How would a sage care for the planet?
April has already begun and I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about the habit I would like to develop in pursuit of a more sagely existence. First, let’s recap what was said in the inaugural Year of Sagely Living post:
April - Large Intestine, Mao 卯 (Rabbit) - Care of the planet/consumption: This category will contain practices that develop us into compassionate and sane consumers, while helping to develop our deep relationship with the natural world. Why this pairing? April is a time when we can see the beauty of nature all around us, so is a great time to contemplate our dependence on it and responsibility towards it. Also, the negative side of LI/Rabbit is a tendency to run rough-shod over the needs and wants of others, these practices will seek to counterbalance this.
My lifestyle is already very much concerned with what I would call “compassionate consumerism,” which is to say that I consider the human and non-human ramifications of my actions every time I buy, consume or discard something. I recycle about 20 times more than I throw away, my version of whole-foods veganism lives lightly on the planet, I use my own two feet and public transportation most of the time, so on and so forth. Looking for a way to leave the planet in better shape than I found it has been a sort of part-time job of mine. So, figuring out an excellent practice for April’s Year of Sagely Living both had more weight and seemed more challenging.
At the end of March, I really took some time to review the whole Year of Sagely Living project. I have a passion for personal development, and my thoughts and actions naturally tend in this direction. However, “regular” personal development is not what my schooling, future career, and this blog are really about! The point is to look at categories of practice that seem to be aligned with the essence of Chinese medical philosophy, live by them, and analyze the results. The hypothesis is that these practices, particularly when they are very deeply rooted in Chinese medical philosophy, will be productive of excellent human beings. What I’m getting to here is that I want to be sure that I stay connected to the aim of reaching back to the ancient wisdom.
So, when considering my April YSL goal, I really tried to consider what kind of practice I could do that would bring me in line with the overall aim of the project. I’ve decided, with my family, to try to grow as much of our produce as possible in our backyard. I have been trying for a long time to develop the habit of growing food. We have beautiful houseplants and have managed to grow some excellent flowers, shrubs and trees in our yard. We have several fruit trees, raspberry bushes, and now a strawberry patch. We have had a container garden on our back stoop for two years running that was mildly successful. Now we have the space and the desire to really make a push and create a beautiful, bountiful space to provide our fruit and vegetable needs and we should use it.
This goal is ideal in a number of respects. First, it really brings us into line with our desire to buy the majority of our food locally. We shop at our local coop which has this goal as one of its goals, so we generally eat food that comes from pretty close to home. However, growing it in our yard would take that to another level. Eating locally is one of the greatest things you can do to reduce your environmental impact, as it reduces theamounto of petroleum used to get you the things you eat. It has a number of residual benefits as well, such as strengthening the local economy. We are making an attempt to make this even more petroleum-neutral by using public transportation when we can to get things for our garden, sharing some supplies (and their transportation) with a garden-savvy friend, etc…
Another reason why this goal is ideal for the YSL is that it connects the two vital practices of interacting with nature and ensuring the viability of our ecosphere. Chinese medicine has nature observation and contemplation at its root. Watching the cycle of growth, death, and rebirth will certainly deepen my understanding of this root. Third, there are a number of health benefits involved in growing a significant portion of our food. Micro-agriculture seems to yield more Qi-laden veggies, having lots of veggies around will promote us to eat them more often and the work itself (when done mindfully) can be tremendously good exercise. Finally, I really believe that interacting with nature on this level will confer some spiritual benefits - improving my general level of personal cultivation.
Some details:
- We will be growing the following: two kinds of kale, two kinds of chard, two kinds of lettuce, lots of tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, summer squash, delicata squash, cucumbers, spicy peppers, chicory, carrots, fennel, basil, oregano and maybe a couple of other herbs. I will be seeking out Chinese herbs to grow as well. I know our local Classical Chinese Garden sometimes has plant sales.
- We will be using all organic soil amendments and pest control.
- We will not be using any machines in creation of the garden.
- We will be using heirloom varieties whenever possible, open pollinated.
- We will be using raised beds created from recycled wood (left in our yard by the landlord) or FCS certified wood
I will discuss the particulars of my experience and probably even find a way to post pictures of the garden as it grows. This will obviously be more than a month, but I will use my Year of Sagely Living intensity to really engage in the process of setting up the garden and getting it in the ground and then do periodic reports as time goes on. I can’t wait to hear about other people’s April Year of Sagely Living goals!
Eric
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Tags: chinese-herb, chinese-herbs, environment, environmentalism, garden, habits, nature, organic, Personal Development, Year of Sagely Living
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