IMPORTANCE OF GOING GREEN

Going green has huge effects on our body, mind, relationships, and the world around us in many ways. Our environment can either increase or reduce stress; hence impact the body. The things we see, experience or hear can change our mood and how our immune, endocrine, and nervous system function.

A stressful environment causes anxiety which in turn elevates blood pressure, muscle tension, and heart rate and going green reverses these impacts. A natural environment is a stress reliever, it heals and makes you feel better emotionally and contributes to your physical wellbeing. It helps us cope with pain. This is because trees, water, plants and other natural elements distract us from pain and discomfort.

A green environment also helps us to connect with others. People who have green space around their homes build more relationships and are concerned about supporting each other. Such also lowers aggression, violence, and street crime between people meaning a better capacity to cope with the daily demands. 

Going green creates a healthy living environment and also improves lifestyle. 

Reduce resources consumption and eliminate wastes.

Conserve natural resources and forests.

Maintain the natural ecological balance on earth so that all living things can survive and thrive in their natural habitat.

Use of fossil fuels like petroleum, natural gas, and coal, and burning wood produce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and many harmful chemicals that pollute the air and have serious consequences on environment and people's health.

Such measures can save lives, because air pollution has become "a major environmental health risk," according to the World Health Organization (WHO), that has led to the premature death of 3 million people. Decreasing air pollutants would reduce water pollution by decreasing acid rain and eutrophication that can harm to wildlife especially in aquatic environments, and crops and trees report Massachusetts' Department of Environmental Protection.

Save Biodiversity and Human Livelihoods.

These are just some of the importance of going green, there are countless more economic, environmental and personal benefits of going green and living a sustainable life. 

What Does Go Green Mean?

 Initially the term "go green" was used to mean recycling of waste. Nowadays, going green goes beyond the traditional definition of recycling goods; the term ‘to go green’ means much more than just recycling.

"Going green" means to pursue knowledge and practices that can lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles, which can help protect the environment and sustain its natural resources for current and future generations.

Going green means to live life in a way that is friendly to the environment and the earth as a whole. It could also mean contributing towards maintaining the natural ecological balance in the environment, and preserving the planet and its natural systems and resources. Overall, people who go green take steps to minimize the harm that they do to the environment, such as the carbon footprints they leave behind.

Carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organization, or community. 

Take a look at a definition from our The Seed of Life Instagram family. According to them this is what going green means:

@earthlabelapparel 

Going green to me means being able to live a life that supports more natural forms pf life. eg green mind, green clothing, green business, green housing etc. It is choosing better, that's what it means. 

@_real_rizwana

To me go green is preserving animals species home from harm or from being destroyed. I wouldn't want anything to happen to our home, so why would I want to hurt a creature who is unable to talk, to defend him/herself by destroying their home?

GO GREEN - An Introduction

 The term " Go Green " has been widely used since the early 2000's 

The term “go green” seems commonplace today, but the genesis of its mainstream appeal began when Jill Buck, mother of three, started the Go Green Initiative in 2002, according to a May 28, 2010 article by researcher, Rebekah Richards of Answerbag.com Rebekah Richards, Professional Research Staff for Answerbag.com.

In our new blog series we will be looking at what Go Green means and how we can all practice going green in our day-today activities. 

CONCLUSION

Environmental pollution is causing a lot of distress not only to humans but also animals, driving many animal species to endangerment and even extinction. Much is being done to control, monitor and rectify damage done by pollutants. The problems are diverse and some are only being recognized but it is important to keep a close control over pollutants so that we can maintain the environment in an acceptable condition for future generations.

Pollution must be taken seriously, as it has a negative effect on natural elements that are an absolute need for life to exist on earth, such as water and air. Indeed, without it, or if they were present in different quantities, animals – including humans – and plants could not survive.

" Environmental pollution is an incurable disease. It can only be prevented." 

~ Barry Commoner

PROTECTING NEW TREES

Planting trees is a major solution to combat deforestation. Anyone can plant trees, however trees just like any living organism needs love and care for it to grow and provide us with the infinite benefits.

In this chapter we will focus on taking care of new trees. Trees need to be protected from strong winds, snow, heat and sun, pests, among others. 

WIND PROTECTION

Depending on the type of tree, you may need to protect it during its first two years if it it sited in an open area exposed to prevailing winds. 

If it has a heavy or small canopy, loose rootball or has a large or bare root, newly plated tree may need temporary skating (support plant with stakes). If it seems to be necessary stake trees loosely and for only 6 months to a year. Tree trunk thicken and strengthen faster when they can move freely. 

An alternative to staking is screening. Fasten a length of burlap, snow fencing or commercial garden fabric such as shade cloth to post on the windy side of the tree about 6 feet from the trunk to divert strong wind yet allow air circulation around exposed trees, especially evergreens. 

HEAT AND SUN PROTECTION THROUGH SUMMER

Tree protectors, or tree tubes around each and every seedling helps in protecting them from day 1. They accelerate growth and protect your plants from animals and other plant destroying critters. Make sure to keep enough spacing between the tubes. 

Aggressive weeds, including grasses, will rob your seedlings of necessary moisture and nutrients. You can provide mechanical control with a hoes or weed eater, or chemical control with a contact herbicide. Keep at least a 3-feet radius weed free around your plants. 

Mulch shades the ground around your precious seedlings keeping the soil cool. It also suppresses thirsty weeds and traps moisture that would otherwise evaporate. Natural mulches such as bark, straw or leaves work well and break down into soil-building organic matter. In extremely dry areas, fabric weed mats work well to trap and hold moisture around the roots. 

Like humans, plants need a quality food source to stay healthy and reach their full potential. Proper fertilization encourages a strong root system that is more capable of utilizing available soil moisture than an underfed root system. Consider using manure-based organic fertilizers instead of traditional chemical fertilizers. 

SOIL PROTECTION

The health and longevity of all trees, but especially newly planted ones, is improved if the soil they grow in is improved. Mulching is an effective way to achieve that. However, make sure not to pile the mulch against the trunk. In the winter mulch insulates the soil against extreme temperature fluctuations that sometimes disturb tree roots and heave those of newly planted small trees out of the soil. Also make sure to replace depleted mulch regularly. 

PROTECTION FROM PEST

The tender bark of young trees is often damaged by critters. Both deer and rodents, such as mice, chew on it during the winter when other food sources are scarce. Deer also rub against young trees, abrading their bark.

Surround the thin trunks of newly planted trees with a tree shelter product. These tough covers fit loosely around whips and saplings as a barrier to protect the tree bark. Check periodically to make sure that trunk guards are not too tight. 

We appreciate all the feedback we received regarding this topic. Here is an amazing one share on our Twitter account: 

Soil, Water & Environmental Conservation Foundation - 

The easy way .if you have unity with communities members is easy because they will be watering them .that is when you have large number of trees planted.if few trees planted to manage them is easy by watering them during sunny days until the rains comes back. 

REASONS FOR PLANTING TREES

There are infinite amount of reasons for planting trees however, we are going to list some of the major ones :

• Trees improve air quality by producing oxygen. They also store carbon, offsetting harmful by products of fossil-fuel burning. 

• They moderate the effects of sun and wind, they clean the air by trapping dust, pollen and other pollutants. 

• Planted in the right places around buildings, trees can significantly reduce air-conditioning costs. Meaning less Freon (an inflammable and odorless chemical emitted from air conditioners) which is considered to have damaging effects to ozone layer.

• Trees generate jobs hence increasing the standard of living 

• Trees provide shelter and food for wildlife

• Landscape that includes trees help relax us, lower heart rater and reduce stress and anxiety 

• Trees regulate the water cycle. The water cycle is the process by which water falls to the ground as rain which is then absorbed by trees and other plants, then released back into the air. 

• Trees improve the soil quality. 

• Trees prevent soil erosion 

• Trees act as a food source

• As well as combating air pollution, trees have a role in combating the negative impact of noise pollution and light pollution.

• Trees fight climate change 

• Trees create a sense of place. Trees can give a place unique character and beauty that only can be found in that specific place. 

• Trees are an investment for our communities and for future generations

• Planting trees is a great way to add a touch of beautiful nature to your property and improve the aesthetics of a place. 

• Trees also trap dust in their leaves which helps with the overall health of an environment. Less dust means less respiratory issues. 

Here are contributions from The Seed of Life family on Facebook:

Leslie Shepherd -

To clean the air, provide shelter for insects and birds, lowers temperature around my house, preserves native species...

Maureen E Donovan- Mclaughlin -

To save our planet i.e. clean air, fertile soil, homes for wildlife and insects and to make our planet beautiful again. I want my descendants to have the joy of trees around them. I think that every older person should plant trees for posterity. I think that this quote says the best " The one who plants trees knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life" Rabindranath Tagore.

Crysta Enders Brock - 

So more birds have places to nest 

Jimmy Gatt -

A tree is "a meadow in the sky". You will get so much more nectar from a nectar bearing tree, with less effort, than you ever will by planting shrubs and forbs

Elaine Hines - 

Increased biodiversity, planting native trees 

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Part 8 : NGOs & DEFORESTATION

Leading environmental and humanitarian organizations are calling for efforts to combat climate change through fighting deforestation and its negative impacts. CARE and WWF are asking governments to ensure that benefits to the climate, biodiversity and people's wellbeing are fundamental efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. 

A number of NGOs set up fighting climate change and deforestation are proposing as set of principles for the government to adopt in their environmental activities and plans. However for such plans to be successful, the government needs a coordinated approach and practice transparency with NGOs. 

In our next chapter we will focus on short case studies looking at how some NGOs are helping combat deforestation. 

"Considering the common goals of companies, governments, and multi-stakeholder initiatives, it is imperative to identify opportunities for collaboration to harness synergies between initiatives and catalyze action" 

Deforestation PART 1: Definition

Deforestation the permanent removal, by either cutting down or uprooting, trees to make room for something besides forest.

You can see the word forest in deforestation. The prefix de- means "remove" and the suffix -ation signals the act or state of. So deforestation is the act of removing a forest.

On the other hand Reforestation is the regrowing of forest that have previously been cut down. Here you can see the prefix re- meaning "again" signaling the act of repeating what was or is there.

In the coming articles we shall be focusing on when deforestation started, the reasons for it, the pros and cons of deforestation and the ways we can use to reduce the negative effects or how we can accomplish reforestation.

"Humans are the only creatures in this world who cut down the trees, made paper from them and then wrote on these papers 'save trees' "

411 Apple Trees

• The apple tree originated in Central Asia. They have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe, and were brought to North America by European colonists. China is by far the largest apple producer.
• Apple are one of the most widely grown tree fruit. There are more than 8,000 varieties of apples – the largest variety of fruit to exist.
• Apple trees take 4 to 5 years to produce their first fruit.The apple tree generally standing 1.8 to 4.6 meters (6 to 15 feet) tall in cultivation and up to 12 meters (39 ft) in the wild. Life expectancy for apple tree is about 100 years.
• Apples can help you improve your memory. Most of the anti-oxidants in apples, are found in the skin. Apples can also help lower cholesterol levels.

Who loves Apples? My 2 year old does. Do your kids too?

Do you know anything more about Apples and Apple trees? We would love to hear from you!

411 Chestnut Trees

• There are 9 different species of chestnut native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
• The four main species are commonly known as European, Chinese, Japanese, and American chestnuts, some species called chinkapin or chinquapin.
• It has a lifespan of 200 to 800 years, depending on the species.
• The Hundred-Horse Chestnut is the largest and oldest known chestnut tree in the world. Located on Linguaglossa road in Sant’Alfio, on the eastern slope of Mount Etna in Sicily it is generally believed to be 2,000 to 4,000 years old.
• The nuts are an important food for jays, pigeons, wild boar, deer, and squirrels.
• Chestnut can be consumed raw, baked, boiled or roasted. It also can be dried and milled into flour, which can then be used to prepare breads, cakes, pies, pancakes, pastas, polenta or used as thickener for stews, soups, and sauces.

Use or Abuse of Farming?

"Green Movement" A Scam, 2020 Trend or Global Crisis," P.1

Bleak History or Future? P.2

In order to understand this article thoroughly, please review part 1 and 2. As we discussed in, Bleak History or Future, how America's waters, land, and air got damaged. I would like to outline a bit more detailed on machine usage in farming in this article.

While on the flip side, many countries such as Mexico, India, Pakistan, and majority African countries, were still using old methods of farming, (some areas still continue to use old method of farming), while majority of European countries and North America quickly adapted to machine use in the fields. 

The trend moved to machine use for several reasons: 

• Less men on the field =  Spend less $$$
• Faster work done
• Large acres got done faster
• Faster growth of crops

Putting all this on the table was helpful to farmers and agriculture. Many profit organizations wanted agriculture business as well. 

Abuse

• Various kinds of machines and instruments started appearing, which hurt the air with their fumes, noise pollution started, and hurt the crops as some machines worked while others failed. 
• Many options of pesticides were introduced, which again took the turn of hurting crops, animals, air, and water. 
• More land was provided for better "farming" more business, which took many forests out and took away homes of many animals ie bears, foxes, wolf, and majority of sea animals, just to name a few.
• Animal farming turned into business in itself, by feeding animals medication for strong, lean and muscular body organs, skinning started for clothes and accessories, teeth for jewelry and international trade, nails became status of the society, meat intake became wealthy symbol, hunting became a sport, and fighting animal to animal a game. 
• In the name of freedom, garbage was disposed by individuals, businesses, factories, farmers, and manufacturing plants into waters and land.

One so-called better opportunity for society became ten-fold steps backwards for the environment

Night Cycle of Trees

411:

• Trees not only release oxygen but also consume carbon dioxide.
• Trees perform photosynthesis during daylight hours. At night, they use oxygen and release carbon dioxide.

Sources

• McAliney, Mike. Arguments for Land Conservation: Documentation and Information Sources for Land Resources Protection, Trust for Public Land, Sacramento, CA, December 1993.
• Nowak, David J.; Hoehn, Robert; Crane, Daniel E. Oxygen Production by Urban Trees in the United States. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2007. 33(3):220–226.
• Stancil, Joanna Mounce. The Power of One Tree - The Very Air We Breathe. U.S. Department of Agriculture. March 17, 2015.
• Villazon, Luis. How many trees does it take to produce oxygen for one person? BBC Science Focus Magazine.
• ThoughtCo, Ph.D. Helmenstine, Anne Marie How Much Oxygen Does One Tree Produce?  November 19, 2019

Tree Location Fact: MN, USA

Location Fact:

Mean net annual oxygen production (after accounting for decomposition) per hectare of trees (100% tree canopy) offsets oxygen consumption of 19 people per year (8 people per acre of tree cover), but ranges from nine people per hectare of canopy cover (4 people/ac cover) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to 28 people/ha cover (12 people/ac cover) in Calgary, Alberta."

Sources

• McAliney, Mike. Arguments for Land Conservation: Documentation and Information Sources for Land Resources Protection, Trust for Public Land, Sacramento, CA, December 1993.
• Nowak, David J.; Hoehn, Robert; Crane, Daniel E. Oxygen Production by Urban Trees in the United States. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2007. 33(3):220–226.
• Stancil, Joanna Mounce. The Power of One Tree - The Very Air We Breathe. U.S. Department of Agriculture. March 17, 2015.
• Villazon, Luis. How many trees does it take to produce oxygen for one person? BBC Science Focus Magazine.
• ThoughtCo, Ph.D. Helmenstine, Anne Marie How Much Oxygen Does One Tree Produce?  November 19, 2019

Global Census of Tree Species

In April 2017, the results of a "huge scientific effort" were published in the Journal of Sustainable Forestry, along with a searchable online archive called GlobalTreeSearch.

The scientists all over the world worked hard for this effort to compile the data as accurately as possible. These scientists are frok all backgrounds such as but not limited to: museums, botanical gardens, agricultural centers and other sources, and concluded there are 60,065 tree species currently known to science. 

These numbers and species globally range from from Abarema abbottii, a vulnerable limestone-bound tree found only in the Dominican Republic, to Zygophyllum kaschgaricum, a rare and poorly understood tree native to China and Kyrgyzstan.

The Power of a Single Tree

When we see trees, we as human beings, don't even think twice about the effects of these green leafy bulky living creatures. 

Just take a moment and think about it? Have you ever wondered why the air is thinker, denser, fresh, mold, or polluted, is different at various places? 

The amount of oxygen produced by a single tree depends on several factors such as but not limited to: location, type of species, number of the family, soil, age, health, weather/season, and environmental surroundings in overall (buildings, manufacturing plants, beach, mountains, etc).

Here are some interesting facts to acknowledge:

• A full mature tree produces as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year. 
• A single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 pounds per year.
• A full grown mature tree can release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support two human beings.
• One acre of trees annually consumes the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to that produced by driving an average car for 26,000 miles.
• An acre of trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people to breathe for a year.
• A tree that average measure of 100-foot tree, 18 inches diameter at its base, produces average of 6,000 pounds of oxygen.
• On average, one tree can produce nearly upto 260 pounds of oxygen each year. 

Sources

• McAliney, Mike. Arguments for Land Conservation: Documentation and Information Sources for Land Resources Protection, Trust for Public Land, Sacramento, CA, December 1993.
• Nowak, David J.; Hoehn, Robert; Crane, Daniel E. Oxygen Production by Urban Trees in the United States. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2007. 33(3):220–226.
• Stancil, Joanna Mounce. The Power of One Tree - The Very Air We Breathe. U.S. Department of Agriculture. March 17, 2015.
• Villazon, Luis. How many trees does it take to produce oxygen for one person? BBC Science Focus Magazine.
• ThoughtCo, Ph.D. Helmenstine, Anne Marie How Much Oxygen Does One Tree Produce?  November 19, 2019

Bleak History or Future?

In the last post, "Green Movement" A Scam, 2020 Trend or Global Crisis, we stated in order to understand the actual definition, we need to look at the history. So without further delay let's go back in time!

Around 1492 and 1502, Columbus discovered America, per Wikipedia, Voice of America, and many other sources. Yet due to the size of the continent, people, and land, The New World, was itself strange to explorers of that time, especially to the European explorers. 

When European people started migrating to America's, they found Native Americans to be different in many aspects such as their language, dress, skin color, body types, beliefs, food, and etc.  Native Americans have been living on this land for 1,000's of years if not 10,000's of years, historically speaking, but the way they lived was completely different from Europeans. They relied heavily on taking care of the land, air and water. To many Native Americans tribes, their belief was (is) if you hurt/damage the nature, you are hurting the dead/spirits, because when one dies, their body becomes part of nature. 

In British, the belief and the norm was different; human beings are on the top of the chain. Human beings have the power to do whatever they want, which is true, but with every action there is a reaction. They migrated to Americas and took over without learning how to handle the new land. Slavery was brought over to do menial and labor jobs, Manufacturing took over, factories started popping all over without proper regulations, and before long cars took over the country. 

As there is a saying, we all learn from our mistakes, after all we are just human beings, not gods. Before the laws got enforced, our waters were already damaged with garbage, oil spills, manufacturing wastes,  and to make matters worse, huge organizations started lobbying protection against the nature in the name of creating jobs, cheap products, and "throw away after one use."

We let that slide and now so much of our environment has become extremely damaged, which is negatively effecting the air we breath, the foods we eat (especially sea food), moreover, we have taken everything for granted without realizing what we have today may not be there tomorrow. 

The Seed of Life® Goals

Many of us become the victims of depression, anxiety, outcast within our family members, and most of all alone, confused and hurt. When we started The Seed of Life®, we realized, each of us are broken, but that doesn't necessarily mean we bleed on Earth by destroying bit by bit.

Instead of bleeding, we united with each other and started creating a small path of difference in our lives to make path of better future. We don't like to "die" or be forgotten, while still being alive.

We want to live, make a difference, and whoever is forgotten or "dead" we would like to pay respect and attributes to them by respectfully planting a tree in their memory. Keep their legacy alive for next generation(s) to come!!!

The Seed of Life® is committed to Restore Nature | Plant Trees | Honor a Life | Give Hope | Leave a Living Legacy