Earth Mamas: Volunteers and Professionals for the Environment |
Remember that 1970s flick starring Willie Nelson, Honeysuckle Rose? I must confess, I own the soundtrack…on vinyl…My favorite tune is a duet between Willie and Diann Cannon where she laments “…there must be two sides to every story…” This is a sort-of marital reconciliation, in a country music context. (Come to think of it, a lot of country songs deal with matters of infidelity.) I love that song, and the lyrics ring true. Most people, like Willie’s cheating character, and situations are not easily slapped with labels of “good” and “bad.” Realistically, each of us possesses nearly equal portions of myriad qualities, but most of us strive to do good and be good. Sometimes events are mixed with complex emotions, as well. Even seemingly catastrophic ones, like Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Earth Mamas: Volunteers and Professionals for the Environment
By Christy Ilfrey
Remember that 1970s flick starring Willie Nelson, “Honeysuckle Rose”? I must confess, I own the soundtrack…on vinyl…My favorite tune is a duet between Willie and Diann Cannon where she laments “…there must be two sides to every story…” This is a sort-of marital reconciliation, in a country music context. (Come to think of it, a lot of country songs deal with matters of infidelity.) I love that song, and the lyrics ring true. Most people, like Willie’s cheating character, and situations are not easily slapped with labels of “good” and “bad.” Realistically, each of us possesses nearly equal portions of myriad qualities, but most of us strive to do good and be good. Sometimes events are mixed with complex emotions, as well. Even seemingly catastrophic ones, like Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Most everyone on the planet is familiar with the devastation this event caused – death, property damage, environmental decimation, political fallout, and so on. Two years later, scores of Gulf Coast residents still struggle to rebuild their lives. Still in trailers – wheeled domiciles intended for short-term, temporary living – it’s nearly impossible to feel a sense of permanence, or to return to their normal way of life. To say government at all levels has failed them is a gross understatement.
Like many of you, dear compassionate readers, I wept as I watched televised dramatic rescues plucking wet, hot, terrified people from rooftops. Huge, gumball tears soaked my face as I drove through NOLA three months after the storm. (I returned around the first anniversary, too.) Many New Orleanians were relocated to my neighborhood in the Dallas area. I saw them in the grocery store and the heart-wrenching despair scrawled on their faces. What good could ever come from an event so tragic?
Government receives an “F” on their emergency response report card, true. But volunteers, real people like you and me have accomplished the impossible: bringing hope to a region full of sorrow and tremendous loss. The folks of The St. Bernard Project (http://www.stbernardproject.org) are part of the legions of true heroes of post-Katrina New Orleans. Founded by Liz McCartney and Zack Rosenburg of Washington DC, the organization raises funds and rallies volunteers to rebuild a home “gutted to the studs” in 8-12 weeks for about $10,000. Some volunteers are local from St. Bernard Parish, but others gave up their jobs and lives in other parts of the world for a chance to make a difference by helping to rebuild New Orleans. Their website lists brief bios for each of the principals and long-term volunteers, as well as photos of several projects. Their efforts remind me that people, even just a few people, can move a mountain (of debris or mud or despair…)
Robina Suwol, Executive Director of California Safe Schools (http://www.calisafe.org), moves mountains in her hometown of Los Angeles. She was instrumental in establishing an integrated pest management policy for Los Angeles Unified School District that asserts “the safety and health of students, staff and the environment will be paramount.” Ms. Suwol understands the numerous harmful effects of pesticides, particularly on children, and seeks to protect the children of her community. Governor Schwarzenegger extended protection to children throughout California by signing Assembly Bill AB405 which bans the use of experimental pesticides in California Schools.
In my community, I am surrounded by women standing up for our planet. There are “Susan Squared”, Susan McLeod and Susan Sharp, who lead a battalion of volunteers in an ongoing landscaping overhaul at Prairie Creek Baptist Church (http://www.pcbcplano.org). They have replaced weed patches and barren soil with wildlife-friendly native trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials. In an upcoming phase, high-maintenance turfgrass will be replaced with native grasses and wildflowers. The transformation is impressive, and by next year, the gardens will be breathtaking. Janet Reynolds wrote and was awarded a grant to construct Project Art Garden at Edna Rowe Elementary. Janet, an artist and Texas Master Naturalist, wanted to convert a large courtyard full of leggy turfgrass into an organic outdoor learning center. Native plants and heritage plants that represent Dallas’ agrarian past are arranged around a labyrinth constructed of limestone and decomposed granite. A functional hearth oven will be erected in the center of the labyrinth during a future installation. A group of professionals formed a networking group, Women in the Environment, to connect “green” real estate agents, e-cycling executives, municipal environmental education coordinators, and others. Texas is known more for oil exploration than ecological restoration, yet we have an army of women committed to making a positive impact on the environment. Americans are perceived internationally as selfish and shallow and indifferent toward environmental crises. However, we are also selfless Earth Mamas – volunteers and professionals – who continue to bring together families and communities with environmental glue.
Willie was right: there really are two sides to every story.
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Christy Ilfrey |
| About the author: |
| Christy Tinsley-Ilfrey is an entrepreneur, gardener, eco-goddess; a wife, mother-to-be, daughter, sister; but mostly she sees herself as a writer. Someday, she hopes to become a really good one. Read more about her and by her at http://greenqueendom.blogspot.com or contact her at
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