Saving the Planet
Written by Kerry O’Conor
The rhetoric surrounding climate change activism often employs the concept of “saving the planet.” The planet in question got along just fine before human beings walked its face, and in all likelihood, she would get along at least as well if all trace of us had faded. Human beings depend on Earth far more than she depends on us, and it is indicative of our misapprehension of this relationship that presumes otherwise. It is on us, therefore, to save ourselves and all other beings. Earth has done her best by humanity, but it is up to us now to step up, to take the reins of our own fate firmly in hand.
“That’s what separates us from the animals!”
This phrase is applied to a dizzying array of human qualities, from organized religion to bipedal locomotion. But, at its core, it can be tied to a single human quality: intelligence. Human beings are, perhaps by a wide margin, the smartest beings on the Earth. And this distinction has seen us achieve some truly incredible things. Agriculture, industry, medicine, space travel; the list seems endless and growing at an exponential rate. But this gift and the fruits it bears can themselves become burdens. The rapid alteration of natural environments and systems that are an inevitable byproduct of the human experiment with Civilization have consequences that were at the outset difficult to foresee, but which are quickly becoming impossible to ignore. Drought, fire, famine, and all manner of devastating weather events are already disrupting the world we have built for ourselves, and every indication is that our current trajectory will only see them grow more severe and more destructive.
But there are solutions. The mixed blessing of human intelligence can be galvanized to counteract and reverse its own drawbacks. And it can do so with the same tools and processes. If our collective brilliance at agriculture, industry and technological advancement got us into this mess, it can just as surely get us out. That is the basis from which Reap Goodness operates. By revolutionizing the ways in which human beings work with the Earth, and by rediscovering and repurposing some old ways, we can stop the harm and begin to heal the relationship with our planet on which we so necessarily rely.
Time is of the essence. And with this in mind, Reap Goodness has devised a system of land and water restoration that has the potential to achieve sustainability at a rate once thought impossible. At the core of this system is the concept of trios of cooperatives. This concept initiates a three-pronged attack on the problem of land degradation.
The first cooperative works toward water security. Water is the source of all life and nothing can grow or change until water is reliably available. This first cooperative focuses on rain capture and storage on land and off roofs, and on teaching the intricacies of these practices to those in the local community in question.
The second cooperative works toward food security. Following natural processes, this group plants and maintains food forests of perennial plants. This will gradually eliminate the need for annual planting, eventually creating an inherently sustainable agricultural paradigm. This cooperative will also organize food preservation, prolonging the bounty of each harvest and reducing wasteful expenditures of time and resources.
The third cooperative spearheads ecosystem restoration. It begins by mitigating water pollution through the planting of water cleansing plants in roadside ditches and existing bodies of water. Once these waters are restored, ecosystems will naturally begin to realign as animal populations have spaces to recover. This cooperative will maintain and further that recovery by planning small sanctuary spaces and instituting wild animal safety procedures.
Vitally, these three cooperatives will work in close association with one another. The third cooperative will use the knowledge it gleans of the local ecosystems to help guide the second cooperative in selecting the nutrient-dense foods it plants. The second and third cooperatives in turn will rely on the water management of the first cooperative to provide water for the growth of those plants. It is the aligned action of the three cooperatives that makes their shared project of revitalization so effective. And yet, if the situation calls for it, they can work independently by mutual agreement.
As this joint project proceeds, it will naturally gather data and experience. It will then use the technological advancements of the Information Age to refine and correct those of the Industrial. By compiling and interpreting the information gathered from early cooperative trios, Reap Goodness can share and spread its growing proficiency with new trios in communities all over the world. Digital learning is only beginning to show its awesome potential, and Reap Goodness will make full use of that potential through the progressive creation of instructional ebooks and didactic videos, plus educational units for schoolchildren. Multiple translations of these digital products will feed the expansion of the project as it takes root in new places and fresh minds.
