Patricia DeMarco Ph.D.

"Live in harmony with nature."


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Wonder and Joy

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At the close of this year, I reflect on the two centenaries we celebrated this year- the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon and the birth of Jonas Salk.  The tragic consequences of human exploitation sent the passenger pigeon population from millions to one, then none in the span of less than 50 years.  People did not take heed of the life cycle of this abundant bird, nor did we consider that this population of birds played a significant role in shaping the landscape and the fertility of the ground.  Jonas Salk conquered a crippling disease through studying and understanding the forces of immunity and resistance in human physiology.  His wisdom combined with knowledge and confidence in his findings saved millions from the scourge of polio, now nearly eliminated from the world except for a few war-torn places.  As we look to the future, we can take precaution from the lesson of the Passenger Pigeon, and inspiration from the work of Jonas Salk.

We face serious challenges in this coming year.  We stand at a turning point in the course of civilization.  Can we lift our eyes from the instant pursuit of profits without regard for the consequences beyond the next quarter, or will we take to heart the needs of the future generations and change our pattern of destruction and waste?  I see many emerging trends in the direction of changing the system that is accelerating climate change. Vandana Shiva standing up to Monsanto over GMO seeds and chemical dependent agriculture gives me courage.  She give voice to many all over the world who would expand diversified farming practices that restore and regenerate the fertility of the ground and preserve biodiversity and resilience in crops.  The Energiewende in Germany stands in challenge to both fossil fuels and nuclear energy with aggressive pursuit of renewable resources and sustainable energy practices. Edward O. Wilson continues his prolific prose urging us to preserve the wondrous biodiversity of the living earth. And, my grandchildren are vegetarian, earth loving, gardeners who want to make bread by hand and camp outside.  I have hope for our future!

In this Holiday Season as we prepare for another year, may we reflect on the wonder of Nature and be joyful that we live in a time when our actions make a tremendous difference for the course of humanity.  We decide every day the fate of those unborn who are not here to ask that we save the fresh air, clean water, fertile ground and biodiversity of species for them. Let us celebrate Nature and Celebrate the Spirit in all of us that will rise to preserve our living earth!

Buon Natale!


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Thanksgiving Blessing

To The Spirit of The Living Earth, who we call by different names,

We give thanks for this beautiful, bountiful planet that provides everything we need – fresh air, clean water, fertile ground and the millions of living things that create the web of life that supports us. As we gather today to celebrate this cultural tradition, we are thankful for our wonderful family. We hold in our memories our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents who worked and sacrificed for us to have the opportunities we enjoy today. We hold in our hearts those of us scattered to other cities in places  across the country and around the world who are not with us today, and wish them all safe travels. As we share this celebration, may we remember those who have little, and take this time to dedicate our efforts to becoming responsible stewards of the earth.  May we become good ancestors by preserving this special, living earth for our children, and their great-grandchildren for years to come.

Blessed Be

(Grace for Thanksgiving Dinner- 11-27-2014)


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A Plea from the Youth for a Safe Climate Future

19Nov2014

I come from the generation of explosive activists who held sit-ins and teach-ins and street demonstrations for the clean air act, civil rights, women’s rights and opposing war and nuclear power.  We passed many laws through the 1970s addressing the most obvious signs of pollution, and the most egregious of injustices. In most cases, these laws dealt with the symptoms without really changing the underlying problems.  They put corks in the smokestacks, stoppers in the emission pipes and liners in the landfills, but did not address the underlying sources of pollution, or injustice and inequality.

Now we see the accumulated effects of our continued poisoning of the earth.  Even with permits and regulations, the US alone spews 3.6 Billion pounds of toxic materials into the biosphere. (EPA Toxic Release Inventory) Much of this comes from the continued combustion of fossil fuels, especially coal.  The laws of physics and chemistry and the responses of living organisms and ecosystems to this barrage of poison will proceed, with consequences that are not negotiable.  Nature wins, always.  We ignore the evidence of damage at our own peril.

But, we children of the 60s, who now dominate the governance of our country, must take heed to the voices of our children, whether they vote or not! The decisions we make today about our energy use, our ways of using resources and our food supply system determine the fate of millions who are not at the table to speak.  The fate of the unborn generations is in our hands.  Whether our personal ideology includes accepting the evidence of a screaming earth or not, it is prudent to err on the side of caution when dealing with issues with consequences spanning hundreds of years.

Listen to the wisdom of our youth. If we decide to accept the moral obligation to provide for their future, we will treat climate change as the emergency it is.  In the words of Jonas Salk, “We must be good ancestors.”  Preventing the destruction of our fragile life support system is a worthy legacy.

See the letter of the Australian Youth Coalition to the G-20 below, and take heed of their plea.

http://www.aycc.org.au/g20

 

 


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Interview on The Union Edge Radio 770 AM Pittsburgh

18 Nov 2014

I was pleased to be the guest of Rosemary Trump on the Charles Showalter show  The Union Edge on 770 AM in Pittsburgh.  We talked about the Keystone XL Pipeline and some of the implications for jobs, the environment the potential and benefits of renewable resources, and climate change.  The Senate Vote failed to approve the project this evening. You can hear the transcript of the show here:

http://www.theunionedge.com/?p=8243


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A Billion Rising

A Billion Rising
We dare to dance
Though joints are creaking.
We dare to dance!
Our hearts are speaking.
Rejoicing in the gathered force
Of earth’s power
Inspiring release of life’s
Renewing light
From within.
We dare to dance
In defiance of violence
In defiance of suppression
In joy
For the right to live free
We dare to dance!

In solidarity with the women of the Arab Spring


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Thank a Farmer this Thanksgiving

In this week of Thanksgiving we celebrate the bounty of the earth and the robust harvest delivered by the farmers who serve the land. In Western Pennsylvania we are blessed with an abundance of fertile agricultural land, enough to sustain the population within 120 miles of the cities.

Pennsylvania has seven million acres of agricultural lands, about half in Western Pennsylvania. We have 481 organic farms in Pennsylvania, about 10% of the USDA Certified Organic Farms. In addition there are many other farms practicing sustainable agriculture that have not completed organic certification yet. The National Farmland Trust has identified nearly all of Western Pennsylvania agricultural land as threatened because of the development pressure from urban encroachment, and from gas development. We are losing agricultural land at the rate of 125 acres per day.

The organic certification requires separation from industrial activities and any synthetic substance not specifically authorized for organic use. The National Organic Program (NOP) regulations specify the processes by which organic food may be produced. They do not directly prohibit industrial activity on or near the property, but certified farms could be affected by nearby drilling operations.

Primarily, the regulations bar the use of “prohibited substances,” require distinct boundaries and buffers to prevent the unintended application of prohibited substances to the crops or pasture, and require that measures be taken to prevent organic products from contact with prohibited substances. Because the definition of prohibited substances is very broad, including all synthetic substances unless otherwise permitted and selected non-synthetic substances,1 contact with pollutants from nearby drilling operations, or the lack of appropriate buffers, may jeopardize a farm’s certification.  The regulations also require that production practices “maintain or improve the natural resources of the operation, including soil and water quality.”2

Again, land application of polluted water may be interpreted as a violation of this section.  Farmers who do not own their mineral rights are especially concerned, as noted by Stephen Cleghorn of Paradise Gardens and Farm:

“In our case, at the very least, we
would lose for years, if not forever, the 5-10 acres carved out of our farm by a well pad if
that happens. If we find our water threatened from above or below, we could see the
entire operation decertified, losing our livelihood.”

Many farmers have sold or leased their mineral rights without fully understanding the extent of industrial activity that would take place with Marcellus Shale drilling, compared to the older technology associated with shallow well drilling.

Also of interest is that the National Office of Homeland Security (yes, those guys) have directives to protect our nation’s food production resources from terrorists, disasters and emergencies. Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio are declared as “Critical Foodshed” which is being touted as a model for the nation.

The gas fracking industry is operating under a federal exemption from the protection the Safe Drinking Water Act provides to communities. In Pennsylvania, the Oil and Gas Act requires that property owners provide access to mineral rights, even if such development compromises their basic livelihood, even if it compromises the community watershed. The contaminants may take years, even decades, to penetrate from the depths to the groundwater, or from surface spills to the groundwater.

As citizens we should demand precaution in going forward with Marcellus Shale development. We must insist on preventive actions that can deflect the environmental and health effects evident in other locations where hydraulic fracking has been going on for several years. Is it really our intention to salt the fertile ground as Romans did in ancient times to guarantee the starvation of their enemies?

Choices we are making today directly affect the options available to our grandchildren. What can we do now to preserve the choices available to them and for future generations? We can choose to protect fertile ground, especially organic farms and drinking watersheds, from incursion of contaminants injected to extract natural gas.

The abundance of our earth flows from a fragile, living ecosystem, easily poisoned and rendered sterile by carelessness and greed. So, in this Thanksgiving harvest time, thank a farmer!

Patricia M. DeMarco, Ph.D.
With collaboration of Stephen Cleghorn Paradise Gardens and Farm
and Gregory Boulos, Blackberry Meadow Farm

 

1 7 CFR § 205.105
2 7 CFR § 205.200