Inside the Envelope, page 4

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Hello Eartheasy,
Great site, really does echo my feelings at the moment about life. I live in the UK on the East Coast and commute into London each day. The journey is about 70 miles (100km). I cycle 7 miles from home to the rail station then hop on the train. Although this part of the journey is not very friendly on the environment and eats 2 hours a day into my time, I have realised that I can use this time to "simplify my life". Not many people today can say that they can spend 2 hours resting and reading a book. Instead of wasted time, it's time for me to spend on myself. It's all about attitude. When I arrive in London I jog the last mile to work where I get a shower. So by the time my working day starts I've looked after myself both mentally and physically. Of course I'd like to work nearer home so that I have more time with my family but it's a matter of attitude and making the most of what is available to you.
Home is much better. We live in a converted barn; the ultimate in recycling! It's heated conventionally but we also enjoy a large wood burning stove in the lounge. Generally I consider wood as easily replenishable but I wonder about the greenhouse gases. Anyway, why cut down trees to heat your home. Our hint for preserving the trees and avoiding landfill is to use second-hand wood. Most goods are delivered on pallets, these find their way to waste disposal companies when they get damaged, who have to pay to dump them in the ground. We've made contact with a couple of these and collect their pallets and other wood once a month.
It provides us with free heat, saves them the cost of dumping and saves space in the landfill sites for other peoples rubbish.
I'll keep coming back to the site, the values it demonstrates are so important and so easily forgotten.
Thanks,
Richard Hughes, UK

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Dear Eartheasy,
Human are killing each other for "beliefs". We lost our human nature because of consumer goods. Even our best friends - dogs, are being replaced by robot dogs in some houses; Pesticide has already taken the place of birds and mantises in our yards. The manufacturers of lawn chemicals keep telling us that the dandelions, one of the natural grasses, are "weeds". We must maintain the forever-green, "weeds" free lawn by using their product-fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide. The robot dogs, chemicals and other goods are consuming our inborn nature, so we are killing each other not only for "beliefs" but for oil and other materials too. The dropping of bombs on our earth is reminding us that we are still losing our human nature.
On the other hand, natural birds, mantises and dandelions are always willing to guide us in finding our inborn nature in our back yards. This letter is my life's experience: how my sons, Monta and Jiajia, have stopped me consuming my inborn nature in our back yard. Bumper harvest helped by Mother Nature; popular government supported by majority people. It is Easy to say but hard to do.
I was a university instructor of Forestry department in China for almost ten years. After working at Chicago Botanic Garden for a year in 1990, I earned my master degree from Forestry Department at University of Montana. I had been growing any thing I like in modern greenhouses with chemicals. "Bumper harvest as I pleased." Fortunately, a few white circles on my back yard lawn changed my life back in early fall of 1994. One day, I found a few white spots on my lawn. I went to the best and biggest garden centers with some problem grasses. The owner sold me a bottle of fungicide and a few bags 12-3-12 winterizer synthetic lawn foods. He wrote a detailed instruction for me too. I followed his instructions and applied the fungicide and fertilizer on my lawn. My lawn turned ocean green again within a few weeks. But next spring, when snow melted, grasses of my entire back yard is gone. I had to change new topsoil and grass. Two years later, the same spots appear again. This time I went to library instead of garden center. I found out that was snow mold due to continue applying synthetic fertilizer and pesticide. The chemicals killed earthworms and other bacteria who digest grass clippings. Thatch is the building up of clippings. "To control, do not apply heavy nitrogen fertilizers or limestone in the fall. Remove thatch. Improve drainage and air circulation." A book told me. The instruction from the garden center speeded up the snow mold on my lawn last time. I only spent $30 to rent an aerator for my compact soil. The problem has never come back. I saved almost $1000 and my lawn this time. After replacing synthetic fertilizer by soybean meal, which is by-product from making soybean milk, earthworms and other soil bacteria were increasing day by day. Bacteria are digesting grass clippings timely. Earthworms are not only aerating soil but also are attracting birds. Birds are keeping bugs in balance. Moreover, I saved at least 80% water from lawn too. When using synthetic fertilizer, I spent more time on watering lawn than playing with Jiajia and Monta. Because of applying synthetic fertilizer, my grasses were very lazy. The roots were very shallow. They must be watered every week. If it was moist day after watering, the insects and diseases occurred easily. Before spraying pesticides to control them, my lawn must be watered thoroughly first. I not only spoiled my lawn, but my kids got skin allergy very often. After stopping using chemical fertilizer, I let my grasses find water for themselves. Lawn, cannot wait for water, their roots, must grow thicker and longer for food and water. I only give them a couple deep drinks a year between later July and August, my lawns are lush with deep roots. I have more time playing with my kids safely on our lawn since.
At our home in Mississauga, Jiajia and Monta started removing "weeds" with Snowball and Dirtball, two rabbits. Snowball and Dirtball enjoyed their job so much; they let my lawnmower, compost and garden rag retire. They are turning grass clippings, fall leaves, leftover meals and vegetables into organic fertilizer in hours. Earthworms are turning rabbit litters into soil in days. Birds are balancing the bugs. For maintaining my yard, I only water a couple times a year and have fun with my kids. There is only natural circle and no more commercial goods in my yard.
Thank you Jiajia and Monta, you reminded me rabbits like grass better than pellets.
Thank you Jiajia and Monta, you reminded me birds like bugs better than bird feeders.
Thank you Jiajia and Monta, you reminded me earthworms like to aerate soil.
Thank you Jiajia and Monta, you helped find my inborn nature!
One sunny afternoon, Snowball and Dirtball constantly were sneezing. I called my veterinarian. He told me that Diazinon and other pesticides might be used around my house. I noted some sign with "X" on human picture standing my neighbor's lawn. The lawn experts had visited our neighbor to kill bugs and weeds with Diazinon. The chemical can attack the nervous system and is extremely toxic even in low doses. It commonly used in home and garden applications. Our children are most vulnerable to the risk. Indoors it is used as an ant/roach killer, and outdoors to kill lawn and garden pests including grubs. We are helpless because some lawn exerts applying pesticide around our neighborhood. On Wednesday, February 2001, 14th a private member bill which prohibits the use of pesticides for non-essential purposes was re-introduced into Canadian House of Commons. To follow the bill, check out the 37th Parliament, 1st Session events at http://www.parl.gc.ca. I hope, this time, popular bill not killed by big chemical money.
Commercialization let us forget our inborn nature. We forget birds can balance insects so we use pesticide. We forget earthworms are aerating our soil, so we use aerators. We forget rabbits like grasses in our backyard, so we kill the wild rabbit and feed our bunny by pellets. We buy lawnmower to cut our lawn.
We, human, lost our inborn nature and are making other creatures lose theirs too.
Feng Gao, Mississauga Ontario Canada

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. . .Thanks to the writers for these thoughts, and for giving permission to print their letters.