On a beautiful, sunny, warm day in Denver, I lay atop a beach towel, which lies atop a hearty, thick, green grass. Surrounding me on all sides are purple and white clovers; hundreds, perhaps thousands, of clovers. And buzzing among all these clovers…are BEES! Pollen-drunk, yet oh-so-hard-at-work HONEY BEES! I’m in a state of amazement and awe. Who tells the bees to furiously buzz from clover to clover? What motivates them to nestle their cute, pointy little faces into each crevice of a clover? What keeps them so incredibly focused at work? Really! What?! Fast forward to today. How incredibly serendipitous this singular experience has become. You see, just today, I learned that this week, June 15 through June 21, is National Pollinator Week! And, I’m kind of late to the game; the U.S. Senate unanimously approved this dedication 8 flippin' years ago! [Uh.. Rumpelstiltskin syndrome, Vanessa?] For environmentalists, activists for climate change awareness, farmers and beekeepers all around, it is no surprise that the sharp and steady decline of our pollinators is a serious and scary trend. Upon arriving to my office this Monday morning, still abuzz from Mother Nature’s gift the day prior, I found three seed packets meticulously fanned out upon my team’s revered candy box (yes, it is labeled as such). ‘What’s this?’ I ask. Why it’s Burpee’s Bee Garden of course! Apparently, in addition to the Senate’s Pollinator Week, last year, President Obama directed all federal agencies to help mitigate our nation’s food security problem by – none other – conserving the birds and the bees (and butterflies, bats, etc.)! The back of this seed packet is signed by Sally Jewell, the Secretary of the Interior, George Ball, Chairman and CEO of Burpee [hmm… I wonder what his stance is on GMOs…], and Thomas Vilsake, Secretary of Ag at the USDA. This is a donated package of seeds, which were specifically chosen to help our pollinators. Please excuse my shock while my brain wrestles with the thought that something I care for so deeply is also shared by the leaders that govern the U.S. economy. “Did you know that every third bite of food we eat is due to pollinators?” This is a question -- admittedly thought-provoking -- listed on the back of my Burpee’s Bee Garden seed packet. Slowly, things were beginning making a bit more sense. And then, suddenly, it HIT me!!! Think about it! Every third bite? Ok! One bite, two bites, three bites – thank you, Mister Big Ag! Four bites, five bikes, six bites – much obliged, Madame Monsanto. According to WhiteHouse.gov: “Insect pollination is integral to food security in the United States. Honey bees enable the production of at least 90 commercially grown crops in North America. Pollinators contribute more than 24 billion dollars to the United States economy.” So, hmm... we've got...
To me, all of this conjures up just one word: ugh. Veritably, there are many other sources that scoff at the ‘every third bite’ reference. In fact, it’s a rather humorously refuted by an analysis from the U.S.’s own Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which concluded that just 8% of food produced in industrialized nations was attributed to animal pollination. Yeah, so, like...dude? What happened to 33.3%? Guys. Clarifying these statistics does not degrade the huge significance of pollination. The efforts – government or private – are notable. As EFFORTS, they ARE notable. The intentions, I think, are what I suspect. So, what then?! What’s the point of all this? How about we just take a moment, perhaps 50 minutes, to lay in the grass (don’t worry!!! You can have a towel between you and the grass [and all the grass dwellers, including spiders, ants, bees, things your eye can’t even see…]). But how about… lay there; be peaceful; breath in the air; observe the environment, the nature, the ecosystem, the lives that exist all around us. For they exist ALL the time. They have been and they continue to do things for our earth, for us, that (in the very LEAST) we ought to recognize. Let us regard with amazement. Let us say thanks. And some day -- SOME DAY -- we may be able to say sorry. That is all. I think. For now ;) Hare are some other resources I perused to gather some thoughts and data referenced in the blog:
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Yeah that’s right. Par-taaay! A big ol’ PITY party. Yesss. This party has everything! Face-squirming sobs. Napping in contorted, fetus-like positions. Brief moments of cursing the world and all of its false hopes. Lions. Tigers. Bears. (Oh my!) [***Reader: For maximum appreciation, it is highly recommended you watch a few SNL Weekend Updates with Stefon.]
Bonus! This party also includes alcohol, popcorn and an ABC Family or Lifetime movie that is guaranteed to invoke a profuse amount of crying. [Note: during a normal state of mind, said movie typically causes an audible “Ugh,” followed by a swift and absolute channel change.] Invites sent: 1. Number of confirmed attendees: 1. #hmph Ohhh kayyy. So, why all wallowing? Well guys, I just received notice that I did not get a job. This is a job I dedicated several hours and days toward crafting both the application material, AND a detailed project they subsequently requested in order to narrow the applicant pool from over 100 to just 15. And guess what? I was offered an interview! I made it to the top four!! Alas, I didn’t get the job. #CRUSHED. And to boot, I really really wanted the job. And I know I’d be great at it. As per typical Vanessa protocol, in less than 24 hours of receiving this unfortunate news, I’ve already gone through several stages of emotion. The first stage, of course, is the “Woe, is me” pity party. But I’ve departed from that. I’m now in the “Lemons/Lemonade” stage. [Between these, of course, you’ll also find the “Screw those guys; they don’t even KNOW!” and the “Jam-out-to-loud-music-and-workout-until-I’m-too-exhausted-and-sleepy-to-care” stages). So, lemons? Rejection is never fun, nor easy (especially for a particularly perfectionist gal such as me). But it is never ever a reason to stop doing what is most important to you, nor to stop searching for a way to do it even better. There’s a quote from a pretty cool guy that seems fitting here. Maybe you’ve heard it? “I’ve failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed” - Michael Jordan. But, hold on. Wait a minute, Mister Jordan! You are a hero! You are an All-Star! You’ve gone down in history in the history of basketball players! When you talk about your failures here, you’re doing that in retrospect; from the perspective of an outrageously successful pro ball player!! So there’s a bit of a difference. The average person is not going to reach such success and fame for what they know and love. I’m certainly glad people can find inspiration from these kinds of quotes. In fact, very recently, while spending a small but cherished morning with my dad, I also learned that the book of proverbs can be used to serve a similar purpose. Here, people will selectively pluck out a proverb for their daily inspiration, moral lesson, or even bumper sticker. Snippets of hope. Morsels of morality. Words of wisdom. But there’s a difference between taking a few inspirational words and clumping them together from, well, from where I stand today. Don’t get me wrong, I once found comfort in these sorts of quotes and proverbs too. But now… now it’s different. The difference? I can’t speak for everyone. But the difference with me is that I’ve got THINGS to do. I don’t have time to wallow (beyond 24-hours, that is) in self-pity! The earth is overpopulated; it is infested. Our climate is shifting. Dramatically. The time we’ve got is not a lot. So I must remember my own ‘pillars of faith’ as I journey my way into a career of environmental sustainability:
And this is what pushes me forward. In the words of a very wise and very dear friend of mine, “Yeah, not getting something that you know you'd be amazing for really feels like caca... [but] you are doing everything in your power to change your situation and that in itself is AMAZING.” Thank you, Miss Lisa Carol Farwell, my best friend since first grade, my comrade and compatriot who knows me inside and out, and my All-Star heroine (by the way, she, too, is doing everything in her power to change her situation). p.s. I have another interview for another great organization next week. Stay tuned. |
AuthorVanessa Ann, a writer and environmentalist. She possesses a Master of Applied Science in Environmental Policy & Management from the University of Denver. Her writing, at times, can be... a little sarcastic with just a dash of snarky. Archives
June 2019
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Vanessa is also a long-time contributing author (and former President) for the Sustainability Alliance of the University of Denver. Check out her published newsletters here: Some Say the Debate is Over. Yet the Heat Won’t Seem to Go Away, November 2016 Corn. It’s In Everything & It’s No Bueno for the Environment, February 2016 The Pursuit of Sustainability, August 2015 |
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