Healing work being done in communities

Healing work being done in communities is from The Mining Journal October 12, 2014

“The danger is that religion becomes a mere ritual. It’s not sufficient to merely ring a bell, you know.” — Dalai Lama

Some religious sensibility, most would agree, is ingrained in human experience. But acknowledging that, we also know it’s a mixed bag. Self-perpetuating denominational divisions frequently reinforce prejudice and contribute to narrow understandings of the world.

Opportunistic political leaders kidnap religious language to further personal goals. Hucksters flaunt popular but superficial spiritual messages and get-rich schemes across airways and television screens.

But there’s reason for measured optimism. We live in a haunting time but some religious leaders are now finding a common ground in addressing the deeper challenges of preserving and protecting the natural resources of our planet. Our future depends on Continue reading

Crop Wild Relatives: U.S. Forest Service, others protect future plant and food supply from genetics

Crop Wild Relatives: U.S. Forest Service and partners protect future plant, food supply from genetics.

Conservation of original plant genetics is a huge goal of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and others around the globe to protect the future plant and food supply from any alterations.

USFS R-9 Botanist Jan Schultz explains the importance of Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) to future generations: Pure CWR like “wild raspberries, the wild strawberries, the wild blueberries, the wild corn — the precursor to corn was Teosinte” that doesn’t resemble the current corn and is a “little bitty thing that is now still in Central America.”

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EarthKeepers II/Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Rethink War on Dandelions/Wildflowers in Search for ‘Perfect Lawn’

EarthKeepers II is an Interfaith Energy Conservation and Community Garden Initiative to Restore Native Plants and Protect the Great Lakes from Toxins like Airborne Mercury – across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northeast Wisconsin – in cooperation with the EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, U.S. Forest Service, 10 faith traditions and Native American tribes like the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.

EarthKeepers II and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative are battling non-native invasive species that ruin ecosystems and hurt pollinators like bees and butterflies.

The EarthKeepers II Technical Advisor for Community Gardens is Jan Schultz, head botanist at the USFS Eastern Region (R-9) Office in Milwaukee, WI.

Schultz is sharing her expertise about pollinators, native plants, invasive species, cultivars and other issues related to a healthy ecosystem.

Americans need to rethink their war on dandelions and other native plants – like wildflowers – as they search for the so-called “perfect lawn” – that is not pollinator friendly, Schultz says.