The Story of How the Baltimore TreeKeepers, Pruners, and Weed Warriors Made It Happen Interview with Urban Forester Ted Martello The Earth & I: Ted Martello, please could you tell our readers who you are and with what organization? Ted Martello: I am an urban forester, and I like to add “community” to my title because tree planting really is about building capacity in and engaging with the community. So, my unofficial job description is urban and community forestry. I'm with the Baltimore City's Department of Recreation and Parks. There's an initiative within our urban forestry division called “TreeBaltimore” that is related to planting, maintaining, and establishing young new trees in the Baltimore landscape. E&I: What is the state of Baltimore City’s tree canopy? Martello: We are at the tail end of cleaning up the mess from our ash trees (Fraxinus) that have been decimated by a beetle called the Emerald Ash [Borer] Beetle. In 2015, we took inventory of all our ash trees and selected and prioritized healthy and larger ash trees to be treated with an insecticide. The rest of them were marked for removal. Many years later, we are seeing the decline of the remaining ash trees. In addition to that, we are continually pruning and removing dying or dead trees in parks and along the public right of way along streets. Often, these trees in very urban conditions are extremely hard working within very harsh, difficult-to-live-in, adverse conditions. Through incorporating tree diversity on a block-by-block scale, we're establishing a resilient forest. Through incorporating tree diversity on a block-by-block scale, we're establishing a resilient forest. [This means] if another beetle arrives from another part of this planet and begins to host just on that one species like the ash, that the other sweet gums, bald cypress, and swamp white oak trees that we planted on that block would still be standing. So, we are avoiding system failure and really being smart when we say, “Right tree, right place.” E&I: Do you work with the Maryland Big Tree Program? Martello: Yes. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has the country's oldest state tree measuring program (Maryland Big Tree Program). Maryland was once home to the Wye Oak, a 400-plus-year-old Quercus alba or white oak growing on the Eastern Shore near the town of Easton, just over the Bay Bridge, but it fell over in a storm in the early 2000s. There are many progenies of that tree—the source of pride for the state of Maryland, growing in our city and around the state. Although Montgomery County, for example, has the most champion trees, Baltimore has the most diverse collection of trees. So, we like to think of our city as a melting pot of trees, not only native to Maryland, but also ginkgoes and other trees from around the world that were brought here and planted. We like to think of our city as a melting pot of trees, not only native to Maryland, but also other trees from around the world that were brought here and planted. E&I: Can these trees be found with maps and GPS? Martello: Yes, we're building out these "story maps" or interactive maps. Those are found on our TreeBaltimore website: https://www.treebaltimore.org/maps. So, you could do a self-guided tour or tour with us. E&I: Who started the TreeKeepers program? Ted Martello: We do this tree planting work with the help of many nonprofit groups like Blue Water Baltimore, Baltimore Tree Trust, and Baltimore Green Space, which is a local land trust that preserves green spaces, gardens, and forest patches. Our partners from our NGOs, in combination with our staff experts here at the forestry department, put a course together that became an early initiative around 2007, when TreeBaltimore was formed. TreeBaltimore was then signed as a mayoral initiative. We take pride in that it is a certification program—that not just anyone can plant a tree, but they first have to go through our courses. E&I: So, those who are certified can go out and plant trees? Martello: That's right. This fall we have an online store where our citizens can reserve a free tree and adopt it with the intention to plant it in their yard. Our TreeKeepers will be assisting with the discussion that needs to happen before someone decides on what type of tree to plant. Because one of our mantras as arborists is, "Right tree, right place." And all the while the city's tree canopy is slowly increasing. We have seen a 1% increase in the last ten years. In urban environments, there is a bit of a renaissance in this tree planting and expanding the tree canopy. E&I: How do you monitor the volunteers? Martello: First, we always encourage them to let us know if they have events that we can help promote because one TreeKeeper in a neighborhood could use the help from TreeKeepers from all over the city. Second is by providing the planting stock, but we always ask for data in exchange. Although the trees are free, the data is really what we're asking from them in exchange, so that we know exactly where each tree that we provide gets planted. And we always consult with them and want to make sure they're on the right track when it comes to maintenance. This is a big, hot topic in this tree planting realm: "What is the plan for maintenance?" Studies showing that crime can be reduced with the presence of trees, have also shown that when a recently planted tree is not maintained crime comes back. Studies showing that crime can be reduced with the presence of trees, have also shown that when a recently planted tree is not maintained, crime comes back—because there's visual evidence such as garbage hasn't been picked up, or tree stakes and tree ties left hanging. E&I: You are trying to adjust to planting more sustainable trees that can deal with the warming of the climate. How would you describe the awareness of these issues among those who come to you? Martello: We recognize that in our city and anywhere you go, there's such a diverse set of worldviews and perceptions and different ways of knowing the world. I would be confident to say that anyone that's gone through and completed our TreeKeepers program has really been set up to not only plant and prune the tree but to really know how to relate to their neighbors who may not have a college education, who may not understand fancy words like “urban heat island” or “drought stress” of a tree. It has been one of the interesting topics that I've grown through my eight years here is just how to really engage just your average person; how to offer programs that are accessible and relatable to just anyone. Oftentimes, we sell a tree as an environmental service, such as to prevent stormwater or to lower the temperature. So, that's been one of the interesting topics that I've grown through my eight years here is how to offer programs that are accessible and relatable to just anyone. What I've learned is that there are different ways of knowing the world. We know through studies that on a basic human level, people believe that trees are important for beautification and to have in their environment. I think it’s important to talk to that, and we need more ways to connect with newer audiences and not someone who's already sort of tuned into it. We're very happy to have all our TreeKeepers coming—and they may have a good foundation of knowledge to begin with—but we want to reach everyone. One of the programs I've been building over the last three years is nature and forest therapy. In Japan, they call it shinrin-yoku or forest bathing, essentially bathing in the atmosphere of the forest. The whole design is to simply hold space for community to come together in a natural environment, find a present moment, and celebrate what beauty we do have. Maybe part of it is to grieve the losses from environmental destruction that we are experiencing or grieve the loss of one's mother or loved one. It is just holding space for nature as a healing community, building a liberating experience. We are also working with special needs groups, the police department, friends of groups, and the volunteer stewards, TreeKeepers, and Weed Warriors who are involved to just enjoy nature and have this mindful time in nature practice. I think engagement has been my most fascinating topic, like how do we reach newer audiences? And I never thought that I would be interacting with special needs groups with developmental disabilities. And it's been very heartwarming for me to just witness them; it works for me, and I know it works for them, and I get to see that. E&I: How do you lead a special needs group to a forest space? Martello: They come to one of two locations that I practice at primarily: Cylburn Arboretum and Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park, two green spaces that are on public land. I look at this like a partnership with the land itself. I am very familiar with the trees, the animals, and waters that move through these spaces, the different seasons, and when a good time of day would be. About ten to fifteen people will arrive, and we will gather in a circle—we always start and end in a circle. Many times, they’re wheelchair-bound. So, we will just have a very gentle walk, sometimes no more than fifty yards from the parking lot. But we will get under the shade of a tree. I am essentially inviting them to connect with their senses to connect with the place and themselves—to feel gravity and the Earth supporting the weight of their feet, to listen to birds singing, and to maybe close their eyes and to bring their awareness into some of these other senses. It's great for everyone to hear everyone sharing. We create the space where, for example, we pick up a pine cone and pass it around the circle. And whenever someone's holding the pine cone, it's their time to share with the group. What are they noticing? Maybe they're just noticing they're sleepy, and this has been a relaxing, rejuvenating time. Or maybe sometimes they will share something quite profound. We close the session—which can be ninety minutes to 2.5 hours long—with a tea ceremony. The tea is always brewed with an herb or plant that's growing right there on the land, and we offer one of the teacups back to the land as a symbol of reciprocity, as giving thanks and gratitude for the land. E&I: That must have been really inspiring for them. This is the offering of the Baltimore Parks Department? Martello: Yes, if you look at our programs tab at https://www.treebaltimore.org/nature-therapy, you will see all our programs. At the very bottom, you'll see Nature Therapy, and there's a little description of how many people that we've served in the last three years since I've been certified as a guide. E&I: How did you get certified? Martello: So, there is this international group based in Santa Rosa, California, called the Association for Nature and Forest Therapy. There are different methodologies out there that are called forest bathing. But I really enjoyed this training. It changed my life. It was a combination of training and a personal retreat. It was eight days in Western Maryland, followed by a six-month, at-home practicum. It had a daily sit spot, journaling, and a harvest project, and they asked us to go on a medicine walk to really prepare ourselves to guide other people and help people find a comfortable place. The goal is having something very accessible. You don't have to be outdoorsy. You can just come as you are, and let's enjoy nature together. Editor's Note: For more information about the TreeBaltimore TreeKeepers program, look up https://www.treebaltimore.org. For the E&I, Christoph Wilkening spoke with Ted Martello.

Women’s Group Rep Says Civil Society Can Help ‘Rescue’ ​​UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) The Earth & I editors sat down with Merly Barlaan, the Women’s Federation for World Peace​ International​’s (WFWP​I​) representative in its New York office, to get her feedback (as an attendee) on the ​high-level week of the UN General Assembly and ​recent Climate Ambition Summit. E&I: When we looked at the media coverage of the recent United Nations conferences, there is a sense that, despite the high expectations, goals, and projections, the applications are lagging, and there’s a sense that not enough has happened. What was your impression? Merly Barlaan: There were two conferences. One was about the [Sustainable Development Goals] SDGs, and one was the Climate Ambition Summit. A lot of the information that I'm going to provide is from the perspective of a civil society organization. In 1997, WFWP​I​ got its​ accreditation with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in​ General ​​Consultative Status as an NGO at the United Nations. I was part of the team that pioneered the UN ​Relations ​Office of the WFWP​I​ from then until 2012, about fifteen years. During that time, I'd been attending meetings at the UN weekly as part of a nongovernmental organization (NGO). We had, and have, this opportunity, duty, and privilege to participate and to listen to the weekly briefing of the current UN agendas. I felt that the UN leaders' conversations were on a macro level. At that time, most of the talk was about security and financial architecture. And we talked about the ​UN​ Millennium ​​Development ​G​oals (MDGs.)​. ​The SDGs were not there yet, so in 2012, after years of going to the UN weekly and listening, I returned to the Philippines, where I was born before I immigrated to America. When I returned to the Philippines or visited poor countries, I felt that whatever policies and resolutions were discussed and debated at the UN usually took many years and were not being ​implemented at the grassroots level​. There is this big gap. Whatever they discuss at the UN is not trickling down to the communities. Having grown up in the Philippines in a remote farming community, I felt that if the UN has to be relevant, whatever they're discussing shoul​​d​​ be felt at the community level because these communities are the end-users or the recipients of whatever the UN is talking about. I felt jaded because I did not see it happening. So, I resigned from my post at the WFWPI UN Office in New York and returned to the Philippines, disappointed with having observed the many high-level meetings year after year. “In the Philippines, I created a ten-year ​community ​development framework to apply whatever the [UN] development agenda was at the macro level and bring it down to the community to fill in that huge gap.” I took my four children, and my husband stayed behind to support my work. In my village in the Philippines, I created a ten-year ​community ​development framework to apply whatever the development agenda was at the macro level and bring it down to the community to fill in that huge gap. The purpose of the United Nations is to maintain peace and, along the way, promote development. When I go to my village and any community worldwide, that dream of the United Nations is not being felt. I spent almost ten years in the Philippines and was called back in 2020 to run the WFWPI office of UN relations. During those years, I was able to fully understand how to implement UN policies (and dreams), and make the local and national level stakeholders—the congressmen, senators, governors, mayors, counselors, the education sector, women and youth, and the community—understand the vision of the UN and what policies are available and align the local governments to the global UN development agenda. Three to five years into my stay in the Philippines, the implementation of my development framework became clear to me: [It required] investing in capacity building and training of the stakeholders and especially the local leaders, meaning a bridge has to be created from my macro planning management down to the micro level. That would entail a lot of funding and investment to educate, empower, and equip them (local leaders) with the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to be able to manage and be the co-owners of that dream. Climate change was not a big issue yet. At that time, the issue was poverty—Millennium ​D​evelopment Goals​ (MDGs)​. Fast forward to 2020, I returned to our WFWP New York office at the UN. Many of our programs are now more on balanced participation at the United Nations, listening in to the global agenda, but then translating it into programs, projects, and activities. “I make sure that whenever I hear an issue being discussed at the UN, it should already have a clear streamline of systems, making it trickle down to the community level.” I make sure that whenever I hear an issue being discussed at the UN, it should already have a clear streamline of systems, making it trickle down to the community level. E&I: Please tell us about the recent conferences in New York. Barlaan: The UN General Assembly is really a space for member states. You can only get there if you have a special interest, and you apply and have related projects and activities. September ​16​ and ​17​ was an SDG ​A​ction Weekend. This time, the UN was more generous in providing space for civil society to have meaningful participation because they realized that midway through the implementation of their fifteen-year Sustainable Development Goals, the SDG implementation needed a rescue. They are nowhere near where they want to be. Civil society plays an important part in the SDG implementation. So, this UN meeting opened a space for civil society and government, and they organized this SDG Action Weekend, with attendees from civil society, NGO leaders, the business sector, the education sector, and government representatives from all over the world. It was like a festival of vibrant, synergistic activities that went on for two days. It was beautiful—the African delegates and others from all over the world came wearing their national costumes and talked about how to save the world and to rescue the SDGs. That was hopeful. By Monday, September 18, at the opening of the SDG Summit, the member states would cement their commitment to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. There emerged a Political Declaration to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs by 2030. During the opening plenary session, you would hear speeches from the member states. They sounded, to me, like the usual rhetoric with a bit of urgency. But for me, that was promising and hopeful, despite the buzzword of an SDG rescue plan, that the SDGs need to be rescued. It was still hopeful and cooperative because of the UN Climate Ambition Summit. E&I: What can you tell us about the Climate Ambition Summit? Barlaan: As always, the Secretary-General opens the discussion with very strong words, asking member states to commit to their promises. Last year, during COP 27, there was a ​push for a political will to make good on the ​commitment of $100 billion in climate funding, but many donor countries could not fulfill that. So, there was frustration during the meeting. But I liked the discussions because presidents and prime ministers attended the meeting. They had three minutes to talk, not about promises but about what they had done in their countries. Of course, half of it is really a promise, but most notable was the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Motley—she is a changemaker. When you talk about climate change, she is one of those strong leading figures because of her initiative, the Bridgetown Initiative, which was signed a couple of years ago in Bridgetown, Barbados. It is more about the funding of climate ambitions. She created five realistic approaches to getting climate ambitions achieved. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was there, as well; there was Mafalda Duarte, head of the Green Climate Fund. There were many women leaders, speaking and leading the way, and what they put forward was more about the details. When I hear the national leaders speaking about what their country has done, my mind automatically goes down to the implementation systems, who they're working with, what agencies—all the way down to the local government, the community leaders, and their processes, the bureaucratic processes that go into the work so that it will lead to what they want it to achieve. “I saw presidents and prime ministers talk about how they want their countries to solve the climate issue. It is very much on the macro level and very much on the energy sector—clean energy versus fossil fuels.” I saw presidents and prime ministers talk about how they want their countries to solve the climate issue. It is very much on the macro level and very much on the energy sector—clean energy versus fossil fuels. I did not hear so much talk about agriculture. A thorough discussion on the food systems was outside this summit. I am a bit disappointed because I wanted to hear something transformational about creating a new system or revising the system of food production and agriculture. But the conversation, the funding and money, was more on climate change in the area of fossil fuels and creating a green economy and energy. That is for the businesspeople—for the manufacturers. Of course, that is important, but that is for the people who control the economy of the country, the big businesses. I wanted to hear more about agriculture because when you talk about agriculture, that's where food production is defined. When you talk about food, the farmers, women, and families are involved, and you go down into the community, to the systems of food production that are sustainable and regenerative. I wanted to hear more about this. Palau stood out for me during the deliberations because I spent three months in Palau in 2019. I know very well their big climate environmental advocate, the former president, Tommy Remengesau, Jr., and the first lady; they love nature. I think 70% of their oceans are protected, and they have the biggest investment in terms of protecting their natural resources, ocean resources, for which Palau needs to be recognized, even though it is one of the smallest countries in the world. I think that is a powerful educational and awareness tool and a powerful practice for people. Whatever the discussion was at the United Nations should be adapted in the form of legally binding instruments and mechanisms that adopt the UN mandates. However, they still have to be adopted by countries to become laws. The governor level and then the municipal level have to adapt their policies to align with that. There’s this crucial process involving the investment of funds and education of people and project managers that needs to be understood well. This is where the weakness lies on the part of the UN and the national level. The national level influences the local level, and that's where you introduce policies because the communities are the ones that are in need. If they work it out there, they create a track record of activities, projects, and programs that have been proven and vetted by the mayors. And you can present it to the national level, from which the president, ambassadors, local agencies, and national agencies can collect [and] consider your project and ideas as something that they can adopt and then use it as a model success story that is impactful. When you develop a program that is impactful, the government will welcome you as a major contributor. The national-level leaders, department heads, ministry, and cabinets will follow suit. The ambassadors can then bring your voice and success story to the level of the United Nations and say that we did this together—with civil society. Editor's Note: For The Earth & I, Jerry Chesnut and Christoph Wilkening spoke with Merly Barlaan.

Nobel Laureate Says Development of Efficient, Environmentally Friendly Catalysts Is Already Underway The following article is the first half of Prof. David MacMillan’s keynote presentation at the Twenty-eighth International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences (ICUS XXVIII) in 2022, entitled “New Catalytic Strategies for a Sustainable Future.” “Everything you can see—and even almost everything you cannot see—is made from chemical reactions. ... But how do chemical reactions work? It turns out that chemical reactions usually do not happen spontaneously: In order to convert a starting material into the product you want, you often need to input a significant amount of energy. The process of catalysis can dramatically lower the amount of energy needed to power a chemical reaction.” Catalysis impacts nearly every aspect of the modern world. Today, at least 90% of industrial-scale chemical reactions employ catalysis, and fully 35% of the world’s gross domestic product is based on catalytic processes. Industrial-scale catalytic processes provide many of modern society’s staples, including food, medicines, solar cells, diagnostic tools, and even polymers and materials. Over the next century, catalysis will provide solutions to many pressing societal challenges, such as alternative energy, environmental remediation, inexpensive pharmaceuticals, sustainable agriculture, and renewable soft materials. The development of efficient, environmentally friendly catalysts will be key to our common goal of creating a more sustainable future. That is why, over the past two decades, my research group has been dedicated to inventing powerful and environmentally friendly catalytic processes. It was my great honor to share the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis. Since winning the prize, many people have asked me just one basic question: What exactly is asymmetric organocatalysis? This is a rather technical term, so it is good to begin by explaining the concepts of asymmetry, catalysis, and more specifically, organocatalysis. What Is Catalysis? Everything you can see—and even almost everything you cannot see—is made from chemical reactions. Our food, medicines, clothing, electronics, and even the cells of our bodies are created through chemical reactions. We can appreciate that chemical reactions are absolutely essential to our existence. But how do chemical reactions work? It turns out that chemical reactions usually do not happen spontaneously: In order to convert a starting material into the product you want, you often need to input a significant amount of energy. The process of catalysis can dramatically lower the amount of energy needed to power a chemical reaction. Here is an analogy to explain the power of catalysis I give to my students: Imagine that every evening, you have to climb a large hill to get from class back to your dorm. Your daily trek up and over this hill clearly requires a lot of energy. Now, imagine that, one day, you find a tunnel that leads directly through the hill. You walk through the tunnel and straight home with hardly any effort. In this analogy, catalysis represents the tunnel, as it provides a new path for chemical reactions to follow with minimal input of energy. Catalysis … allows chemical reactions to proceed quickly, efficiently, and often with relatively little cost. An important feature of catalysts is that they are not used up in chemical reactions. In fact, a very small amount of a potent catalyst can be used to convert large quantities of starting materials to products. Catalysis therefore allows chemical reactions to proceed quickly, efficiently, and often with relatively little cost. These unique attributes help explain why so much of our modern society relies on catalysis. As an example, we can consider the real-world impact of perhaps the most revolutionary catalytic process of our age: nitrogen fixation (Figure 3). Invented in the early twentieth century by the German chemist Fritz Haber, catalytic nitrogen fixation is an industrial-scale process that converts nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3). Ammonia is an essential component of farming, and modern agriculture depends on the ammonia produced through catalytic nitrogen fixation to grow an abundance of food crops. This increased crop productivity, in turn, has fueled the exponential growth of Earth’s population over the past century. Without this one catalytic process, it would be very difficult—if not impossible—to produce the food needed to sustain Earth’s eight billion people. To visualize how this process impacts you, consider that about half of the nitrogen atoms in your body were likely derived from industrial-scale nitrogen fixation. What Is Asymmetry? The property of asymmetry is easy to visualize. Most of us have two hands, and our hands are mirror images of one another. These mirror images are almost identical, but they are not exactly identical. That is, your right-handed glove does not fit on your left hand. Two mirror-image objects, like hands and feet, that are almost identical but not superimposable are called asymmetric. Interestingly, molecules can also exhibit this property of asymmetry. In other words, organic molecules can exist in one of two nonsuperimposable mirror image forms, each of which is called an enantiomer. As you might expect, the two mirror images of an organic molecule have almost identical physical properties and behavior, and it can be difficult to distinguish one from the other in a laboratory. In fact, two enantiomers will behave in very similar ways to one another except when they are interacting with other asymmetric molecules. Much like your two mirror-image hands can distinguish between two mirror-image gloves, each enantiomer of an organic molecule will interact differently with other asymmetric molecules. Here is an example that may be familiar to those of you who took organic chemistry in college: (R)-carvone and (S)-carvone are enantiomers of one another. Since the carvone mirror images are almost identical, it is very difficult to distinguish (R)-carvone from (S)-carvone in the lab unless you have access to fairly specialized and expensive equipment. However, if you were to hand a sample of each carvone enantiomer to a very small child, the child would immediately be able to differentiate between the two mirror images. Why is that? The reason is that, to us, (R)-carvone smells like spearmint and (S)-carvone smells of caraway. Why is it that our smell receptors can so readily perform a task that is so challenging for the most sophisticated lab equipment? Why is it that our smell receptors can so readily perform a task that is so challenging for the most sophisticated lab equipment? The answer is that the human body is made of building blocks (proteins, DNA, carbohydrates, and hormones) that themselves exist as asymmetric molecules. Therefore, just as your left-hand glove interacts differently with your left and right hands, your asymmetric smell receptors interact differently with each carvone enantiomer, recognizing different and easily distinguishable scents. This property of asymmetry that infuses your body has important implications beyond the actions of your smell receptors. Perhaps most impactful is the role of asymmetry in determining how medicines behave in the body (Figure 6). Many medicines are small organic molecules that can exist as two mirror images. Not surprisingly, your body typically responds differently to each of these mirror images. One of these mirror images will interact with your body in the desired way, perhaps by blocking the activity of a problematic overactive enzyme. However, the other mirror image will likely not play a productive role and might even interact with your body in dangerous ways. A long-standing priority of organic chemistry is to invent new strategies that employ catalysis to construct molecules in single–mirror image form. It is easy to see why we need technologies that allow us to selectively prepare only the desired mirror image of a medicinal compound. A long-standing priority of organic chemistry is to invent new strategies that employ catalysis to construct molecules in single–mirror image form. This field of research is known as asymmetric catalysis. What is Organocatalysis? Today, organocatalysis represents a major field of asymmetric catalysis, and I am proud to have played a role in pioneering this exciting, sustainable new technology. To place organocatalysis into historical context, we must consider the state of the field of asymmetric catalysis at the dawn of my career, over two decades ago. In 1996, there were two major modes of asymmetric catalysis: biocatalysis and metal catalysis. Biocatalysis employs naturally occurring enzymes to construct single enantiomers of organic molecules. This strategy leverages the fact that enzymes are themselves massive asymmetric molecules. Metal-based asymmetric catalysis, on the other hand, is a man-made field that uses catalysts composed of metals paired with single-enantiomer organic molecules. My Part in this Story Here is where my part in this story begins. On finishing my PhD studies under the great Prof. Larry Overman at the University of California at Irvine, it was my privilege to undertake postdoctoral research with Prof. David Evans at Harvard University. Dave is one of the most influential chemists in the world and an absolute master of asymmetric metal catalysis. My time in the group provided me invaluable exposure to this field of research. While in the Evans group, I grew to fully appreciate both the power and the drawbacks of asymmetric metal catalysis. The reality was that most of my days were spent working in a rather uncomfortable and bulky contraption called a glovebox. A glovebox is a special piece of equipment designed to rigorously eliminate moisture, oxygen, and air from a chemical reaction. In the Evans group, we needed to work in the glovebox, as the metal component of the asymmetric metal catalyst can be difficult to handle. Often, metals cannot be exposed to the atmosphere; moreover, they can be toxic, unsustainable, and expensive. Organic molecules, on the other hand, are usually quite easy to handle and are typically safe, sustainable, recyclable, and inexpensive. What if? Catalysis with Organic Molecules During my time in the group, I began to wonder whether it would be possible to develop a new kind of asymmetric catalyst that only used the single-enantiomer organic component and eliminated the metal altogether. I believed that an asymmetric catalyst based solely on organic molecules could have revolutionary potential, for several reasons. Organic catalysts should be easily and inexpensively constructed from Nature’s building blocks. Organic catalysts would not be sensitive to moisture or air and could be handled without special equipment. Additionally, organic molecules are sustainable, recyclable, and nontoxic. Finally—and most exciting to me—I recognized the possibility of developing a single general platform for organic catalysis that could be used to promote not just one but hundreds of different reactions. I imagined that, if I could achieve this goal, then perhaps one day organic molecule catalysis could ultimately mature into a third major pillar of asymmetric catalysis. As I was formulating this grand vision, I unfortunately had no idea of exactly how we might leverage simple organic molecules as asymmetric catalysts. I could not know at the time that, within two years of the start of my independent career at the University of California at Berkeley, we would invent a general platform for asymmetric catalysis that completely eliminated the metal component. In our seminal 2000 publication, we gave this new field of asymmetric catalysis a name: organocatalysis. Be sure to enjoy the second half of David MacMillan’s presentation in our Dec/Jan issue of The Earth & I. The professor recalls his path to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and ponders the exciting role of organocatalysis in a sustainable future. Prof. MacMillan is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University. He shares the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Dr. Benjamin List for the “development of asymmetric organocatalysis.”

Dhanada K Mishra* The ancient Romans built impressive structures like the Colosseum and the Pantheon, as well as aqueducts spread throughout their empire that have lasted until today. Yet, many recent structures built with modern materials, such as steel and Portland cement, have not survived much longer than their design life of a few decades. Recently, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers discovered the secret to the longevity of Roman concrete: its self-healing properties stem from the so-called lime clasts in the concrete mix, the result of hot mixing of calcium oxide. This discovery may be vital to reducing the carbon footprint of concrete, the most used material after water. Constructing built-to-last infrastructure is a powerful strategy in the fight against climate change. According to a report published by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the University of Oxford, the infrastructure sector is responsible for 79% of all greenhouse gas emissions and 88% of all adaptation costs. The infrastructure sector is responsible for 79% of all greenhouse gas emissions and 88% of all adaptation costs. In addition, a study by the University of Cambridge found that the production of materials for the building sector accounted for 11% of global energy and process-related emissions. The same study also revealed that half of all emissions are embodied in buildings, meaning they are caused by the manufacturing of materials and the construction process. Building resilient structures with extended service lives ensures sustainable development and mitigates environmental impacts. The Need for Long Service Life Infrastructure First, frequent construction and demolition of infrastructure can have a significant environmental impact. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), construction and demolition activities contribute to air and water pollution, waste generation, and resource depletion. The production of building materials, transportation of materials to the construction site, and the construction process itself all contribute to carbon emissions. By reducing the need for frequent construction and demolition, long-lasting infrastructure can help mitigate these environmental impacts. By investing in long-lasting infrastructure governments and private entities can save costs over the project lifecycle and allocate resources more efficiently. Second, by investing in long-lasting infrastructure governments and private entities can save costs over the project lifecycle and allocate resources more efficiently. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), rethinking infrastructure policies can lead to better quality-of-life outcomes and stimulate long-term economic growth. Long-lasting infrastructure reduces maintenance, repair, and replacement expenses, which is a significant cost burden for infrastructure owners and operators. Designing Durable and Resilient Structures Some examples of resilient structure designs that help mitigate climate change impacts are: Climate-responsive design that creates buildings that use strategies such as passive cooling, natural ventilation, and renewable energy integration. This design includes buildings oriented to maximize natural light and ventilation, and green roofs installed to reduce heat absorption. Adaptive infrastructure that is flexible, modular, and adjusts to changing climate conditions. For example, roads designed with permeable surfaces allow for water absorption during heavy rainfall, and buildings designed with modular components can easily be replaced or upgraded. Roads designed with permeable surfaces allow for water absorption during heavy rainfall, and buildings designed with modular components can easily be replaced or upgraded. Robust buildings that are designed and constructed to withstand severe storms, flooding, and wildfires, and include design solutions based on models of future climatic conditions. They include features such as rainscreens; windows that can withstand hurricane winds; interior finish materials that can dry out if they get wet and do not require replacement; reduced dependence on complex building controls and systems; provisions for manual overrides in case of malfunction or temporary power outages; optimal use of on-site renewable energy; and water conservation practices and reliance on annually replenished water resources, such as harvested rainwater, as the primary or backup water supply. Sustainable materials that are eco-friendly, durable, and withstand climate impacts. Materials such as bamboo, recycled steel, and cross-laminated timber are sustainable options that reduce construction's carbon footprint. In addition, locally sourced materials help reduce transportation emissions. Some exemplary, existing long-lasting infrastructure projects include: The Hoover Dam, built in the 1930s and still operating today, provides hydroelectric power to millions of people. The Golden Gate Bridge, completed in 1937, is still in use today, with millions of vehicles crossing it each year. The Great Wall of China, built over 2,000 years ago, is still standing today, making it one of the most impressive examples of long-lasting infrastructure in the world. Extending Infrastructure Service Life Robust construction techniques, including high-performance reinforced concrete, advanced engineering systems, and smart monitoring technologies, enhance the durability and longevity of infrastructure. High-performance concrete is a class of dense, impervious, high-strength material that is much more durable and provides better protection to the steel reinforcement from corrosion. High-performance reinforced concrete is a type of concrete that is reinforced with steel bars or mesh to increase its strength and durability. This technique is commonly used in the construction of bridges, buildings, and other structures that require high strength and durability. Smart monitoring technologies such as wireless sensors and real-time monitoring systems detect structural damage, corrosion, and other issues that affect the durability of infrastructure. These systems provide real-time data on the condition of infrastructure, allowing for timely repairs and maintenance. Proactive inspection and maintenance reduce carbon footprints and save money in the long run. By detecting potential problems before they become major issues, preventive maintenance reduces the risk of equipment failure and unplanned downtime. This reduces energy costs and carbon footprints by avoiding the need for emergency repairs and reducing the need for frequent maintenance visits. In addition, preventive maintenance extends the lifespan of equipment and infrastructure, reducing the need for frequent replacements and repairs. This reduces the amount of waste generated by construction and demolition activities, which can have a significant environmental impact. Predictive maintenance approaches have proven to be highly cost-effective, saving roughly 8% to 12% over regularly scheduled preventive maintenance and up to 40% over reactive run-to-failure maintenance approaches. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, predictive maintenance approaches have proven to be highly cost-effective, saving roughly 8% to 12% over regularly scheduled preventive maintenance and up to 40% over reactive run-to-failure maintenance approaches. Retrofitting and upgrading existing infrastructure enhance its resilience and extend its service life because: Retrofitting is more cost-effective than building new infrastructure from scratch. According to a report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), retrofitting reduces the cost of infrastructure by up to 80% compared to building new infrastructure. Retrofitting improves the resilience of existing infrastructure by making it more resistant to natural disasters and other hazards. For example, retrofitting buildings with seismic upgrades helps prevent damage during earthquakes, while retrofitting bridges with new materials helps prevent corrosion and other forms of damage. Retrofitting helps reduce the environmental impact of infrastructure by making it more energy-efficient and sustainable. For example, retrofitting buildings with new insulation and a new HVAC system reduces energy consumption, while retrofitting transportation systems with new technologies reduces emissions. Some successful case studies of retrofitting are: The Empire State Building in New York City underwent a $550 million retrofitting project that included the installation of new insulation, windows, and HVAC systems. The retrofitting project reduced energy consumption by 38% and saves the building $4.4 million in energy costs annually. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge underwent a $6.4 billion retrofitting project that included the installation of new steel components and seismic upgrades. The retrofitting project improved the bridge’s resilience to earthquakes and other hazards. The Los Angeles Aqueduct: The Los Angeles Aqueduct is undergoing a multi-billion dollar retrofitting project including the Owens Lake master project. It also included the installation of new pipelines to improve earthquake resistance and other infrastructure upgrades. The retrofitting project has proved to greatly improve the aqueduct’s efficiency and reduced water loss. The Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai sea crossing opened in 2018, with a length of 55 km (34 miles), the longest at the time, built at a cost of $20 billion. It includes a 6.7 km (4 miles) undersea tunnel section and was designed to withstand earthquakes and typhoons. The project was challenging in all aspects, including its location in a very aggressive marine environment, which causes corrosion of steel reinforcement used in concrete structures and any other metal elements. Its design service life is 120 years while the typical design service life of ordinary reinforced concrete buildings is between 50 and 75 years—important infrastructure projects such as dams and bridges are currently designed for 100+ years of service life. The actual service life that can be realized greatly depends on the structure's regular inspection, repair, and maintenance. To meet the requirements of the climate transition and Sustainable Development Goals, G20 economies will invest $12.4 trillion in infrastructure projects between 2020 and 2030. Building long-lasting infrastructures is key to these investments and will help reduce the rate of global warming. Owners, policymakers, and businesses need to consider disincentivizing the demolition of existing infrastructures and, instead, promote the renovation and building of new infrastructures that last a 200-year, if not longer, service life. How about if today’s structures, such as the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai sea-link or the ones still to be built by the G20, lasted as long as the infrastructure Romans built? *Dhanada K Mishra is a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan and is currently working as the Managing Director of a Hong Kong-based AI startup for building technology for the sustainability of built infrastructure (www.raspect.ai). He writes on issues around the environment, sustainability, climate crisis, and built infrastructure.

By Gerald H. Pollack* The following is the second part of an edited talk given by Gerald H. Pollack, PhD, professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington, Seattle, at the First International Conference on Science and God (ICSG I), in February 2020. In the latter half of his presentation, Prof. Pollack discusses the potential applications of exclusion zone (EZ) water upon explaining how EZ water responds to infrared light (see Part 1: The Earth & I, August 2023). The next question is, does the human body use light, internally? I would submit that one possibility is that we receive this energy all the time from outside, all different wavelengths. Some of them get deeply absorbed. The first possibility of use that comes to mind is the cardiovascular system; the capillaries are pretty close to the surface of the skin. It could be that light comes in and helps propel the flow. The problem is that in healthy, young adults the capillaries are 3 or 4 μm in diameter, and the red blood cells that need to pass through them are twice as wide, 6 or 7 μm in diameter. It takes energy to push them through. Russian scientists computed the amount of energy that would be required to do so. If the heart were fully responsible for doing this, they computed that the heart would need to generate something like one million times the pressure that it actually generates. They were searching for another mechanism to help drive the flow. They said it was absolutely necessary. There is the problem of energy. They could not figure out where the energy was coming from, but there has to be another source of energy. Meanwhile, we had just finished these experiments in the lab showing that light—radiant energy—drives blood flow in tubes that resemble blood vessels. Capillaries are hydrophilic tubes. I started thinking that, maybe, it is possible that this is going on in our cardiovascular system. Our hypothesis was the extra energy that is needed is supplied by the EZ that lines the capillaries and supplies energy to drive the blood flow through. Our hypothesis was the extra energy that is needed is supplied by the EZ that lines the capillaries and supplies energy to drive the blood flow through. In a paper by an Israeli group, they sacrificed the mouse by clamping the aorta. Within ten seconds the heart stopped, the mouse was dead, but the blood kept flowing. It flowed at a much-reduced velocity, but it kept flowing for five minutes, ten minutes, thirty minutes, and more than an hour. The experiment was repeated in ten different mice and produced the same result. How could it be that the heart was not pumping and the mouse was effectively dead, but the blood kept on flowing? We decided to test this hypothesis to see if the mechanism we saw in the laboratory was really working in the intact cardiovascular system. My student, Li Zheng, chose the chick embryo. It was three days old but developed enough so that if you removed the top of the eggshell, you could see the embryo developing. You could image the blood vessels. The first part of the experiment was to stop the heart by injecting potassium chloride. Right away, it stopped. The graph shows what happened, plotting the velocity of blood flow versus time. The flow went way down to some low level, but not to zero. Then, the signature of the mechanism was tested—to turn on the infrared light and see if the blood flow increased. The graph shows that the blood flow increased by about three times. When the light was turned off, the flow went back down to the control level. On the basis of this kind of experiment, we think that the missing source of energy in driving the flow of blood in our cardiovascular system is exactly what I showed you: what we found in the laboratory—this so-called self-driven flow, which I think is occurring in all of us all the time. So, you may ask, “Where do we get our energy?” We certainly get our energy from food, some people more than others, but we also get some energy from light. When you think of people who go without eating for very long periods of time and where they get their energy, I think that light is absorbed by the water inside our bodies, builds EZ, and gives us energy. This is a supplemental energy supply. I think that light is absorbed by the water inside our bodies, builds EZ, and gives us energy. This is a supplemental energy supply. I want to end with some practical applications. One of them is getting energy from water and sunlight. We know that we have a negative region and a positive region, and you can imagine if you simply put electrodes in the respective regions you ought to be able to get light out of it. We demonstrated that we can. In the above image, on the right are a dozen chambers with Nafion and water and pairs of electrodes. There is a switch in the middle, and behind a magnifier is an LED. The water is getting light energy, including ambient light. We think this has some potential to solve some of the world’s energy problems. We have begun to work on this and a couple other developments. The above image shows a water filtration system but without a physical filter, with the flow going in from the left. There is a Nafion tube or something similar, and it pushes all the contaminants toward the center line. An exclusion zone builds next to the wall of the Nafion tube. Then you have a so-called differential extractor, which is nothing more than two concentric tubes. The central tube collects the contaminants and dumps them. The peripheral tube collects the “filtered” water. Actually, it is EZ water, and you can see here we have been able to get a separation of 200 to 1 in a single pass. We are working to build this up to increase contaminant extraction even further. One of the more exciting areas is removing salt from water. The idea is to introduce ocean water from one side of a tube and get rid of the salt from the other side. Dump out the salt and have fresh drinking water. We use light; we do not discard it. None of the ideas of an exclusion zone, separation of charge (plus and minus), and the role of light, especially infrared, are currently in the chemistry books. So, if we are right, the interpretation of aqueous chemical reactions and many other things will need to be revised in chemistry textbooks. In terms of health, EZ water fills our cells. In the book I wrote prior to this one, Cells, Gels and the Engines of Life, I presented evidence that water plays an absolutely central and fundamental role in everything the cell does. If you want to hydrate yourself, you need to know something about the water content and how it works to convert into EZ water, or maybe it already is EZ water. From the practical point of view, I mentioned filtration, desalination, and getting electricity from water. I will finish here with my latest book, The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor, which deals with these matters in much greater depth than I have been able to cover here. *Gerald H. Pollack, PhD, is a professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is also the executive director of The Institute for Venture Science.

Scholar Raises Concerns About ‘Junk Foods’ Entering Markets in Developing Nations *By Yasmin Prabhudas Consumers in the Western world are increasingly aware that eating too much “junk foods”—aka “ultra-processed” foods—isn’t healthy. Now there is concern that food giants are expanding into new markets in the developing world, and this will help bring health and even environmental problems to new populations. That’s what Professor Eduardo Gómez discusses in his new book, Junk Food Politics: How Beverage and Fast Food Industries Are Reshaping Emerging Economies. Gómez, a political scientist, is professor and associate chair at the Department of Community and Population Health and director of the Institute of Health Policy and Politics at the College of Health at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, US. He has worked in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa for many years, looking at “contested” epidemics (epidemics for which the government debates whether to intervene) such as obesity and diabetes. Telling the Story Gómez became interested in food companies’ attempts to expand into emerging markets while studying obesity in Brazil and the US, and more recently in Mexico. “I realized one day that despite all the policy innovations in Brazil and Mexico and trying to increase awareness about obesity and the foods that contribute to it, there was still an ongoing increase in obesity—among children and the poor especially—but in the population in general,” he explains. “Maybe there’s some kind of industry interference […] because big industries want to make money,” he says. “And oftentimes they’re not fully aware of—or they’re aware but they’re not really concerned about—the possible health implications of their foods.” Writing his book provided Gómez with the opportunity to “really get behind the juicy details of what’s driving these ongoing contested epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.” Writing his book provided Gómez with the opportunity to “really get behind the juicy details of what’s driving these ongoing contested epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.” Gómez has discussed his book on National Public Radio, and his book has been reviewed by the medical journal, The Lancet. He has also spoken about the ultra-processed food industry on podcasts, such as Junk Food Politics: the price of outsized corporate influence. “Colleagues in the medical schools and public health schools have really appreciated that I've gone into depth on an issue that needs a lot of explanation,” he says. What is ‘Ultra-processed’ Food? The term refers to food products that have been significantly changed (processed) from their original states, using a variety of additives including salt, sugar, fat, preservatives, and/or artificial colors. They are usually low in fiber and high in calories but taste good. Candy, soft drinks, most breakfast cereals, packaged food products, ice cream, chicken nuggets, and chips and other “snack” foods are just a few of the tens of thousands of ultra-processed products for sale. In the United States, ultra-processed food products are ubiquitous: Researchers at the Northeastern University’s Network Science Institute estimate that 73% of the US food supply is ultra-processed, according to a 2022 article in Nature Food. Gómez describes ultra-processed foods as ones “that are often packaged, frozen, made from ingredients that are made by manufacturers. So [they’re] not necessarily in their natural state, such as an apple or an orange.” “An ultra-processed food is a food that's often manufactured in an industry with added ingredients taken from other kinds of foods—sugar added, salt added, fat often added, colors [added]—and all these foods are often packaged, to be stored in our cupboards, in our refrigerators, and our freezers,” Gómez says. Health Problems Ultra-processed food is linked to several serious health concerns. [See The Earth & I, August 2022] Gómez explains: “High consumption of ultra-processed highly sugary foods [...] is associated with diseases like type 2 diabetes. Other kinds of foods high in fats and ultra-processed ingredients are often associated with gaining weight and a rise in obesity.” He notes that adolescent type 2 diabetes has been increasing when it has typically been a disease associated with older adults. “Type 2 diabetes is the next global pandemic, if it isn't already,” claims Gómez. [See The Earth & I, February 2022] Gómez writes that growing awareness of these problems in the US has led to a 25% decrease in per-capita consumption of sugary drinks between 1998 and 2014. Meanwhile, there is evidence Mexicans are now drinking more sodas and sugary drinks—and the number of obese people in Mexico has jumped from 23% in 2005 to 29% in 2016. Environmental Implications Gómez worries about the environmental implications of expanded markets for ultra-processed food products. “A lot of these processing plants require a lot of water to process their foods. […] Manufacturers are contributing to air pollution issues. There's a lot of usage of plastics and packaging. So there are many environmental factors,” he says. Increasing Access and Sales Trade liberalization agreements have opened the door for food and beverage corporations to promote all their products more easily in emerging economies, notes Gómez. The North American Free Trade Agreement, which came into force in 1994–2020 (now currently the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement), eliminated all tariffs on imported goods between Canada, the US, and Mexico. Elsewhere, in India and China, access to markets is also more open than ever before. Some governments, such as Chile, place restrictions on advertising targeted to children, but others do not, Gómez notes. Influencing Policy from Within In his book, Gómez reviews how corporate partnerships with government and other agencies, including scientific institutions and non-governmental organizations, are affecting policies. Some companies are engaged in “corporate social responsibility” programs that promote exercise and physical fitness; during COVID-19, many companies provided testing sites, explains Gómez. They also participate in education and programs on environmental responsibility. In his book, Gómez reviews how corporate partnerships with government and other agencies, including scientific institutions and non-governmental organizations, are affecting policies. In China, for example, snack food giant, Mondelez International, works with the Chinese Youth Development Foundation, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and local governments to improve school kitchens and children’s nutrition. In South Africa, Coca-Cola has joined with the government to organize public exercise events, while Nestlé offers nutritional education training, better school meals and school exercise programs, in partnership with the state. Another example includes the Indian government’s partnership with PepsiCo to improve children’s nutrition. “I think every major multinational corporation that is concerned about their global reputation, always wants to be involved and have some positive things to say about health and the environment,” Gómez observes. “Many people have argued that it's for legitimacy and to avoid regulations and public scrutiny,” he claims. “It creates incentives for governments not to regulate these companies because they're often perceived as being a solution to the problem.” But there is concern about ultra-processed food products flooding new markets. In Mexico, for example, non-governmental organizations have raised awareness of processed products that are harmful. Gómez applauds academic researchers who are focusing on ultra-processed foods and bringing issues into the public square. “As more politicians understand that their constituents are concerned about these issues, then more can happen. Now we have to really convince congressional members or parliamentary members that their constituents are really concerned,” he says. *Yasmin Prabhudas is a freelance journalist working mainly for non-profit organizations, labor unions, the education sector, and government agencies.

Proven Techniques for Raising Human Consciousness and—Hopefully—Healing the Earth By Gregory Henschel* First published June 22, 2023 Many activities go by the name of “meditation.” For some people, deep reflection involves something as simple as sitting by a river and watching it flow. For others, it could be doing needlepoint or riding a motorcycle through the countryside. Whatever the activity, if it makes a person more peaceful, most people will say, “Hey, keep it up!” For formal meditation systems, however, there are masters to learn from and basic practices to adopt. Here is a simple breakdown on the two basic types of meditation. Mantras and ‘Mad Monkey’ Mind There are two kinds of meditation: “active” and “passive.” “Passive” meditation involves quietly watching the mind “run around.” Practitioners begin by getting comfortable and observing the activity of the mind without judgment. And, at least initially, what do they see? They see that the mind is a pretty jumpy thing! Some Eastern traditions compare the mind to a mad monkey. To see what they mean, sit for a few minutes and watch the mind go! It flits from topic to image to memory on anything and everything. But as one settles down, watches the breath, and lets the mind observe itself for a while, the deep witnessing function will draw the mind into deeper states of awareness. That is the passive technique. One such school is called “Vipassana,” which means to “see things as they really are.” This technique was taught by the Buddha. The second type is “active” meditation. The mind concentrates on a mental object to accomplish the same suspension of the active mind, to move into the same sublime states of spiritual awareness as mentioned above. What should a meditator focus on? There are myriad techniques, but many involve the use of sound. Sound is said to be the most subtle of all sensory experiences. In fact, thought itself is sometimes described as “mental sound." The sounds used for meditation are called “mantra.” In Sanskrit, “man” means “mind” and “tra” means liberating. So, mantras are liberating sounds. Many mantras are names for God. Others are short phrases to assert the union of the small “s” self and the “S” Self of the Supreme Consciousness. These techniques were practiced by the Buddha, through which it is said he gained enlightenment. A Sincere Heart to Know Back in the 1970s in the US, when yogis and other Eastern spiritual teachers were all the rage, this author used to hitchhike. On one ride somewhere on Interstate 70 highway, somebody turned around from the front seat to say, “Hey, want to learn to meditate?” [Okay.] “Well, just keep repeating these words in your mind and you get really high!” But there is more to it. Some of the ingredients for meaningful meditation are cultivating a sincere heart to know the One and making a persistent effort to think and act in ways that reflect an inseparable connection to other people. This last bit might be called “morality.” Human behavior involves the endless repetition of various patterns people have learned. Human growth—psychological, emotional, and spiritual growth—depends on progressively altering these patterns and moving toward more enlightened ways of being. Human growth—psychological, emotional, and spiritual growth—depends on progressively altering these patterns and moving toward more enlightened ways of being. For the most part, people try not to repeat the mistakes that make them unhappy. They try to create more happiness—and act as ethically as they can. Healing the Earth As one improves in meditation, their ability to turn the lens of the mind inward over time, through regular practice, helps them develop an enhanced capacity to notice when they are failing in their outward expressions of kindness, truthfulness, and honesty. By improving the quality of being present with people and things, people enhance their ability to move deeply into the Inner Realms and experience the presence of God. Or if someone does not like the term “God,” they can say “the Supreme,” “Divinity,” “Allah,” or use other ways to speak of the Infinite Being. The term “Self,” as mentioned above, indicates that the Soul of All can be found within. This all leads to the healing of the Earth. Anyone who has been paying attention knows about the ways in which humans are collectively harming coming generations of life by their polluting ways. If people can progressively brighten their lives and serve the people around them, the wave of that shift can amplify the same from other people and bring healing to self, family, community, and the planet. People can catch themselves and be more conscious of the effects of what they do. Further, their uncovered hearts can light the way out of the emptiness of excessive materialism. As people move deeper into the transformative light of the Infinite, they might do very well indeed. As they expand their spiritual hearts by cultivating their inner life, they can together create a world governed by family feelings for all living beings, abolish mass violence, and make the Earth a haven for all its inhabitants. While no one knows how far into the vast cosmos the radiance of individual and collective human love will reach, surely humanity can create a bright future for all on this little Earth, putting an end to eons of tears streaming from the eyes of so many. In the meantime, it’s good to take time to do some needlework or ride a bike or contemplate a flowing river. It’s possible one might be inspired to start a meditation practice—try out the various styles and schools; the heart will know when the right teacher has been found. But do not wait too long to enjoy the practice of meditation. Life is short, after all. Plus, the Earth and all in it are waiting. *Gregory Henschel is also known as Acharya Govinda. Acharya means “one who teaches by example.” He has been a dedicated meditator and practitioner of yoga for fifty years and has been teaching classes since the mid-1970s. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife Francey and their parrot Scarlett.

Global Food Preservation Techniques May Improve Gut Health By Julie Peterson* Summer is perfect for complementing meals with refreshing, healthful foods and drinks. One could do no better than to choose from the plethora of pickled and fermented foods that have long graced global tables. Traditional food fermentation processes, such as pickling and souring, offer a host of benefits. They preserve food, add nutrients, and aid in “pre-digestion” to make nutrients more bioavailable. The healthy benefits go far beyond nutrition. A 2021 study published in Cell, found that vegetable brine drinks, kombucha tea, and foods such as yogurt, kefir, fermented cottage cheese, kimchi, and other fermented vegetables, increased overall microbe diversity, and likely involved remodeling the microbiota of the study participants. The researchers also noted that enhanced quantity and quality of gut microbes fight inflammation, which is a precursor to chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, and chronic stress. Other studies agree that fermented foods remove allergens, antinutritional compounds (such as lectins and protease inhibitors), and toxins (such as bacterial toxins). Cultures around the world developed fermentation techniques as a practical method to prevent food spoilage and make use of food resources. Fermentation usually involves the spontaneous activities of natural microbes present in the food or introduced from previous fermentations. Its use has always been important for food security in warm climates, where preservation of fresh milk, fruits, and vegetables is challenging. Anyone can give fermentation a try with ordinary kitchen tools—a knife, cutting board, mixing bowl, and a jar. If new to fermenting, it is recommended to follow a recipe. Sandor Ellix Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation, advises, “Certain ferments, such as yogurt or tempeh, require specific temperature ranges.” As for pickled foods, such as veggies, they are only considered fermented if they are made with fermented vinegar, such as raw apple cider vinegar that still has the “mother culture” in it. But pickled vegetables preserved with unfermented vinegar still have clout in the health category as they are still raw and therefore retain the antioxidants that are often lost when cooked. Here is a look at some cherished global fermented and pickled foods, along with healthful recipes and tips. Sour On With These Recipes! Many foods are fermented as part of their harvest and production process. Beer, cheese, cider, chocolate, coffee, miso, olives, pickles, salami, bread, soy sauce, tempeh, natto, and wine are examples. Beer is produced with fermentation, but the yeast is removed or killed off from the alcohol, whereas natto is fermented but still has the bacteria in it. When purchasing these foods, try to find local producers for the most environmentally friendly (less transportation involved) and freshest options. Farmers markets are ideal venues to meet makers and learn if their products might be available at stores year-round. In the case of region-specific items, such as chocolate or coffee, look for fair-trade organic options. If new to fermenting, it is recommended to follow a recipe. Sauerkraut Sauerkraut is a staple garnish at summer cookouts. Using green cabbage to make this simple fermented dish results in traditional white sauerkraut. Amp up the fun by using red cabbage to produce a wild, fuchsia-colored side dish that is as good to look at as it is to eat. Try Pink Sauerkraut created by Chef Eduardo Garcia. Nutritionist Sharon Glasgow points out that making fermented vegetables is easy. “The most important thing is to use the highest quality ingredients. When available, use organic fruit or vegetables. If the vegetables are deficit in nutrients, the fermentation is likely not to work. Use pure water, not chemical laden, and use sea salt when available.” For a scrumptious garnish, try Glasgow’s recipe for Pickled Radish: 1 bunch of radishes 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 tablespoons whey (if unavailable, use 1 additional teaspoon salt) Take greens off, wash, and grate radishes. Place grated radishes into pint size mason jar. Pound down the radishes, then pour other ingredients on top. Pound again. The top of the radish mixture should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for 3 days before storing in refrigerator. Fruit chutney is perfect for those who aren’t familiar with the sourness of fermented foods. Fruit chutney Fruit chutney is perfect for those who aren’t familiar with the sourness of fermented foods. Naomi, a mother of four in Slovakia, writes in her blog, Almost Bananas, “I am not exaggerating when I assert that if you want to start eating fermented foods and have a hard time starting, this fermented spiced apple chutney is the one to start with. Because of the apples, raisins, and spices, it’s still quite sweet by the time it’s ready to eat.” She says her recipe can use apples past their prime and is delicious by itself or as a topping for yogurt, pancakes, crepes, or in place of jam. Vegetable chutney Vegetable chutney can be mild or hot. This super-hot and spicy Cilantro Chutney from TurmericMeCrazy.com is incredibly simple to make. Use a small amount to spice up a meal or use it as a dipping sauce. Ingredients: 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 pinch salt 1 cup cilantro 3 serrano peppers Instructions: Chop off stems of the serrano peppers and add to blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until all chunks are gone. Store the chutney in the fridge for up to a week. Lassi Lassi is a yogurt drink that originated in India and can be made either sweet or salty with a variety of fruits and herbs. Dassana’s Veg Recipes shares three varieties of lassi that are easy to whip up and enjoy as an invigorating summer drink any time of day. Kimchi Kimchi is a Korean fermented vegetable in fish sauce that is usually eaten as a side dish to rice. But there are many ways to incorporate this healthful food into omelets, pizza, ramen, burgers, and more. Check out 23 Kimchi Recipes to Fire Up Your Meals. This Water Kimchi by Korean Bapsang, a Korean mom’s home cooking website, has a clear broth and thinly sliced radish squares and other vegetables. In the world of kimchi, this one is unique because it is vegan. Fufu Fufu is a traditional West African staple that is a soft and stretchy finger food eaten with soups or stews. Traditionally made with cassava, fufu is now also made with other pounded vegetables (amala, corn, green plantains, yam, semolina, etc.), mixed with water, and formed into balls. It has a pleasantly light sour flavor and is called a swallow food because it’s not intended to be chewed! Diners pinch off a small piece, mold it into a small ball with an indentation, scoop up some soup, and swallow. Green Tomato and Lemongrass Pickles, from Andrea Nguyen’s The Banh Mi Handbook and posted on Viet World Kitchen, are a novel snack for summer days. With garlic, red pepper flakes, serrano chile, and turmeric, these pickles truly tantalize the tastebuds. Note that, for food safety reasons, the ratio of vinegar to water for pickling vegetables should not be adjusted from a recipe; however, the spices can be modified to suit one’s liking. For more spice, try cayenne, hot sauce, allspice, or cloves. Get salty with soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Sweeten up with a bit of sugar or agave syrup. Remember, the flavors intensify over time, so season lightly. Tofu Pickles may be the epitome of fermentation and pickling. Dubu-jangajji shares her beautiful recipe with meal suggestions on her site, Maangchi. She writes that it is a “sweet salty tangy brine” that “makes the intrinsically tasteless tofu very delicious.” Many people go beyond cucumbers for pickling delicacies: asparagus spears, beets, carrots, green beans, banana peppers, and cauliflower are all suitable pickling vegetables. Because fermented foods have such a high probiotic content and many are also fiber-rich, some people may experience an initial increase in gas or bloating. It’s a good idea to start with a couple of tablespoons at a time, allowing the body to adjust (and it will) to the greater diversity in the gut’s microbiome. Enhance snacks and meals with exciting new flavors and improve quality of life with the health benefits of an improved microbiota. *Julie Peterson is a freelance journalist based in the Midwest region of the US who has written hundreds of articles on natural approaches to health, environmental issues, and sustainable living.

By David Dodge* Bicycles are the most efficient method of moving humans on the planet based on the ratio of energy required to distance traveled. Bikes are five times more energy efficient than walking and about eighty times more efficient than driving a car. The introduction of electric bikes (e-bikes) twenty years ago is revolutionizing personal transportation and looks to have a boundless future. Worldwide, e-bikes in circulation are expected to reach 300 million in 2023, a 50% increase from 2019. The market was worth $17.56 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $41 billion by 2030. A Personal Testimony Jim Sandercock lives in Highlands, an old neighborhood in Edmonton, Canada, about 5 km from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) whose Alternative Energy Program he chairs. He lives in a 1951 house that he renovated to net-zero and is a good example of someone who embraced the e-bike revolution. He was introduced to regular biking by a coworker. “I thought about it for a long time, but like everybody, I didn't do anything about it,” says Sandercock. “And then one of my coworkers moved into the neighborhood, and he's really athletic, and he says, ‘Hey, let's bike to work together.’” “Foolishly, I told everybody I was going to do it.” There’s nothing like good old-fashioned social pressure. So, Sandercock started commuting with a regular bike despite his concerns about being sore or tired all the time or risking his life biking in traffic. Soon he started researching e-bikes and found a model with big, knobby tires and a throttle for $1,600. He has been e-biking to work for one year now and “loves it.” E-Biking in Any Weather “With an e-bike, you've got the ability to dial up and down your e-bike support,” Sandercock says. As a result, he can control how much exercise he gets and then just parks and hops off the bike when he gets to work. When e-biking on below-zero days, Sandercock wears a camping jacket, a shell, and snow pants. He dials down the electric assist if he needs to generate body heat and dials it up if he’s overheating. The fat, knobby tires worked fine for Sandercock on snow or slushy rides, but studded tires are highly recommended for winter commutes. The most important thing “is getting a nice pair of heated gloves,” Sandercock says, noting he paid $100 for some electric battery-powered heated gloves—“a godsend when you're biking.” Reasons People Become E-Bikers The most common reasons people choose to e-bike are to save money, avoid traffic jams, and improve health and the environment, according to Mordor Intelligence and other studies. In Copenhagen, for instance, there are five times more bikes than cars, according to the Cycling Embassy of Denmark. One survey of Danish cyclers found that getting to their destination more quickly was the main reason to bike. E-bikes can move about 20 miles per hour, compared with 10 miles per hour for regular bikes. As expected, electric bikes are faster than regular bikes: E-bikes can move about 20 miles per hour, compared with 10 miles per hour for regular bikes, according to TheRoundup.org. Financially, e-biking offers significant savings over the expenses associated with maintaining, fueling, and parking a car. A 2017 study from the US Public Interest Research Group said families could save about $30,000 over a five-year period if they replaced one of their cars with an e-bike. Energy Use E-bikes use electricity, but they get the equivalent of 2,000 MPGe. This is twenty times more efficient than a Tesla Model S, which itself is 3.2 times more efficient than a comparable internal combustion engine vehicle. E-bikes are twenty times more efficient than a Tesla Model S, which itself is 3.2 times more efficient than a comparable internal combustion engine vehicle. The driving range of e-bikes varies, but e-bikes with a 500–750-watt battery will get about 20 mi (36 km) of range. E-bikes use so little energy that it is equivalent to a penny per mile. E-bike chargers generally take up to five hours for a full charge. E-Bikes Lead to Better Fitness Research shows e-bikes can increase the amount of exercise one gets. Once people buy an e-bike, they choose it as their method of transport 49% of the time, up from 17% with a regular bike. And here’s the kicker—the average daily cycling distance increases 400% with e-bike owners from 2.1 km (1.3 mi) to 9.2 km (5.8 mi). One study found regular cyclists burn about 552 calories per hour, while e-bikers burn 444 calories with electric pedal assistance. This is a 22% difference. However, because people ride e-bikes further than pedal bikes, the calorie loss and fitness levels are increased. In Sandercock’s case, he says he is burning 18,500 more calories per year than before he bought an e-bike. Rebates for E-Biking E-bikes often cost around $2,000, with high-end bikes going for $6,000, according to REI. For many state and municipal agencies, e-bikes help reduce emissions, increase fitness, and reduce congestion, so they offer rebates to encourage sales. Rebates range from $100 to $1,500 and even higher. Here is a comprehensive list of programs in the US and Canada. Notably, The Bay Area Clean Cars for All program offers $7,500 to residents for an e-bike purchase and transit costs if they dismantle their old car. In the US, federal lawmakers have introduced a bill that would offer a 30% tax credit (up to $1,500) towards the cost of an e-bike. A similar e-cargo bike rebate in Colorado issued 4,700 e-bike rebates, many of which went to low-income families. Safe Biking Lanes Bike safety is always a concern, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a complete rundown on rules of the road. Building safe bicycling infrastructure is key to treating cycling seriously and getting more people on bicycles. Building safe bicycling infrastructure is key to treating cycling seriously and getting more people on bicycles. Science confirms the maxim “Build it and they will come.” The Mercator Research Institute in Berlin found during the COVID-19 pandemic that an average of 11.5 km (6.8 mi) of provisional pop-up bike lanes were set up in European cities and cycling increased between 11% and 48%. The City of Vitoria Gasteiz in Spain replaced a twelve-lane roadway right through the middle of the city with a multi-mode marvel of design that now supports cycling, pedestrians, rapid transit, and cars. They called this a “democratic” allocation of space to all users. This combined with other similar actions increased cycling to 12% of trips in the city while car trips fell to just 24. Bike sharing is now available in hundreds of cities. As of July 2022, there were 8,473 docked bike-share stations in cities across the US. In 2019, about 28% had e-bikes, and that number is increasing because e-bikes are quite popular among bikeshare users. There are bike-sharing apps to find and rent a bike. Citi Bike in New York, Bikeshare in Washington, D.C., and Citi Bike in Miami are among the largest operations in the US. Bike-sharing is a great way to try these vehicles out and discover how much more quickly one can zip around town. *David Dodge is an e-bike owner who has commuted through the winter. He is an environmental journalist and photojournalist and the host and producer of GreenEnergyFutures.ca, a series of micro-documentaries on clean energy, transportation, and buildings. He’s worked for newspapers and published magazines, and he produced more than 350 award-winning EcoFile radio programs on sustainability for CKUA Radio.

How to Flip a Chemically Sustained Lawnscape Into a Natural Paradise By Mal Cole* For centuries, bright green carpets of mowed grass—such as the Palace Gardens of Versailles—have been synonymous with wealth and status. In the late nineteenth century. Frederick Law Olmsted, who is considered the father of North American landscape architecture, started modeling communities around shared green spaces, and today, public and private lawns are ubiquitous throughout the Western world. In the US alone, about 2% of land (or 40 million acres) is covered by turf grasses in private homes, businesses, golf courses, parks, and many other public spaces. But “trophy lawns” come with a hefty price: Beautifully manicured lawns typically require millions of pounds of chemical inputs and millions of gallons of petroleum to fuel mowing equipment—plus trillions of gallons of water to keep the lawns green. In fact, turf grasses are the non-food crop that requires the most irrigation in the US, which is why some states like California offer incentives to remove and replace them with eco-friendly alternatives. Human beings enjoy the inviting space that a lawn provides, and lawns can have ecological benefits, including acting as a carbon sink and preventing run-off and erosion. Luckily, with a few adjustments—especially to expectations of what a lawn must look like—a lush carpet of green suitable for frolicking can become an eco-friendly feature of home gardens. Luckily, with a few adjustments—especially to expectations of what a lawn must look like—a lush carpet of green suitable for frolicking can become an eco-friendly feature of home gardens. Going Green in Drought-Prone Climates To create an eco-friendly landscape in dry areas, first, consider less lawn. Learn about grasses that grow naturally in the area. Even if native grasses are not suitable for a traditional lawn, grasses can still contribute to an attractive garden display. Drought gardens can make use of plants like succulents that will thrive in dry conditions. Hardscaping alternatives to lawns, such as pea gravel and permeable paving, can create pathways and gathering places that will help trap rainwater and prevent runoff. In zones with more rainfall, lawn alternatives include extending or creating garden beds. Adding garden plants and trees that can host many different species will help diversify the home ecosystem. Just one oak tree can host thousands of different organisms. Oaks also thrive in many different climates and can furnish wonderful shade. Flowering trees and shrubs can provide early season sustenance for pollinators and nesting habitat for birds. Perennial plants can provide food and forage for birds and pollinators as well as excellent habitat and winter cover. A vegetable garden or food forest in a home garden can reduce the use of fossils fuels for food shipping and reward the gardener with fresh produce. Participating in ‘No Mow May’—where homeowners wait until June to start mowing their laws—helps pollinators enjoy the benefits of early blooming flowers. If it’s impractical to replace an existing lawn, simply reducing mowing to once or twice a month helps reduce pollutants from lawn mowers. Participating in No Mow May—where homeowners wait until June to start mowing their laws—helps pollinators enjoy the benefits of early blooming flowers. In Massachusetts, ninety-three different species of bee were found to visit flowers growing in lawns. Lawns mowed every two weeks showed the highest bee abundance. The more diversity of species that can be added to a lawn, the greater the benefit. A lawn that is a monoculture of just one or two species of grass does not provide enough diversity for insects and microorganisms to flourish, but with a few tweaks to standard expectations of what a lawn is, a picnic spot can become a thriving habitat. Some Grass Lawn Alternatives Clovers are an easy addition to most lawns and offer many benefits. A member of the Fabaceae (pea and bean) family, clover roots have small nodules that form symbiotic relationships with beneficial bacteria that help them take nitrogen from the air and transform it into available nourishment. Because of this mutually beneficial relationship with the bacteria, clovers can create their own fertilizer and will never require chemical inputs to grow. In addition, clover flowers make a wonderful host for pollinators like honeybees and native bumble bees. Clovers will mix freely with existing turf grasses, are easy to mow, and will regrow quickly. In general clovers are a great choice for lawns, but they require regular rainfall and may not be the best choice for dry conditions. A thyme lawn is a great option for a full sun lawn that requires no mowing and little water. Thyme is a fragrant herb in the Lamiaceae (mint) family, and native to the Mediterranean region. It can cope well with poor soils and does not require any added fertilizers. A new thyme lawn will require some initial site preparation and watering to get established, but extremes of heat and cold do not mean much to a thyme lawn, making them a great choice for a changing climate. Thymes have tiny flowers that native pollinators love and make a colorful display when in bloom. Other added benefits include: a soft texture for barefoot walking, and a delightful herbal smell. Thyme may also deter some unwanted insects such as mosquitos. However, a thyme lawn will not thrive in a cool, shady, or damp environment. Mosses are ideal for areas where it would be impossible to grow a traditional lawn. Moss is a non-vascular plant and lacks the circulatory system that larger plants like trees use to pull water and nutrients from the ground. Instead, moss can absorb water and nutrients directly into its cells, but cannot grow more than an inch or two tall. That means no mowing is required for a moss lawn. The nonvascular structure of mosses also means they have no roots and therefore require no soil to grow. Moss can grow in any area with ample shade and moisture, even at the base of a tree or on paving. Moss also fosters biodiversity and hosts a large array of tiny organisms including the fascinating tardigrade—sometimes called a “water bear” or “moss piglet.” As noted by celebrated bryologist and author of Gathering Moss Robin Wall Kimmerer, one gram of moss can harbor hundreds of thousands of microfauna. A perfect carpet of lawn that requires large amounts of water, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides might feel like a trophy, but a lawn that is a real prize is one that provides beauty without harming the ecological neighborhood. *Mal Cole is a freelance science and nature writer based in Massachusetts.

Interview with Dr. Lisa Miller, Founder of Columbia University’s Spirituality Mind Body Institute E&I: How can we develop the animal/human bond through therapies with animals to help people who are really in anguish and, as you have said, show them the opportunity beyond their suffering? At Columbia University Teachers College, I started The Spirituality Mind Body Institute to intentionally put spirituality first. That is because there is this deep way of being through which we will renew our way of living on our gorgeous, loving, guiding Earth through our awakened awareness. Two of my classes are Equine Therapy and, indeed, Human/Animal Bond. In Human/Animal Bond, I welcome students from all over the world, from all the different faith traditions—some spiritual but not religious—who really come from a broad range of levels of opportunity to engage animals. Some students have come from very large cities in our global community and have never met a horse, have never met a cow, geese, or a little goat, have never met anybody [of an animal species]. Others have had opportunities to meet animals in different settings. So, one of the first learning moments is to see the extraordinary delight—with wide open eyes—when young adults, sometimes in their thirties, for the first time encounter a sister or brother on four, or a sister or brother on wings, and it is sheer delight. And how wonderful for these students that their first introduction was one of equal respect. We go to an animal sanctuary where every animal has been saved from near death, from hell. And, of course, the animals are very aware and very grateful for their lives in the sanctuary. And many of the animals choose to be healing and guiding to others who now seek their help. On our outings to the sanctuary—we have done this now for several years—there is this huge white cow who has been saved, named Tucker. As the instructor, I offer my first-person experience to the students. I do not want to have a posture that says, “You all have much to learn about being to the Earth.” I join and try to help hold the field of intersubjectivity and welcoming of Source, of life, of God—holy, sacred God. God works through us, God works as rays from the Sun, each student helps the teacher, each teacher helps the student, the students help the animals, the animals help the teacher, everybody helps everybody. I will share with you that on one day I had come with a real pain in my heart over matters outside of work, matters that I was facing in my own life. I just felt drawn to Tucker, this huge white cow, truly a sacred cow, this big, beautiful white cow all by himself, probably twice the size of most of the cows. I went over and stood on the other side of a very thin fence; I did not want to invade Tucker’s space right away. I sent out my heart to Tucker, “Please help the students communicate with the animals through their consciousness, through the heart,” and I sent my heart’s message to Tucker and I said, “Hello, and I come.” I did not want to just immediately say, “Can you help me?” I sent my love and said hello and Tucker knew, and we sat together for a while, and Tucker sent back an understanding. I would say that God sent it, through Tucker. Through Tucker came a very profound understanding, a rearrangement of meaning onto my personal crisis in my life through which my heart opened. “Many of the students reported that day, through opening the field of knowing through the heart, they had started to communicate about their own struggles, started to give loving care to animals that needed support; it was a two-way street.” Many of the students reported that day, through opening the field of knowing through the heart, they had started to communicate about their own struggles, started to give loving care to animals that needed support; it was a two-way street. So, these animals were going to be murdered, cut into pieces, and eaten, ok? But they were our teachers and we were their caretakers, and it was a beautiful relationship. The students’ lives were changed in two days at the animal sanctuary, and some to living a different life. For instance, one student started a retreat center for humans in midlife, maybe having an existential crisis, “Where do I go from here? What is my life worth? What have I done?” It [the existential midlife crisis] is a hardwired second bridge in life—spiritual emergence. And this student, who graduated from my program, formed not only a human-centered place of renewal, like many retreats might be, but he [also] chose to include “midlife, second-career” racehorses who were going to be killed. But, instead, these former racehorses were invited into the center and, together, the second-half-of-life horses and the second-half-of-life humans found common ground. This is the type of therapy that we teach in my second class, Equine Therapy. Equine therapy is a broad term; some people sit on the horse, some people guide the horse [etc.]. We learn a type of equine therapy—through specialized teachers—called EAGALA through which the horse is a “knower.” The horse guides the session. And I can tell you that the horse as the knower is an extraordinary healer. I will give you a story by way of example. I had brought a group of about thirty-five students to a ranch where the horses and the students were meeting for the first time. About four horses had been brought, about thirty-five students had [also] been brought, and as each student told their story, everyone listened respectfully. The horses were in the general arena. One woman said, “You know, I am a mom; I have four boys, three are at college, and my fourth son, the little one, I just do not feel that he loves me the way the others do. My heart aches. I do not know that he sees me and knows how much I love him.” “Well, no sooner had [the mom] finished telling [her] story, than the youngest little horse walked across the stable, up to this mom, and started gently rubbing against her. Okay!? That is not a … random coincidence.” That was her story. Well, no sooner had she finished telling that story, than the youngest little horse walked across the stable, up to this mom, and started gently rubbing against her. Okay!? That is not a radical materialist overlay that some random coincidence [had occurred]. That [view] does not hold water because there were thirty-five other students, there were three other horses, so if you multiply that out, it is beyond a slim chance [of occurring by chance] at that moment. That is a sacred, guided relationship. And the horse knew. And she [the mom] knew. She understood because she had opened her heart field of knowing, of unitive connection. I will share with you another story of connection. My youngest child is very, very close to this beautiful, soft, very loving guinea pig named Phoelix, her love. And Phoelix, of course, had been rescued. He was in a pet store for months and months and [eventually] years and years. We walked in one day and the glaring fluorescent lights were on Phoelix. He was all alone in a cage, anxious, jumping, and quivering. And we said, “Oh, what about this little fellow?” And the owner of the pet store said, “Uh, he’s been there so long you can have him for the price of the cage.” Well, Phoelix opened our lives with such love. My youngest child is capable of immense love and Phoelix had equal and profound love. They went everywhere together. She called him her precious little boy. And she carried Phoelix on her bicycle. She carried Phoelix when we would go to a restaurant and she carried Phoelix to soccer games. We would set up a special little protective area for Phoelix. One day Phoelix got very sick, and I came home and my daughter was crying and said, “Mommy, something’s wrong with Phoelix.” I ran in and, sure enough, Phoelix had swollen up, probably twice his size. He looked very ill, and it did not look hopeful. We raced to what, believe it or not, was called The Exotic Vet…. We went to the vet, and the vet looked at me and pulled me aside and said, “This does not look good.” And I said to my child, “Just in case, let’s give Phoelix extra love and tell Phoelix how much we love him.” And Phoelix looked up and I could feel the message of “goodbye.” Phoelix was already seeing the sacred transcendent. He was sending this message of joy, that he was already seeing the other side. My daughter did not know this, so we walk out of the vet’s office and are in the waiting room, all alone, on this Sunday, and over in the corner of the waiting room is a big cage with a magnificent elder grey parrot. And I turn to the parrot whom I know has been there a number of years and has seen many people come and go and knows just what this office does. I sent from my heart to the parrot, “Can you help us here?” And, as you know, communication with animals, it is a sentiment, it is a vector, it is a stance. You can use the words, “Can you help us?” in the felt sense. And the parrot immediately looked up and was shocked because I have the feeling that the parrot watches a lot of people come and go and is basically ignored or talked to like [she gestures], but there is no real relationship. The parrot looked shocked. And I did it again, “Can you help us here?” And the parrot sort of tilts its head, and I go back and sit with my daughter and, suddenly, she says, “Mommy, I’m just going to go outside. I’m sure Phoelix will be okay; I just need to go outside.” She exits and I walk over to the parrot, and he looks at me and with his head tilted way down [she makes the sound of a grieving parrot’s cry] and he looks up again and repeats it [she makes the sound again]. It is a human cry. And I know he has communicated that Phoelix has crossed; Phoelix has passed. So, the parrot delivered the message; the parrot showed me that Phoelix had passed. I was then able to go out to my daughter to explain to her that I did not think Phoelix was going to make it. She was sad, but she was more prepared and, of course, the vet came out in that moment and said, “Phoelix has passed. I tried everything. I tried to restart his heart, I gave him multiple injections. There was nothing we could do.” So, we thanked the parrot. The parrot had been at our side, out of love. We are guided, and we are never alone. And when we start to feel that way, it is an opportunity to reawaken our spiritual awareness, [to] use our awakened brain. *Lisa Miller, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Education at the Teachers College and Founder of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute of Columbia University. She is also the best-selling author of The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life.

The Remarkable ‘Blue Hill’ Farm-to-Table Collaboration The Earth & I Interviews Chef Dan Barber* In a hidden oasis nestled in the idyllic suburban town of Tarrytown, New York, lies the renowned Blue Hill at Stone Barns restaurant and nonprofit farm and education center, Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture—the shared dreamchild of two families passionate about sustainable food systems. This one-of-a-kind partnership of sizable means, sustainable education, and culinary-gold-with-a-conscience was pioneered by chef extraordinaire and author Dan Barber, and late banker and philanthropist David Rockefeller and his visionary daughter Margaret “Peggy” Dulany Rockefeller. The founders transformed eighty-plus acres of the former dairy farm on Pocantico Hills—a landmark Rockefeller estate about thirty miles from New York City—into a regional incubator and disseminator of natural food innovations. Their passion and commitment attracted a dedicated team of farmers, cooks, agronomists, interns, and sustainable food devotees to join their ambitious quest—to build a prototype of a sustainable, circular food economy that could one day nourish all life on the planet. In 2004, the Blue Hill at Stone Barns restaurant opened serving contemporary cuisine with ingredients sourced from the center’s innovative research farm as well as meat and eggs from the Barber family’s Blue Hill Farm and other local farmers. Dan Barber is the nationally acclaimed chef and co-owner—with brother David Barber and David’s wife, Laureen—of the original Blue Hill restaurant in New York City. This Greenwich Village bistro is where diner (and famed banker and philanthropist) David Rockefeller first pitched Dan Barber on his idea for the Stone Barns property. Chef Dan Barber draws beautiful, nourishing cuisine out of the interconnected world of sustainable farming, cooking, and food. Barber is also the author of the best-selling book, The Third Plate—Field Notes on the Future of Food. His ability to draw beautiful, nourishing cuisine out of the interconnected world of sustainable farming, cooking, and food has turned Blue Hill at Stone Barns into one of the most coveted dining reservations in the world. Recently, Chef Dan Barber agreed to tell the Blue Hill story in an Earth & I interview. E&I: Chef Barber, you see nature through the lens of what Dr. Lisa Miller of Columbia University calls “unitive awareness.” You describe in your book how “a bowl of polenta … speaks to something beyond the crop, the cook, or the farmer—to the entirety of the landscape and how it fits together.” How did aesthetics and wholeness come to be important to you, and how do you plan to pursue or explore their expression going forward? I grew up spending summers on my grandmother’s farm—Blue Hill Farm—and I think that, quietly, it gave me a sense of responsibility about the land, and a sense of the importance of preserving open spaces. It gave me a sense of how much of an impact the experience of a place in its entirety can be. Since the beginning of Blue Hill, our hope has been that when people eat at the restaurant, they’re not just thinking about the food on their plates—they’re seeing the whole story behind it. An impossibly juicy and delicious leg of lamb? It’s impossibly delicious not because of the manipulations from a great chef—marinade, cook time, or accompaniments—but because of a great farmer who understands how to pasture animals according to the prescriptions of the land. By connecting to where their food comes from, the diner becomes not just a consumer but might gain some of that awareness that you’re describing. E&I: Collaboration seems to be key to the impact of your work. Your collaborators range from celebrities and scientists to like-minded chefs, farmers, friends, and family members. Blue Hill and our nonprofit partner, Stone Barns Center, together are very much a synergistic community of cooks, farmers, scientists, producers, artists, and others. Whether it's collaboration with university plant breeders on how to breed for flavor, or with artists like Gregg Moore on how to turn bone ash from the kitchen into bone China plates for the restaurant, those direct conversations across disciplines are the cornerstone of our work. One of our collaborators, a microbiologist, recently told me that research is too often siloed: Everyone is focused on their specific concern, rather than looking at the connections between parts of the whole. As Blue Hill moves towards acting as even more of a research institution, this cross-disciplinary approach is our goal. To do that, we’re redefining what it means to operate a restaurant: the space that we’re working toward is something like 60% restaurant, 40% education and research community. E&I: Could you share briefly about the history of Blue Hill at Stone Barns? A year after opening Blue Hill bistro in the city, David Rockefeller came in for dinner. After the meal, he told us about his vision for the Stone Barns property—which had been the Rockefeller family dairy farm back in the 1930s—and invited us to put in a proposal for the space. I don’t think we even fully understood who we were at that point, so it was really an exercise in imagining what we could be. We worked closely with Peggy Dulany and David Rockefeller to create what Stone Barns has become today, helping to start the foundation and recruit staff. At the end of this process in 2004, I opened Blue Hill at Stone Barns the very same day that the Stone Barns Center opened to the public. The fact that we opened together, on the same day, speaks to how central our partnership is to the identity of both organizations. Our mission of developing a regional food culture reflective of time and place informs the work both in the kitchen and on the farm. E&I: In earlier years you spoke of the coming reckoning of the unsustainable American food and agricultural system. Where is it today and where would you like it to go? Unfortunately, the current reality is that the food that comes from the farm next door is sometimes more inconvenient than the food that’s ground thousands of miles away—that’s the irony of our food system today. I could get on the phone tonight and have a fresh batch of beautiful produce from California or South America arrive at the doorstep tomorrow morning. “Buying directly from a farmer means you get produce that’s chosen for your locality and picked at the optimal time.” But buying directly from a farmer means you get produce that’s chosen for your locality and picked at the optimal time. So, nothing is lost in nutrition or flavor—or spent on the environment—during storage and transportation. Our food system is broken, but the good news is, it never produced anything truly delicious anyway. Chefs are leading the way in opting out of the big food system, and by supporting good farming—biodiverse, chemical free, holistic—they can ensure they get the freshest and tastiest foods. It’s easy to adopt a pessimistic attitude when addressing issues related to our current food system—the incredible costs to our environment, to our communities, and to our health. But rather than approach sustainable foods with that sense of necessity or burden, I hope that people will also have the insight to recognize the advantages of this movement and where it’s headed. The basic tenets of sustainable agriculture—biodiverse, chemical-free, holistic—produce the most delicious results, and I think more people are starting to demand that from their food: better flavor, and a better story behind it. *For more information about Blue Hill at Stone Barns Center please visit Home | Blue Hill Farm.