The Tragic Optimism of Human Innovation

Climate change is an opportunity clothed as a crisis. On both sides of the climate change discussion there is a sense of optimism that has thwarted the safety of our nations fiscal investments and human quality of life.  Supporters of adaptation under a warming world are convinced efforts in clean energy will end an era of environmental neglect that alters earth cycles while supporters of slow adaptation want to move forward in the same direction. Our tragic human optimism in our innovations have gotten us here stateside in some sticky situations, yet it wasn't until all sectors were on one accord that local, national and global advancements were made that benefited both humans and nature.

There are three very unique environmental catastrophes that have threatened the productivity of our natural systems, human health and well being as well as our other beloved green....money.

• The Dust Bowl Era- Farming practices and severe drought led to soil erosion affected 100,000,000 acres, created what was called "black blizzards, dislocated 3.5 million people which is about 3% of the population in 1935. This also impacted the economy, the price of land dropped, and whats interesting is that some of the economic downturn was a result of the inability or unwillingness to adapt through shifting to other agricultural products.  Even when the system was not capable of sustaining for the legacy crops and practices some just were not ready to accept that.  This teaches us that "riding it till the wheels falls off" approach is using your optimism to double down on disaster.  The response of President Roosevelt was not to ignore this issue it was to address the practices and utilize the expert scientist to discover how this happened and the ecological strategies that connected to it for resolution. The government invested in science and used the crisis as an opportunity to protect agricultural assets and rebuild a sector of our society to protect food, job, and environmental security for generations to come.  They recognized the threat, they saw people suffering and more importantly the innovation was the relationship between the community, the government and scientists.
• The general use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane "DDT" - Yet another cascade effect of human innovation gone awry, and a story of heartfelt passion for the use of science to show the connection between human actions, environmental consequences and what we call a crisis in ecology.  The application of this chemical indeed has saved lives protecting soldiers during the later half of World War II from contracting malaria and typhus.  Oddly enough the insecticidal properties of this chemical was learned in 1939 by a swiss chemist Paul Hermann Müller. I'm starting to see the mid to late 1900's as the age of environmental enlightenment. A time in which our intellectual advancements in science and ecology allowed for us to decide how we can reconcile our societal profits at the consequence of our environmental quality. We seemed to genuinely want to not destroy the society we fought so fiercely to protect.  With the publication of Silent Spring by author and biologist Rachel Carson our worlds were turned upside down, now connecting our beloved insecticide solution to harming animals and causing cancer.  With diligent research as well as necessary government intervention after 30 years of its use the chemical was banned in the United States.  Yet another example of how policy, scientists and the community at large worked together to address this system wide issue.  
• Ozone depletion- Oddly my favorite story of socio-environmental accomplishments this was a global issue unlike the localized former two.  The transport of man made chemicals into the stratosphere created a global crisis for the books.  All of earth humans, terrestrial and aquatic life was assumed to be threatened. 

"The international response to the ozone threat has been perhaps the most successful of all global environmental efforts" - Levin Institute SUNY

          With 96 of ozone depletion chemicals being completely phased out in developed countries   people across the world developing nations now are following suit as well. We say we are leaders....and I love the game follow the leader unless they are leading me into a pit of poverty.  The Montreal Protocol initiated resulted in an annual decrease of CFC's from 1.1 million tons to 35,000 tons.

Energy has gotten us to where we are today and I understand the profit driven, capitalist, industrialized society we have created. Yet we have not gotten here by accident and without some tragic consequences. Risking water quality, environmental integrity expecting nature to figure it out is a tragic optimistic and reductionist insult to our dynamic earth. To visit our solutions with a fine tooth comb may allow each side to see the fears of the other.  Again this crisis is an opportunity. I love this earth, I love my city, and I love my country! I owned a business and I loved my profits. What I am saying is that I believe in our ability to create huge problems though our innovation but I also believe in is our leadership in acknowledging; our disinvestment in poor practices that result in the destruction and impairment of earth systems. We need to regroup with our scientists and evolve a new society ready to show the world just how badass the United States is. We save the world and it is our time again to put on the damn cape, stand behind our scientists and innovate in a way that saves us green, and makes us more of the kind that we love so much.

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! 

Show Me the $: The Truth About An Average Black Farmer in America

I love the idea of returning to a more natural way of living.  Indeed no other community should have closer ties to mother earth than urban African Americans.  I've lived in Chicago all my life, and not once in my childhood had I ever seen a vegetable garden in someones yard. No schools, no churches, and surely no community gardens.  But now gardens are growing everywhere! I love to see urban spaces transformed into a cultural growing space for people to feel proud of.  I also love to see communities come together in attempts to lead the charge for other social issues that can be addressed through outdoor activities such as gardening be that vegetables or flower beds.

It is in the promotion of urban agriculture as a resolution to social issues that I begin to dissect the method in which this can be accomplished.  The prescription of urban ag for social issues is not misplaced, however I struggle with really understanding the boundaries to those benefits.  With urban Black communities facing issues around underemployment, unemployment, education limitations, poor health and more urban agriculture has emerged as a prescriptive green space for the social, emotional and cultural stressors of being Black in the city.

However are we really understanding how urban agriculture can benefit Black communities outside of growing to sell?  Don't get me wrong, the idea of generating revenue off of your harvest is what a farmer does, but is that what we should be doing? Maybe that came out wrong....I mean is that what we all should be attempting to do?  From my perspective creating a market driven garden or becoming a full time farmer is a utopian reality for everyone to attempt.  Let us look at some numbers of Black Farmers in the United States to ground us in the fiscal reality of farming.

The average value of sales of Black Farmers based upon the U.S. Agricultural Census of Black Farmers was about $21,000, in comparison to the average for ALL farmers which is around $130,000. Furthermore, 93% of those Black Farmers that reported receive less than 50% of their income from farming!! Yes I said it less than half of their income comes from farming.  So what insight does that impart upon those of us in the urban ag community as we talk about wealth building of people of color through urban agriculture?  For me, it means that communities need some support in understanding HOW to utilize the benefits of urban ag.

"Almost half (46 percent) of all black-operated farms are classified as beef cattle farms and ranches, compared to 30 percent of all farms nationwide. Another 20 percent are classified as “all other crop farms,” compared to 23 percent of farms overall. This category includes hay farms and farms where no single crop comprised more than 50 percent of sales. And, while 15 percent of farms overall are classified as grain and oilseed farms, only 8 percent of black-operated farms fall into this category." U.S. Agricultural Census USDA

Moving forward maybe it is not on the growing and selling of a harvest that will "generate local revenue". What if we circled back to utilize the production of foods and products for our own consumption and the consumption of our community members?  What if we found that sweet spot of harvest production that allowed our homes to SAVE $200 on their grocery bills available to SPEND $200 on supporting local businesses, or available to SPEND on increasing the value of their homes, or available to INVEST in resources like a snow plow for the block club during the winter (credit Jeffrey Jones IDNR). What if we saw this as an opportunity to NOT spend money?

The truth about an average Black Farmer in America is that they are also the working poor, and more often than not they are not selling vegetables.  In order for us to grow economically in our communities with urban ag we must be very intentional about how we identify and utilize the benefits of it.  I will continue to blog about urban ag from the perspective of sustainability and economic empowerment of urban minority communities.  As I have discussions and work over this summer I will highlight the other benefits such as environmental education, the revitalization of volunteerism and neighbor networks, the health benefits of getting outside, the increase in property values, the spiritual reconnection and more.  But I challenge those in urban ag working with communities on economic empowerment through urban ag to be forward thinking about alternative economic benefits besides the direct selling of produce.

Be well dear friends,

Kels

Follow me on Twitter: @greenKels