———————– ** Fresh Green Beans ** ———————– Grown in Kansas. Eaten Worldwide.

As a child, I lived next to a swamp. It was a place of foreboding, where rumor had it that if particles of the spongy heads of cattails, or bulrushes as they were more commonly known got in your eyes, you’d go blind.

Writing this article, it has just occurred to me how naïve I was in believing that by draining the swamp in preference for a low-cost housing scheme, it would be a viable alternative to the prospect of dozens of kids walking around with white sticks and guide dogs. With hindsight, I’ve come to appreciate the value of preserving fragile ecosystems, at a time when they face a growing threat through industrialization, population explosion and pollution. I now know that a swamp is not just an ominous wasteland, but a wetland, that contrary to belief, cattails have strong medicinal properties, are edible and have many other uses, quite apart from their valuable role in supporting an abundance of wildlife.

It’s estimated that more than one-third of the United States’ threatened and endangered species live only in wetlands like this. Spring Swamp by Ray Devlin.

Around the globe, man’s impact on the land has meant that over 50 percent of the world’s wetlands have been lost, and if only 10 percent are protected according to UNESCO estimates, it means most are in danger of becoming extinct, and with it our priceless natural heritage. When will it all stop? When every bit of earth is occupied by a building, a golf course or a mine? When we try to rediscover our past and a voice rings out:

“Ladies and gentlemen, in this part of the museum we have the prehistoric creatures … and moving along to the 17th century, you have the famous dodo bird, to most recent times with the now extinct white pelican, the great egret, hippopotamus, alligator, osprey … .”

By then, it would have been too late - a world gone blind to the destruction of its precious resources.

-Denzyl

Strolling along the boardwalk in the Haskell-Baker Wetlands, I wondered whether the elegant, furry heads of the cattails possess some mystical sway that makes people blind.

As a child, rumor in the suburb had it that if you played with cattails in the neighboring swamp you’d go blind. Years later, the swamp was drained and a low-income housing complex erected. I doubt anyone lost their eyesight, but could it be that perhaps the plants have instead become a metaphor for ignorance of environmental degradation, that their mere presence works prospective developers into a frenzy. Cattails today, a housing development tomorrow, a multiple lane highway the next.

Walking through the wetland, I don’t see a single animal, except for a small turtle, but I know that billions of microscopic algae lurk beneath the surface of water, that the habitats of birds, insects and plants depends on this ecosystem for their survival, and that to an extent so do we, as wetlands store water that would otherwise flood low-lying areas

Wetlands sustain diverse wildlife, but face growing threats. Picture by Alan Neal

Building the South Lawrence Trafficway will surely endanger all that. For all the convenience it poses in easing traffic congestion, destroying an endangered ecosystem is not the way to go and certainly one viable option is a roadway that bypasses the wetland. Native Americans also make a case on cultural and religious grounds as to why the wetlands should remain as they are.
I’ve overcome my naivety about the cattail and it’s time for some to stop being blinded by the folly of development and the promises of easier urban living and learn to appreciate that which provides an abundance of life.

-Denzyl

Such has been my performance since attending KU, that I’ve been blissfully unaware of all the “As” I’ve notched.

That is to say Bisphenol A.

In the sweltering heat, I’ve played soccer, and not being sufficiently acclimated (and out of shape), I’ve consumed copious amounts of water - from the same old, dare I say it, leaching plastic bottles. They’ve long since been discarded, but that’s courtesy of some shock revelations ala courses 500 and 624. Those numbers have brought more insight than I could have hoped for, but it’s the others I fear most - those single digit ones underneath the bottles, the ones we don’t pay much heed to or even know about. On the pitch, I thought it was about getting in shape, building up the physique, getting kicked in the shins or solar plexus only to soldier on, but now to have the wind sucked out of me, and the not too small mention of a dent to my male pride … by accounts of how Bisphenol A leads to decreased testosterone levels in men.

I also don’t look at buildings the same way. I hesitate to step into a room without thinking of VOCs and wonder how long and how much chemicals I’ve been exposed to. How much more can this body take. Actually make that how much can this earth endure? Such has been my exposure… suddenly that seems a nasty word, education maybe in this class that I can rattle off a gazillion definitions of sustainable living. OK, I exaggerate, but you get the picture. I think twice about which light bulbs to buy; unplugging idle electrical components; short flushes and long ones; plastics this side, newspapers that side, aluminum there; Prius’s above SUV’s, one minute showers and green versus being in the dark.

It’s been a good education, but one which is far from over. I’m not scoring As for effort yet. Some serious lifestyle reshuffling has to go on, but the wealth of information has been informative. Encouraging too are the many students who’ve show a genuine commitment to treasuring our natural heritage. I can’t help sensing though that there’s still a disconnect between first world agendas and developing and third world priorities. How, for instance, do we talk to villagers in Mali about energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs and recycling when they’re preoccupied with a struggle for survival, about global warming and reducing carbon emissions when the fingers are pointing back to the world’s biggest polluters? Debate perhaps for another forum. But credit to Simran for a well-organized program with expert guests and informative readings.

Now where’s that Bisphenol A?

-Denzyl

Strolling through the Wyandotte County Lake Park, I heard a loud Canadian accent that echoed for miles across the 400-acre expanse of water. It was constant and intrusive and soon the spring cheer gave way to irritation at the noisy disruption to the tranquil setting. As the sound drew closer, it became hard to resist the urge for a confrontation. I looked around for something to hurl. Sticks, stones, words … . Breadcrumbs?

Yes, maybe that should do it. Except, crumbs don’t hurt, or do they? Well, the Parks and Recreation Department says that feeding the Canada Geese the wrong food can be harmful, and “fosters a ‘beggar’ mentality.” Still, it seemed a way to placate their honks. But feeding wild animals food of any sort poses more harm than good. The geese congregate close to where picknickers gather and their loud pleas suggest they want to be fed whatever leftovers tossed at them. But, eating the “wrong” food can only be bad for their regular diet and such close interaction with humans causes traffic and safety hazards, according to Parks and Recreation.

Just like the chacma baboons found in Southern Africa who’ve become so used to humans that they’re a constant nuisance. Troops have been known to raid homes and restaurants and attacks on tourists and residents have become commonplace - all because of people having fed the primates over the years.

What many have failed to understand is that whether it’s the chacmas or Canadian geese, they don’t need to survive off the scraps thrown at them. Admittedly, animal food sources are being depleted by rapid urbanization, but that doesn’t mean we have to toss a piece of bread whenever we see a duck or a banana in the case of a monkey or baboon.

With all the good intentions that people have, the premise we should operate from is that animals have their own highly specialized diets and that saying no to feeding them helps more than hinders.

-Denzyl

A man at an Easter dinner table, no doubt emboldened by quaffing copious amounts of Napa Valley cabernet, proceeded to start a food fight. He must have had his fill and thought what better way to cap celebrations than by tossing his leftovers at someone sitting opposite him. I can’t say I blame him. After being fed a Hollywood diet of warped humor where food fight scenes have become the staple in slapstick comedy routines, it’s no wonder he thought a bit of flying celery and carrots would go down well. It would be spoken of for months to come, the pièce de résistance that outshone the au gratin potato bake. It was just like going to the movies and clutching our popcorn-filled bellies in the aisles as we laugh at new meanings given to having spaghetti braids.

Thankfully this kind of scene wasn’t played out. But what it did bring into sharp focus how wasteful people have become - that images of a family in Chad living off $1.23 a week are a far cry from the relative comforts of families here in the United States and elsewhere where more leads to excesses like food fights and obesity. So the study of families around the planet and their one week dietary habits made for some interesting visual comparisons and reaffirmed the gap between rich and poor nations. Reading some of the comments that followed, it seems that some people are uncomfortable addressing such global inequalities and in shouldering guilt, and responsibility even for helping to raise the standard of living of the indigent. How and what people to choose to eat is their concern, just so long as it’s sustainable. But the next time they toss a half empty plate of food away or think it funny watching or having a food fight, I hope they at least spare a thought for poverty-stricken kids so desperate they’d happily be rolling alongside on the floor, not in fits of mirth, but grasping at every precious morsel thrown about with reckless abandon.

-Denzyl

Mention the word “migrants” and it usually conjures negative stereotypes - of desperate people fleeing dire poverty and genocide in some godforsaken country where the prospect of a better life in the West brings with it all the promise of congratulatory welcome by xenophobic zealots. Short shrift is given to aspects of economic growth brought about by economic migrants, their cultural diversity and a heritage that has spawned the founding of the New World by European migrants. Nowadays, migrants are largely treated with contempt - out to steal jobs meant for hardworking and upstanding citizens, responsible for escalating crime patterns and, heaven forbid, can’t even speak English.

And so reading the European Union report this week filled me with a sense of trepidation - that global warming is presenting a new set of problems for society - environmental migration. The report warns that Africa will be hard hit by the effects of climate change that is likely to witness the mass exodus of millions of people to Europe. Water shortages, diminishing food stocks and reduction of arable land are some of the consequences of climate change that are considered threat multipliers to climate change. Coupled with domestic instability and weak governance, countries may find it difficult to adapt to the changes, prompting a massive south-north migration unrivaled in history.

Just how will Europe cope and is it willing to absorb millions of environmental migrants, given that it’s the industrialized powerhouses that have principally contributed to global warming, further compounding the woes of poorer countries? Could migrants be considered under a broader definition of “refugees,” which encompasses grounds for international protection based on threats of persecution over identity? The UNHCR, says it’s a debate that’s taking place in a complex world of global migration, but one hopes that the issues don’t become clouded in semantics, but that meaningful solutions are forthcoming and eclipse the kind of responses shown to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Too many times the world has stood idly by as human rights abuses have been enacted upon defenseless citizens, from the brutality witnessed during the Chinese cultural revolution and the Bolshevik Revolution, the suffering of Jews during the Holocaust, Cambodia under Pol Pot, to the atrocities committed in Darfur, Rwanda and Bosnia. Global warming is a phenomenon created by humans and since we’ve not learned lessons from the past, at least the future, as gloomy as the fate of millions of the world poor sounds, should serve as a guide for immediate action.

- Denzyl

I remember a friend back home who had a penchant for buying live chickens. “They taste better,” was her usual explanation.

They certainly tasted different. Better? I’m not so sure. But I thought it particularly inhumane to see them, amidst the hubbub of a fruit and vegetable market, stuffed in rows of tiny cages on the back of a truck as an animated trader lauded the quality of his frightened, trapped and smelly white hens. What good chicken curry could that make?

Which brings me to the subject of eggs and why I try to make sure I buy free range. The thought of a chicken being force-fed chemicals and living in some matchbox so that I can have fried eggs for breakfast is enough for me to consider the less than appealing prospect of daily cereal consumption. Not that cage-free is any better than battery-cage chickens, but as this article states, at least the chickens are able to spread their wings, can walk and nest.

So, the first Monday of March it was a fried egg minus the oil (my last physical said I could afford the cholesterol intake) and with that, two slices of toast and coffee. For lunch it was another egg - a boiled one this time with toast and coffee. Since I’m not snacking and only having one mail meal a day - dinner, it’s been a good discipline and no real temptation to speak of. I tend to avoid fast food dinners and listening to Professor Michael Pollan, I’m forever going to be thinking about corn-based products that are so filled with all manner of preservatives and colorants that supermarket shopping is not going to be fun anymore. Now it’s paying closer attention to all the ingredients on the various products, and who knows in the next 20 years or so I’d do Beth Bader proud by being able to tell which items have sodium phosphates, potassium benzoates, and hydrogenated soybean oils.

Dinner was going to be grilled fish. I’d left the fillets out to thaw, but Monday caught up with me and I settled for the easy way out by ordering fish with shrimp and chips. Having anything in batter is my least favorite choice of meals, but my hunger needed to be satisfied and immediately.

Although, with hindsight, I could have just gone home, opened the fridge and figured out what would be fast and economical and a good source of protein?

Salade Lyonnaise. Sounds rather posh, but from what I hear it’s quite an en vogue dinner treat, according to a New York Times food critic. Just so long as you don’t think me overly obsessed with eggs.

-Denzyl

Taking a picture of my trash? Why, if I’m some shady international character who buys into conspiracy theories I’d say this exercise has Orwellian undertones. I picture men in white shirts with sleeves all rolled up, suit coats draped over chairs in a dour office as they mull online over my waste believing some sinister intent at play. “Mmhhh Agent Brown, what do you make of those shredded papers there?
Looks like some offshore bank account,” Agent Banks.
“Let’s see, some crumpled egg shells. You can see he boils his. A milk carton (Roberts 2%), tea bags and coffee filters, plastic bags and newspapers. Doesn’t recycle much does he Agent Brown?”
Yeah, and what’s that … about a pounds worth of stuff would you say? Well, like that cat there, we’ll just keep monitoring and maybe next time take some stuff over to the lab.”

Seriously though, there’s a willingness to recycle, but our excuse (roommate and I) is convenience. Not having the means to cart the stuff off somewhere is an inhibiting factor. And yes, Jen I think, advised about paying for a service to pick up trash that could be recycled, so that’s still a consideration. I think we’re below the national average of weekly waste consumption, if that’s any consolation, but there’s much guilt about just not doing enough to ensure sustainable living. Perhaps the solution is to make the extra effort, whether we pay for the service or I cycle with my bike with gunk and goo trailing down my back.

Maybe the best way to give the Feds the slip.

-Denzyl

“In America, the leading cause of death is lethargy and bad dietary habits. Americans are obese and diabetic and what we should be doing is looking at healthier living. Cycling is free. All people have to do is get out their cars and start riding their bikes.” This startling and somewhat provocative statement was told to me in an interview with a Lawrence resident. Why, doesn’t he know the love affair Americans have with their cars, cynics might say. The latter sentiment though, is one constantly posed by an American friend, ironically during our frequent trips in his car.

But the man prescribing cycling being the solution to all evils, is someone eminently qualified to advocating a lifestyle change. He’s 52-year-old Michael Hajdu, a cardiologist, and yes he comes with a bias – he loves cycling and has spent the past 27 years of his life riding around the country. As a matter of fact, Dr Hajdu serves on the Lawrence Bicycle Advisory Committee - a group of enthusiasts who work with the City Commission and the community on cycling matters. Of course, the good doctor is not saying people should strive for such marathon feats as navigating their way around the country, but merely to become attuned to cycling, as something that’s fun and recreational.

Eric Fansworth, writing in the Lawrence Sustainability Network, shares some personal hints for getting started. It’s not rocket science, just the ability and willingness to get going. What Farnsworth and Hajdu don’t dwell on are the obvious environmental benefits, like reducing carbon emissions. This article by Sarah B. Hood, picks up where Fansworth and Hajdu left off by addressing pollution concerns.
“On a bicycle you take up little space, burn no gasoline and produce no waste, and a bike can travel 1,600 kilometres (960 miles) on the equivalent energy of a gallon of gas.”

That’s all well and good if you have a bicycle friendly city, something that Lawrence is not. Cycling along 23rd Street, the pedestrian and bicycle trails end abruptly at different intervals. It occurs along many other streets and often there just aren’t any trails at all. It’s a situation that Dr Hajdu knows all too well. He doesn’t have kind words for city administrators, adding that other states have taken the lead in erecting trails for cyclists.

“I found that being on the (Lawrence Bicycle Advisory) committee, that we are fighting an insurmountable battle because the entire society is so entrenched in the belief that cars are the only way to get around. And the city is limited in putting any effort into changing things. It’s conservative and a stuck in the mud state. It’s not known for innovation. Missouri is not exactly the bastion of forward thinking, but it has bicycle trails from one part of the state to the other,” Dr Hajdu said.

With such a dim outlook, it doesn’t appear that Lawrence, or the state of Kansas is on course to make the state more bicycle friendly. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) might disagree though. According to a report, it has administered “$66 million in federal funds since 1991 for trails and other transportation features,” that supports bicycle and pedestrian traffic. KDOT’s Comprehensive Transportation Program comes to an end next year and although the groundwork for future planning has begun, cycling enthusiasts would be keen to see how the plan will address their needs. On paper, there’s a projected annual need of $15 million a year for the next 20 years to cater for trails. It’s hard to gauge whether that amount is sufficient and whether there will be a genuine commitment from the state for improved safety, mobility and access for cyclists.

There may yet be some forward thinking in the long-term vision, but the hope of cycling enthusiasts is that like some of the trails, the plans don’t come to a dead end.

-Denzyl

Ford Foundation international scholar, acquainting myself with some Kansas idiosyncrasies:

“Where you at?”

Always cracks me up. Oh, and the not so small matter of seeking to add value to my background through pursuit of a Master’s. Actually, am striving for lots more - a utopia that’s proven somewhat elusive. I thought I found it in a forest in the Czech Republic and later, a stone’s throw from Dracula’s castle in Transylvania, Romania but post Communist hangovers led to some unpleasant experiences so that idealistic notion was jettisoned.

My interest in the environment leans more towards an appreciation of conservation efforts to protect endangered flora and fauna, and so when rainforests are threatened by loggers and rhino populations by poachers, my instinct is to do what VP Cheney did to Harry Whittington, except my actions won’t be accidental. I just have to get over my dislike for guns. Talking of dislikes, I could add capital punishment, wars, extraordinary rendition, savory with sweet, soapies and sitcoms, toilet rolls that peel from the top down, bathroom cubicles that start six inches from the floor, fascists, AIDS denialists, corrupt dictators, cold coffee, being broke, umpteen uses of the word “like” in conversation, fat cat politicos riding the gravy train, Guantanamo Bay, predictable flicks, dentists and … men scratching in public.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not that finicky, and I am discreet about picking my nose. Eeeeeeewwwhhh, I can almost hear some of you say, but are there any among us who dispense with etiquette from time to time? Don’t flood my comment’s box yet with replies. Let’s talk about it over lunch, if that sounds a more palatable prospect. OK, enough of this waffling, I’m supposed to talk about myself. For kicks, I play soccer, but the cold spell has put paid to that. I compensate by pounding the treadmill with ill-fitting Saucony’s and for my exertions, I’ve lost a few toenails. I also cycle a lot, but the pitiful state of my bike is like my feet. The front wheel is wobbly and looks like it wants to fall off at the slightest effort, and it just doesn’t do a good job even aspiring to climb the smallest hill. It was given to me by a friend, so it’s treasured, but the time may yet arrive when sentiment might give way to common sense. I’ve tried teaching myself to play the didgeridoo, but my frustration at mastering the art of circular breathing has put paid to being in a band, which in turn means I’ll never have any groupies.

Well, I could ramble on, but I don’t want to sound facetious. I ought to know my limitations. Still, it’s insightful reading all the postings and hearing the wonderful personal snippets of information from classmates. And I thought you were all just a bunch of carrot-chomping hippies in disguise.

Am just messin’ of course. It’s a honor being around so many bright and creative minds and that is an education in itself.

-Denzyl