Patricia DeMarco Ph.D.

"Live in harmony with nature."

Category Archives: Wonder of Nature


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The Benefits of Cities Living in Harmony with Nature

By Patricia M. DeMarco, Mayor of the Borough of Forest Hills, PA

As extreme weather fluctuations and higher heat bring health concerns to the headlines, cities look for ways to adapt for a more resilient approach. Once defined only by skyscrapers and concrete canyons, many modern cities seek to bring nature into the cityscape to improve the health and quality of life of the people who live, work and play in urban environments. Natural landscapes bring many benefits to urban living, including health benefits, economic value of property, and cultural distinction.

Ecosystem services support all life on earth.[1] As people have settled into larger urban environments, we have become more removed from the essential services of the living earth that comprise our life support system. Fresh water, oxygen-rich air, fertile ground and the millions of species that make up the interconnected web of life come from the ecosystem services of the earth. Evolved over millions of years, the four categories of ecosystem services support life on earth as we know it.

These gifts of the living earth operate automatically. The supporting services include nutrient cycling for carbon, nitrogen, water, oxygen and phosphorous; soil formation from the action of millions of micro-organisms breaking down detritus; primary production includes energy conversion by photosynthesis to create biomass and release oxygen; and habitat provision which establishes living conditions specific to various regions of the planet. These services feed into all the other ecosystem services. The provisioning services generate primary food production, fresh water, wood and fiber and biomass- based fuels. The regulating services are the control systems of the earth that shape climate by storing carbon and the temperature through the thermohaline circulation of the oceans; flood and erosion control through wetlands and tree roots; water purification through wetlands; and disease control through predator/prey relationships in natural ecosystems. Finally, the cultural services provide spiritual and aesthetic values to human experience, often called biophilia- the natural feelings of being connected to nature that makes people want to be in the “outdoors” for vacations at the beach or in parks.

These services do not usually “count” in computations of the Gross Domestic Product or the economic valuation of transactions. However, they are priceless contributors to many aspects of daily life that people take for granted, such as having fresh water or pollination for agricultural products, or natural fibers like cotton, linen, bamboo and hemp. Note that all of these ecosystem services are circular in regenerating and replenishing the elements of each system, all driven primarily from the sun as the primary source of energy, temperature gradients and seasonal cycles.

Our Life Support System is Under Stress. Human activities, especially since the Industrial Revolution, have brought stress to the balanced ecosystems that have sustained life as we know it.Resource extractionfrom miningfor fuels and minerals, industrial scale farming, and land use for highways, buildings and parking lots has stressed the environment.  Also, the rapid acceleration of burning fossil resources for fuel is reversing in decades the millions of years of biological process that increased the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere and sequestered carbon in coal, petroleum, and natural gas. The modern surge in use of synthetic materials, especially plastics which are derived from petrochemicals, has also stressed the natural ecosystems in many ways, especially as the population of the earth has continued to grow, and more countries adopt a heavy consumer-oriented economy. Hyper-consumption spreading worldwide adds to the stress on our natural life support system.

Pennsylvania’s Constitution Article 2 Section 27 states: “The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”

However, Pennsylvania bears the scars of hundreds of years of reliance on extractive industries.

  • Abandoned mined lands estimated at 288,000 acres[2]
  • 5,500 miles of streams and rivers polluted[3]
  • Air quality ranked 2nd worst in US[4] 

It is our ethical and moral obligation to preserve and restore the ecosystems of the living Earth for now and for the future. It is our duty to preserve the right for life to exist for the people we serve in our communities, and for future generations whole lives will be shaped by the decisions we make today.  We cannot legislate the laws of chemistry and physics nor the biologic system responses to changes in the environment. But we can adjust our laws, and our way of life, to be more in harmony with the natural systems we depend on. The time for wanton exploitation of the natural world is over!

Pathways Forward
We who govern at the local level are in a good position to shape a pathway to a better future. We are no longer facing a gradual transition but rather a transformation in our relationship to the natural world that supports us.

This transformation from an extractive civilization based on fossil-fuels to a regenerative civilization based on renewable resources is not a technical problem but rather a moral and ethical problem. Do we have the courage to shift the base of our economy to systems that can be sustained for the next generations, or will we persist in the destruction of our life support system for now, and for generations to come?

Our current situation has been built on a primary premise of economic drivers as the principal, sometimes the exclusive, basis for policy decisions. As a result, cultural values such as history, social services, public education, public health, public amenities such as parks and nature preserves as well as environmental values such as clean air, fresh water, fertile ground and preserving the biodiversity of species have diminished consideration in public policy decisions. This situation cannot be sustained for decades into the future without seriously compromising the quality of life for everyone on earth. The biggest shift from an extractive to a sustainable system involves a change in priorities to re-balance, economic, environmental and cultural values to be more equal in weight for decision making on policy.

Regenerative thinking provides a framework to support this adjustment. Regenerative thinking looks beyond the instant gratification of the next quarterly report, but rather considers the life cycle implications, and the associated impact on environmental and cultural values over time. [5] This is especially relevant in local government decisions, for example when determining what kind of a public building to invest taxpayer dollars in, or what land use decisions to make for preservation vs development. Fortunately, regenerative solutions are available, proven and cost-effective.Cities can be catalysts for living in harmony with Nature. The inherent human affinity for nature is called “Biophilia” and has been recognized as a movement throughout the world as a way to improve the quality of life for urban areas.[6][7] Incorporating nature into urban environments brings many benefits.

Renewable Energy Systems conserve and restore resources. Technology costs in renewable energy systems are dropping sharply.[8] Demand is increasing for efficiency and clean energy solutions. More supportive national policies (Inflation Reduction Act & Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) showed the potential for effective adoption of renewable energy resources at scale.[9] Investment in renewable infrastructure is increasing in states, public institutions, and in private investments, in spite of federal policy changes. The Borough of Forest Hills designed and built a net-zero energy borough building, and now also has solar on five additional buildings to save energy costs and have more efficient operations. The capital costs the solar were administered through a Guaranteed Energy Savings Program of the PA Department of Conservation and natural Resources.

Prevent Pollution by designing materials through Green Chemistry principles that are benign by design.[10] This process reduces the inherent hazard from things like plastics and forever chemicals rather than limiting our exposure to toxic substances through regulation. Substituting biological materials like hemp, bamboo, algae and fungi for petrochemicals can shift the production to less environmentally and health damaging materials.

Circular Materials Management shifts our economy away from using raw materials to make products designed to be replaced rapidly.[11] Instead, materials and products can be designed to be made in America and made to last as durable goods. Also design features can include reclaiming raw material for re-use or repurposing, rather than to become trash. Ideally, circular materials management using renewable resources as feedstocks can create an economy of higher value with much less waste.

Reduce urban stress. Urban living often brings social stress, a sense of physical threats from crime, traffic safety and adverse environmental exposures associated especially with noise and air pollution, and heat island stress. Adding urban tree cover contributes to more vigorous physical activity among adults aged 18 to 24 as well as reduced obesity, better general health, less asthma and better social cohesion in communities.[12] Forest Hills has been a USA Tree City since 1975. Our 2,800 urban Trees contribute an estimated $19.7 Million in cumulative asset value.[13]

Calm traffic. Using natural landscapes and plantings as part of a Complete Streets policy helps to calm urban traffic and improve the quality of experience for pedestrians. This was especially effective when native plants and shrubs were used as well as incorporating water features such as fountains and ponds as part of bioswales for stormwater management.[14]

Provide economic value. Studies completed by the US Department of Agriculture show that urban tree canopies deliver over $18.3 billion in annual environmental and economic value.[15] This value is derived from shade that reduces cooling demand, health improvements from absorbing pollutants in the air, and sequestering carbon in trees.

Mature trees act as critical infrastructure thatboost property values, mitigate the urban heat island effect, and improve public health.[16]

Green Infrastructure can contribute to stormwater management by diverting storm surges into bioswales and rain gardens. Especially if these are planted with native species, they can also support birds and pollinators within the urban environment. The Forest Hills Borough Building has bioswales that capture all stormwater from the property.

Zoning and policy support canencourage land uses that include landscaping with native species, wilding lawns, encouraging urban agriculture for local food production and to connect people to nature, and using neighborhood park and open spaces as part of blight remediation.

Biophilic Design in Public Buildings and Urban Spaces incorporates natural elements like greenery, water, and natural light, enhancing both the physical and mental well-being of the people who occupy these spaces. Sustainable energy features and natural landscaping are especially easy to incorporate into the design of new buildings or major renovations of public buildings or public spaces. In Forest Hills Borough, the Late Bloomers Garden Club and the Forest Hills Garden Club plant and maintain native plantings and pollinator gardens in the Ardmore Boulevard and in Forest Hills Park. Borough plantings include native species and integrated pest management practices to protect pollinators and wildlife.

We are part of the interconnected web of Life. Every opportunity we can take as local leaders to make our communities more resilient, more beautiful with living landscapes more supportive to wildlife, birds and pollinators, the more our communities will support living in harmony with nature. When we preserve the living earth, we preserve and strengthen our own life support system.

(This article will appear in the August issue of “The Municipal Reporter” published by the PA Municipal League.)

Resources and References:

[1] Robert Costanza, Rudolf deGroot, Leon Braat, Ida Kubiszewski, Lorenzo Fioramonti, Paul Sutton, Steve Farber, and Monica Grasso. Twenty Years of Ecosystem Services: How far have we come and how far do we still need to go? Ecosystem Services. Vol. 28(2017) pages 1-16. http://www.robertcostanza.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017_J_Costanza-et-al.-20yrs.-EcoServices.pdf  Accessed July 12, 2026.

[2] Eric Dixon. Repairing the Damage: Cleaning up the air, land, and water damaged by the coal industry before 1977. Ohio River Valley Institute. April 2021. https://ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org/abandoned-mine-lands/  Accessed July 22, 2026.

[3] Kiley Bense. “The Toxic Cocktail brewing in Pennsylvania’s Waterways. Allegheny Front. December 21, 2025. https://www.alleghenyfront.org/pennsylvania-frack-waste-water-radioactivity/ Accessed July 30,2026.

[4]    https://www.lung.org/getmedia/dabac59e-963b-4e9b-bf0f-73615b07bfd8/State-of-the-Air-2024.pdf

[5] Patricia DeMarco. “From Conquerors to Stewards of the Earth.” 04 February, 2022.    https://patriciademarco.com/2022/02/04/transformation-from-conquerors-to-stewards-of-the-earth/

[6] Edward O. Wilson. Biophilia. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, MA. 1984.

[7]  Biophilic Cities- Partner Cities. https://www.biophiliccities.org/partner-cities

[8]  Lazard Life Cycle Cost of Energy- 2026 Report.   https://www.lazard.com/news-announcements/lazard-releases-2026-levelized-cost-of-energyplus-report-pr/   Accessed July 28, 2026.

[9] Environmental and Energy Study Institute. “Implementing the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act- A Progress Report.” March 9, 2023.  https://www.eesi.org/irabriefings  Accessed July 22, 2026.

[10] Paul Anastas and John Warner. Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice. Oxford University Press. 2000. https://www.acs.org/green-chemistry-sustainability/principles/12-principles-of-green-chemistry.html  Accessed July 29, 2026.

[11] Patricia DeMarco. “The End is the Beginning- The Case for a Circular Materials Management System.” March 7, 2021. https://patriciademarco.com/?s=Circular+Materials+management

[12] Jared Ulmer, Kathleen Wolf, Desiree Backman, Raymond Truthway, Cynthia Blain, Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne, Lawrence Frank. Multiple health benefits f urban tree canopy: The Mounting Evidence for a green prescription. Health and Place. Vol 42. (2016) Pages 54-62. https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/54105.pdf   Accessed July 29, 2026.

[13]Jason Rihn, Nicholas Burnett. Forest Hills Tree Inventory and Management Plan. Bartlett Tree Experts. June. 2026.

[14] Smart Growth America. “Complete Streets Are for Everyone.” 2024. https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/national-complete-streets-coalition/about/  Accessed July 29,2026.

[15] Heather Sander, Stephen Polasky and Robert Haight. “The value of urban tree cover: A hedonic property price model in Ramsey and Dakota Counties, Minnesota, USA.” Ecological Economics. Vol 69 (2010) Pages 1646-1656.   https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/36073.pdf  Accessed July 29, 2026. 

[16] See the Arbor Foundation site here for tree value tool. https://www.arborday.org/value


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Mayoral Proclamation for Forest Hills Arbor Day 2026

 OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS in 1872, the Nebraska Board of Agriculture established a special day to be set aside for the planting of trees, and

WHEREAS this holiday, called Arbor Day, was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska, and

WHEREAS Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world, and

WHEREAS trees can be a solution to combating climate change by reducing the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, cutting heating and cooling costs, moderating the temperature, cleaning the air, producing life-giving oxygen, and providing habitat for wildlife, and

WHEREAS trees are a renewable resource giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires, and countless other wood products, and

WHEREAS trees in our city increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas, and beautify our community, and

WHEREAS trees — wherever they are planted — are a source of joy and spiritual renewal.

 NOW, THEREFORE, I,Patricia M. DeMarco, Mayor of the Borough of Forest Hills, PA, do hereby proclaim April 24, 2026 as ARBOR DAY in the Borough of Forest Hills, and I urge

all citizens to celebrate Arbor Day and to support efforts to protect our trees and woodlands, and

FURTHER, I urge all citizens to plant trees to gladden the heart and promote the well-being of this and future generations.

DATED THIS 24th day of , April 2026.

Patricia M. DeMarco

Mayor


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Interview with Logan Crawford- on my book “In the Footsteps of Rachel Carson”

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Patricia M. DeMarco, Ph.D, author of “In the Footsteps of Rachel Carson: Harnessing Earth’s Healing Power”. Discover how you can break free from old patterns, overcome trauma, and reclaim your life through authenticity, healing, and a deep connection to nature. This powerful interview explores the blueprint to becoming your true self — the author of your own story. Don’t miss this transformative dialogue on personal empowerment and ecological wisdom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfxRwsrpyGw

#globalbooknetwork#gbn#authors#books#PatriciaMDeMarco#InTheFootstepsOfRachelCarson#HealingJourney#TraumaRecovery#AuthenticSelf#NatureHealing#RachelCarsonLegacy#PersonalGrowth#MentalHealth#Empowerment#AuthorInterview#BookTalk#SpiritualAwakening#RewriteYourStory#beyourselfgamer Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/Footsteps-Rach…

About Logan Crawford: Emmy-winning broadcaster and actor who brings authors and storytellers to the spotlight on the Global Book Network.


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55th Celebration of Earth Day

My Dear Colleagues and Friends.
The passion for preserving our life support system – the living earth – runs as an elixir of inspiration through our work as teachers, guides and models of living in harmony with Nature. Regardless of any pronouncements or Executive Orders, the laws of Nature are not negotiable.

Earth Day has marked annual community clean-up days, opening farmer’s markets, flower displays and recycling events. But really in this year where the EPA Administrator gleefully proposed rolling back 31 environmental protection regulations that were intended to curtail toxic air emissions like mercury and proliferation of forever chemical materials like PFOS, we need more than one-time reminders and displays. We need to take the issue of actively protecting our life support system seriously. That means addressing climate change with leadership and courage. That means curtailing pollution from man-made materials, especially plastics. And that means looking at our own lifestyle for ways to live with less burden on the earth.

On this Earth Day I share with you Rachel Carson’s words:
“…man, far from being the overlord of all creation, is himself part of nature, subject to the same cosmic forces that control all other life. Man’s future welfare and probably even his survival depend upon his learning to live in harmony, rather than in combat, with these forces.” {From Rachel Carson’s essay on Biological Sciences for the National Council of Teachers. In Lost Woods- the Discovered Writing of Rachel Carson. Linda J. Lear (Ed.)Beacon Press. Boston. 1998.Page 165.}


As we celebrate this 55th Earth Day, may we remember that the greatness of a nation is not determined by the number and fame of its billionaires but by the well-being and shared prosperity of its children, the elderly, the infirm and the poorest among us. We cannot have healthy people in a polluted environment. We must offer leadership and give voice to the 73% of Americans, of both parties, who want more direct action on climate change. We who know cannot remain silent in defense of the Living Earth that provides fresh water, oxygen-rich air, fertile ground and the millions of species that constitute the great web of life, of which we humans are but one part.

On this Earth Day re-dedicate yourself to stand as a strong advocate for preserving our living earth…every day! Call you Senators and Congressional Representative today and remind them that our quality of life, indeed our survival, depend on preserving and restoring a healthy environment.

One tulip spared by the rabbits and deer!

Here is the link to my presentation for Earth Day at the Duquesne University Law School

4-22-2025Duquesne_Law-Earth_DayDownload

and my interview with Dr. Dana Noescue.
4-22-2025Duquesne_Law-Earth_Day.pptx (11054 kB)
Healing the Land and Empowering the People: A Message for Earth Day

DKLL LEGAL TALK SERIES Patricia Demarco-Event.pdf  (255 kB)
Event Sponsored by DKLL and the 2025 Students of Climate Change Law, Research, and Writing

The interview with Dr. Dana Neascu can be found here.

https://dsc.duq.edu/law-dcli-speakers/10/


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Rachel Carson as a Model For a Purpose-driven Life

Patricia M. DeMarco

23 February 2023

Presented at Chatham University, Mellon Administration Building on the occasion of the formal book launch for In the Footsteps of Rachel Carson – Harnessing Earth’s Healing Power.

Thank -you to President David Finegold, Dean Lou Leonard and Rev. David Carlisle to my friends, colleagues, students. Thank you for joining me today to formally launch my second book.

I begin with a Land Acknowledgment recognizing the people who lived in this place for generations before colonial times, and whose influence remains here, interwoven with our own history in many ways.  We stand on the ancient tribal lands of the Haudenosaunee, Lenape, Osage, and Shawnee Peoples of the Iroquois Federation. We honor their legacy.

We are gathered here on the campus of Chatham University, called Pennsylvania College for Women when Rachel Carson attended here, graduating in the class of 1929. It is an honor and an obligation to follow the footsteps of Rachel Carson.  She has been a formative force in my life from childhood, when I read The Sea Around Us as my family traveled back to the US from Brazil on an ocean liner.  Awed and daunted by the vast mystery of the sea over which the boat traveled, I discovered Rachel Carson’s poetic descriptions of what lay under the waves, beyond the horizon and into the depths where only my imagination could penetrate.  

Her book Silent Spring came to me as a high school graduation present, and inspired me to study to be a biologist, but with a sensitivity to contaminants in the environment.  Her prescience in urging precaution in the production and dissemination of chemicals without knowing fully their effects on living systems stands as a challenge to us today.  We cope all the time with spills, leaks, production pollution so that pollution from man-made toxins has become ubiquitous to the ends of the earth.

Now in my late life, as I have engaged four battles with various forms of cancer, I realized that Rachel Carson’s greatest triumph and manifestation of her courage and strength was in her own silent battle with cancer. Only as a scholar of her life did discover that as she wrote Silent Spring, she was in a life-or-death battle with breast cancer.  What drove her to finish that book in the face of her daily misery?  Why did she persist even when others had to read her words back to her and type her dictation?  Rachel Carson lived every day to complete her mission, her moral obligation to speak out in the face of what she knew to be a clear path toward destruction.

In one of the last public speeches of her life, she spoke “On the Pollution of the Environment” to the Kaiser Permanente Foundation. She said, “Underlying all of these problems of introducing contamination into our world is the question of moral responsibility – responsibility, not only to our own generation, but to those of the future…to those who have no voice in the decisions of today, and that fact alone makes our responsibility a heavy one.” (Lost Woods. P 242.)

For my own perspective, I know I live on borrowed time.  But for the wonders of modern medicine I would have been overcome by cancer long ago.  I take my life as a gift to be spent in the service of the mission I share with Rachel Carson- to do all I can to make this world a place where our children, and their great-grandchildren- may thrive. A place where living in harmony with Nature is the mainstream. Where we are organized around renewable and sustainable energy systems; regenerative agriculture and food systems that restore the fertility of the land and sequester carbon too; where we value quality and legacy and make things to last with a circular system for managing materials.

I wrote this book to share what got me through my battles with cancer- connecting with Nature and opening myself to the healing power of the Earth. The essays in this book were condensed from a ten inch stack of hand-written journals.  I did not speak of my misery while I was going through cancer treatments, but wrote out my fear, my anger, my sense of frustration and despair.  And I wrote of the observations of the natural world around me and gathered joy from the intimate views of Nature, or the grand sweeping phenomena I encountered along the way.  I did not give Cancer my words, and I kept my conviction that we are each on this world to make it better for those who come after.

The first part of the book draws vignettes from my childhood, motherhood and early life. Here I found the close grounding and connection to Nature as a part of myself, as a source of strength and a source of endless wonder in the intricacies of the living Earth around me. 

The second part written during my time in Alaska reflects the time I spent healing from chemotherapy and surgery, absorbing with fascination the grandeur of the scenery and the intimate interactions with the wildlife that I live with, even in the city.

The third part is set here in Pittsburgh, in the experiences of my cancer battles in 2017 and 2018. I sheltered in the care of the two 100-year old pin oaks that preside as the elders of the neighborhood. Their wisdom and strength sustained me.

The fourth part is a selection of my blog posts written during this time and more recently.  Here my writing urges pathways to a just transformation of our society to live in harmony with Nature. I continue on this journey through teaching, so I may keep my ideas fresh through interaction with curious minds; through my work with ReImagine Appalachia to give voice to the people who see a better way forward than plastic and hydrogen hubs that mire us in another thirty years of fracking; and I write for reflection on the wisdom of Rachel Carson in a look back at Silent Spring after 60 years.

I dedicate my work to the children of the 21st century, in honor of Rachel Carson with the hope that they will thrive in a beautiful, bountiful Earth for generations to come. 

I see so many of you gathered here this evening, from such different parts of my life.  I urge you to step away from the people you came here with and to meet and speak with three people you did not know before.  Share you own stories and expand this community of caring. It is by extending the hand of friendship beyond our own circle of comfort, and by knowing that the living parts of this Earth are part of us too that we will find common ground to heal the hurts in our world.

Blessed Be


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Out of the Shadows and Into the Light: 2022-2023

On this Winter Solstice, I reflect on a time of closure, and a time for planning new beginnings.  I have shared my life for the last 15 years with my partner, Tom Jensen as we had adventures to other countries, explored the places of his ancestors, and significant historical places.  We found spontaneous dancing happened at any time, especially when we were both working at home. We took on several construction and reconstruction projects – and we laughed a lot…until he fell to a long and valiant battle with cancer.  Chronic terminal illness challenges the character and erodes at the very soul of a relationship, but in lucid moments between bouts of delirium and rage, we were as close as ever.  I will treasure those few precious times and remember the wonderful experiences we shared, and let the pain and sadness recede slowly into the past. I know I will miss Tom every day of the rest of my own life.

He was always there to cheer me on and encourage my work. It is ironic that my second book came to print the week of his passing. Writing “In the Footsteps of Rachel Carson- Harnessing Earth’s Healing Power” captured my own struggle to recognize my mortality.  I am acutely aware that as a four times cancer survivor I am living on borrowed time. So, I make the most of every day.

All of the crises of the world have continued swirling around me as I have been in a cocoon of slow grieving and caregiving as Tom receded into the clutches of the tumors that consumed him over 18 months.  I have swatted at them like irritating flies, keeping focus only on the most immediate and pressing needs.  Now, I reflect on what is ahead, and set my priorities for this coming year.

Recognizing the amazing accomplishments of our collective action over the last year sets the stage for what comes next.  Much of the ReImagine Appalachia Blueprint is now incorporated into law! (See https://reimagineappalachia.org ) Climate action policy, recovery of abandoned mine lands, broadband expansion, assistance for neglected communities, support for regenerative agriculture, requirements for community benefit agreements attached to federal grants, and many more actions now have the force of law.  The tools for creating a more just, equitable and sustainable future are at hand.  Now comes the challenge of implementing with intent and keeping the goals in the forefront.

The success story of ReImagine Appalachia needs to be celebrated, and documented.  This is the subject of my next book, to be published through the Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences. ReImagine Appalachia is quite a testament to the power of the people. It began with 45 listening sessions in which 1,500 people contributed ideas, concerns, life experiences, hopes and dreams – all on zoom because of COVID-19. With only a few paid staff and with amazing leadership from Amanda Woodrum, Stephen Herzenburg, Ted Boetner and Dana Kuhlein, and Natalia Rudiak, teams of working groups sorted the issues and ideas into issue papers, documented policy proposals and case studies illustrating the need for new laws. Visionary leaders like Rev. Marcia Dinkins inspired us to act. Fifty collaborating organizations across four states- Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia – worked together to brief critical members of Congress, and their key staff. We were at the table when the laws were being crafted, when the budgets were being set, and we turned out hundreds of engaged citizens at all stages for comments, support, and intervention when things got sticky. Faith communities, people of color, local government officials came together to press for changes that would heal the land and empower the people.

As I sit in my 76th year of life, I recognize the need to mentor and coach successors in my path as a compelling drive. All of my activities and engagements align to build a better future for the coming generations.  The legacy of the Baby Boomers has been a mixed bag, and I feel a responsibility to show a vision forward that corrects some of the mis-steps.  I think our civilization is ready for a renaissance of attention to cultural and spiritual values reflected in care for the natural capital of the Earth – fresh air, clean water, fertile ground and the vast diversity of species that constitute the great Web of Life.  Restoring our life support system ties so many conflicting factions together.  Seeking common ground and shared purpose in building a better future for our children and for their grandchildren allows us to rise above the petty conflicts that impede progress.

I am honored to be drawn in to the efforts of my colleagues and friends in the Mon Valley- Tina Doose, Lisa Franklin-Robinson, Chad FitzGerald, Lori Rue, and Derrick Tillman. Rather than moaning with horrors hidden behind a veil of nostalgia for the “heyday of Steel,” we are working for a new vision for the Mon Valley. Rising from the ashes of the extractive industries of the past, we are creating a future built around renewable resources, non-toxic production systems that are compatible with healthy neighborhoods, and circular supply chains that conserve resources and build local and regional resilience. We are developing major projects with community benefit agreements, and including workforce development pathways to careers that include returning citizens, high school students, and recovered addicts. People will not move to a vacuum.  But they will embrace a movement that meets community needs and builds on the endurance, resilience and determination of people long ignored and suppressed. The Mon Valley will rise like a phoenix from the ashes of the past and soar to a finer future.

For this New Year of 2023, we step out of the dark shadows and into the light.


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The Triumph of Life

June 20, 2021

Patricia M.DeMarco, Ph.D.

Facing a life-threatening illness forces focus on what is truly important.  Every person faces such crisis-induced inflection points differently. As I have coped with four different challenges to my health over a span of twenty years, I have made decisions to live each day to the fullest, with purpose and intention. One day at a time, I rejoice in the wonder and beauty demonstrated everywhere through the gifts of the living Earth. I seek ways to use my voice and my personal power to move the world around me to a more sustainable and resilient place through local political action as an elected official, through regional collaborations with like-minded colleagues, and through writing and focused contributions to national and international efforts.  But all of this fades away in the face of a truly life-threatening reality. When the diagnosis comes to a person close to my heart, the precious fragility of our existence surfaces.

When the days ahead are numbered to a few hundred at best, it is the relationships, the personal connections with a caring community of family and friends, that make the difference.  All of the time spent on causes and external concerns disappears in significance compared to spending an hour in lucid conversation with a dear loved one. Memories of shared joys lift the pall of pain and fear. Simple pleasures enhance the sense of being connected and not alone in the darkest of times.  Just holding hands and smiling through internal tears and broken-hearted grief gives comfort.

All together- May 2021

Interface with the institutionalized medical system makes personal connections absolutely essential.  When you become a patient, with a chart and a Care Team, personal connections become critical.  Who is the person who can understand the jargon and translate information into meaningful communication?  Who can see through the doctor’s shield that comes down over demeanor when the diagnosis is a condition without cure, just a “management plan”? In this situation, it is the inner strength of each person that sustains life with dignity and quality as long as possible.

The ability to connect with the healing power of the living Earth makes an enormous difference in the experience of coping with a critical illness.  Whether the condition will abate sufficiently to allow many years of living, or whether the condition is so acute that there are few options for prolonged life, living each day becomes either a gift or a burden, depending on the attitude and mental and spiritual support system of each person.  I remember my grandfather Pop in his late years when he was living with my parents.  His Parkinson’s disease had advanced too far for him to live alone, and he resented his loss of independence.  He would sit on the bench in the patio under the pear tree and talk to my Nona who had died years before.  He would say “Well, Pasqualine, the Lord forgot me again today.  I am still here, and you are with Him.  How long must I wait to be free of this world?” And yet, when I came to visit with my two small children, his great-grandchildren, he would smile and sing them the same little songs he sang to me as a child. He would give them a ride on his foot, holding their little hands and bouncing them up and down. For those moments, he was alive and sharing experiences with another generation.  They have not forgotten him, and the memories have crossed through generations.

Pasqualina and Patty 1948 in the garden at 556 Southern Ave, Pittsburgh

We all live but a moment in the stream of time. It is our privilege and our duty to make the most of our time on this Earth.  We cannot know how many hours we have to spend, but we can commit to celebrate every opportunity for joy.  We can weave ourselves into the tapestry of our time and immerse ourselves into the life-giving force of the living Earth. We can stand in defiance of the sadness, pain and evil that rises around us. We can be a beacon for those who follow, triumphant in living in harmony with Nature.

Blessed Be


by

“Laying Down Thread” A Reflection for troubled times

by Patricia DeMarco

As we are all adjusting to the pandemic of COVID-19 as it spreads through our communities closer and closer, I find myself in a reflective mood. I am among the highly vulnerable population because of my age and my compromised immune system from my recent bout with chemotherapy. So I have been thinking about making productive use of this time in self-imposed isolation.

My forthcoming book “DEFIANCE! The Triumph of Life” seems more urgent than even in this time of threat. I have decided to focus on finishing this manuscript and sending it off to some potential publishers this month. I am also finishing the Alaska Wildflowers quilt I started in 1997 as a way to deal with my fear of flying. I share an essay from DEFIANCE.

Laying Down Thread

I learned embroidery from my Nona when I was six or seven years old.  She taught me to sew by hand doing the hems of the flour sacks turned into dish towels or aprons.  The flour was purchased in 25 -pound cotton sacks.  These were emptied into the flour hopper in the kitchen, with a sifter at the bottom to sift flour into a bowl when needed.  In Nona’s house, bread happened once a week in a large batch to serve the working men of the house with lunches, and the rest of us with nourishment. The empty sacks were washed and taken apart to lie flat, and I learned to draw a thread for a straight seam, and hand-turn a hem.  Of course, nothing was sent to use without embroidered embellishment- a prayer or blessing in white thread on white cloth at the minimum, or freehand flowers trailing along the edge. Counted thread work and smocking decorated aprons.  And of course, there was the endless darning of socks, turning of shirt collars and cuffs, and mending.  Such routine household tasks occurred in the evening after dinner over rich conversations. 

A square from Alaska Wildflowers quilt

In one of my earliest memories, I recall a Saturday afternoon in summer on my Nona’s back porch.  The grape vines are so thick that the sun is shaded through the heavy leaves.  I sit on a little stool at my Nona’s foot with my embroidery hoop working on a set of pillow cases to be embroidered with flowers spilling from a basket.  Mrs. Nichola, Comare D’Alessandro, Aunt Bernice and Aunt Matilda are there, each with some hand work, all talking and laughing over stories they share.  It is a mixture of mostly Italian and some English, I am oblivious of the content of the conversation, but remember that I deeply connected to these ladies who could laugh and be happy in spite of the hardships and separations from their families. I would show my Nona my work, and sometimes she would be pleased and give me the next color to add to the design, or sometimes she would tell me to take it out and start over.  The back had to be pretty too!  No tangled messes were tolerated. Sometimes she would send me to look at a flower growing to see the shape and the detail of leaf and flower form. The embroidery came from the mental image to the cloth.

As I grew older, I came to treasure these Saturdays with my Nona, mending, embroidering, and sharing time.  We talked of problems and fears and hopes.  I marveled that she had so much wisdom and so much strength.  Bare root grape vines and fig trees came to America in Pop’s pockets now grown to shade the second-floor porch and offer fruits to eat with cheese and bread and wine as we talked.  Nona listened to my struggles for independence from my Father’s rules, from the unfairness of women’s place in the world.  She was wise in many ways. She told me “The men may rule, but the women govern.” I watched at the family gatherings over Sunday dinner where all major decisions were made.  Pop would declare the outcome, but the discussion and arguments were guided by Nona, sometimes with force, but most often with a well-placed question or observation.  And it was Nona who executed the logistics and the details.

I think about the many embroideries I have done over the course of my life. They are mostly given away as presents to other people, or on children’s clothes long dispersed to the winds. When I embroider the flowers where the forms evolve from mental images through thread laid down one strand at a time, I think about my Nona and all she endured to make her family a better life.  Embroidery captures the sadness, loneliness or fear and makes it beautiful. I lay down thread and remember my Nona. 

I hope this small excerpt of DEFIANCE offers comfort in this difficult time. It is really the simple things that give us solace and transform trouble into treasures.

Be safe. Be well. I hope to see you again soon.