species can be addressed immediately.

In order for a healthy environment to be our reality we must first care.  Not only should we care because we may be suffering but we should also care because nature helps us in many ways.  It is important for everyone to contribute to the solution of invasive species by first being educate, and second by their actions.  This months' blogs will be dedicated to making the public aware of invasive species in Chicago and the state of Illinois and learning what is being done, how thy affect us and what our communities can do to support our air quality through the removal of invasive plants.

If you are looking for ways to get involved this month check out the events in the Illinois Invasive Species calendar. This month we will dig into invasive plants, urban air quality, poverty and race.  It is sure to be a wealth of information and hopefully will help us understand why Blacks should care about invasive species.

Further Reading
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/sciencenb/asthma/HD_AA_Asthma.pdf
http://www.acponline.org/patients_families/pdfs/subspec/asthma.pdf
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pollution-poverty-people-color-asthma-inner-city/

Follow me on twitter: @greenkels