In March the first real warmth of the year swept through the Midwest and the dormant grass greened up before our eyes. The daffodils already in bloom were suddenly shouting for attention, and the crocus and Scilla appeared where moments earlier there were none. In the marsh, spring peepers felt the warmth and raised their voices to a fevered pitch. The first of the tree swallows appeared overhead and joined the orchestra of redwings and thrashers and phoebes already assembled. In another moment the maple flowers flung open and bees came to collect the sweetness and dapple pollen on receptive stigmas. On the woodland floor the wild garlic sprouted, and a fragrance rose from the duff and drifted in the warm air, and it was the smell of richness and an impending explosion of life.
With spring comes a sensory overload and nowhere is it better observed than in wildness. Last week I ran across a couple maps comparing the landscape of Indiana in 1820 with 2001. In 1820 the state was 88% forested, 9% wetland, and 3% dry prairie. A mere 181 years later, about 75% of forests and wetlands had been converted to agriculture and urban development. It’s an incredible shift in land use, especially considering that bulldozers weren’t around until the 1920’s. It speaks to the fortitude and determination of our predecessors, their drive to carve out a life in a land of limitless resources and opportunity. And here we are today, occupying a dramatically different landscape, wrapped in comforts, conveniences, and gadgetries far beyond anyone living in 1820 could have dreamed. And here we are, at a point where natural resources once viewed limitless are clearly limited, yet we hold fast to an economic equation that consumes more resources each year than the earth can replenish. Every day we harvest and mine and process new raw materials, manufacture goods, and generate megatons of waste to satisfy a throw-away society while atmospheric carbon continues to climb.
For the moment, if we overlook endless wars, a divided electorate, a governmental coup, a shameful distribution of wealth, a constitutional crisis, an attack on civil rights and personal privacy, a broken tax code and other societal grievances, humanity still faces a dire future. The ecological services that allow our existence are under imminent threat. We’re in a world of hurt, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and hopeless. But then there’s Annie.
She’s forty-something, an entrepreneur, a doctor, a mother, a wife, a lover of music and art and animals, looking at the world with open eyes and with a smile as broad and reliable as the Mississippi. She knows what to expect, and it includes inevitable discomfort and hardship. She’s preparing, by connecting to like minds, by living simply, learning and practicing self sufficiency, by being poised for a time when bartering and resource sharing will again be commonplace. She doesn’t see a doomed future but a coming opportunity, where outdated and unsustainable practices and systems are retooled for the 21st century and beyond; a world that embraces a circular economy with near-zero waste, clean energy, and an emphasis on local production. Growth and prosperity are not lost in such a world, but nothing is manufactured or built that can’t be recycled or readily repaired or repurposed.
The transition won’t be quick or smooth but Annie knows she’s not alone. Her views are shared by a groundswell of others, many who are actively preparing by developing skills, living minimally, and reevaluating long held norms. “It’s liberating,” the practitioners say, “good for the psyche and good for the soul.”
Not everyone agrees with Annie, but everyone, knowingly or unknowingly, plays a role in how humanity will respond to the threat of ecological collapse. And everyone falls into one or more camps:
Concerned, but trusting technology to come to the rescue.
Apathetic, with more important things to think about.
Complicit, for refusing to get involved and demand change.
Skeptical, and not convinced the threat is real.
Paranoid and paralyzed by a sense of helplessness.
Destitute, and feeling unable to contribute in a meaningful way.
Financially fit, and enjoying the comforts of money too much to change a thing.
Old, and content to pass the problem onto the next generation.
Young, and ill informed.
Spiritually faithful, and willing to accept man’s destruction of earth as part of a divine plan.
Indignant, and blaming the republicans.
Indignant, and blaming the democrats.
Indignant, and ready to defend personal stockpiles.
There’s magic in the first warm days of spring, and it offers another chance to get things right. The plants and pollinators and songbirds have perfected their routines, while the most advanced animal on the planet lumbers on towards self destruction. We’re all contributing to a collective destiny and most of us are wearing blinders. Annie has a plan. It’s idealistic and faces formidable challenges but it’s viable and offers a genuine window of hope.
You go, Annie. Lead the way.