Protecting Mother Earth

Respecting Mother Earth

I was born from you and you are always present, offering me everything I need for my nourishment and growth. My mother, my father and all my ancestors are also your children. We breathe your fresh air. We drink your clear water, we eat your nourishing food. Your herbs heal us when we’re sick.

You are the mother of all beings.

For us to survive, both as individuals and as a species, we need a revolution in consciousness. It can start with our collective  awakening. Looking deeply, with mindfulness and concentration, we can see that we are the Earth and, with this insight, love and understanding will be born.

From “The Love Letter To the Mother Earth” by Thich Nhat Hanh

Our teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, teaches us that the interconnected nature of all gives us a clear understanding of human relationships with the Earth and with all beings. The health and well-being of all are the health and well-being of each one of us. Respecting and protecting other beings is therefore our everyday practice.  

The surrounding landscape is mainly mixed forest or coniferous forest. Deer, wild turkeys, a variety of song birds, hawks, eagles, leopard frogs, garden snakes, rabbits, small rodents and many other animals have been seen on the property. The South Saugeen River is home to ducks, geese, herons, beavers, fish amongs other animals.

In the light of interbeing understanding, to protect human life we all need to respect nature and all beings in the mineral, vegetal and animal worlds.

1.  Respecting and protecting the mineral world

The passing of the South Saugeen River on the property reminds us of our dependence on the water, the soil and the air. 

Short and long-term actions to protect the water, the soil and air:

  • Making and maintaining trails to protect the river’s edge from human foot traffic.
  • Maintaining the water quality of the South Saugeen River by avoiding, as much as possible, the use of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides on the agricultural land and the gardens.
  • Avoiding the use of products which are harmful to the environment, including road salt in the winter. 
  • Carefully selecting the eco-friendly products or homemade detergents/soap for use in the community.  

2.  Respecting and protecting plants and trees

Maintaining the diversity of plants, flowering fruit trees, and monitoring the spread of invasive species such as garlic mustards, ragweeds, hawthorn trees or other possible invasive plants or trees.

2.1  Short and long-term actions to protect plants and trees

  • Many hawthorn trees, highly adaptable species, are in the abandoned apple orchard. The apple trees need to be pruned and trimmed to provide a better yield and to be healthier in order to compete with the hawthorn trees.
  • As well, some cedar, spruce trees, natural fruit trees, and hardwood tree seedlings can be planted in the area where hawthorn trees are dominant.
  • If necessary, some hawthorn trees may be cut down to give space to make trails accessible for walking meditation.

2.2  Control invasive species

There are some small areas of invasive garlic mustard, dandelion and hawthorn trees. We do not know the wetland areas on the other side of the river. These invasive plants and trees can be controlled by mechanical or biological methods.

Mechanical control methods:

Our goal is to prevent seed production in order to deplete their seed bank. In general, it is best to remove the invasive plants early in the season, before they begin to flower. No matter what method we choose and whether we have few or many plants, follow-up control is critical.

  • Pulling and digging: Many herbaceous plants and some woody species (up to about one inch in diameter), if present in limited quantities, can be pulled out or dug up. It’s important to remove as much of the root system as possible; even a small portion can restart the infestation. 

It’s easiest to undertake this type of control in the spring or early summer when soils are moist and plants come out more easily. Pulling and digging can create a significant amount of site disturbance, which can lead to rapid reinvasion if not handled properly.

  • Suffocation: If a large area of infection were found, it could be covered under a double layer of thick plastic sheet for at least two years. Once the plastic is removed, a cover crop such as annual rye to prevent new invasion can be planted.
  • Cutting or mowing: This technique is best suited for locations that can be visited and treated often. The goal is to interrupt the plant’s ability to photosynthesize by removing as much leafy material as possible. Eventually the plants will exhaust their reserves and die. 

Disposal:

Disposal is important. If plants are cut or pulled when seed pods are just forming, seeds will continue ripening. We do not compost them and do not leave them on the ground. We can solarize viable plant material by placing it in a sealed plastic bin and leaving it in direct sunlight for 1-3 weeks. This way, the material will be fully transformed. It will have dried and can be burned, and the seeds will not be spread by birds. 

Biological control methods: 

For a large population of invasive species, biological control is more sustainable than mechanical control methods. The host-specific natural enemies (insects, plants) will be selected and introduced to the invaded area. The aim is to reduce the established populations of the invasive species and to re-establish the ecological balance. 

The lists of the agents for specific invasive species can be found on Ontario websites.

3.  Low maintenance lawn

This is a very important practice for the community as there are many large areas of cut green grass on the property.   

Due to the maintenance of traditional lawns, many species have been made extinct very quickly. We do not want to endanger any visible or non visible beings.

The standard grass lawns are very tough for the environment. Due to the use of lawn mowers, biodiversity is decreased and greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, noise pollution are increased.

Also the more frequently a lawn is disturbed through cutting, the higher the likelihood of pests and weed invasion such as ragweed.

In addition, the lawn mowing increases the pollen load in the air and therefore increases the severity of hay fever symptoms. Some small animals like mice, garden snakes, hedgehogs are often killed directly by the blades of mowers no matter how slowly they are pushed. 

Because of these main reasons, the existing green grass will be replaced over the years by different low-maintenance lawn alternatives:

  • Ornamental grasses
  • Ninebark
  • Moss in shaded areas near the tall trees or on the north side.
  • Edible herb Sweet woodruff 
  • Red creeping thyme
  • Chamomile
  • Lavender 
  • Red or Dutch Clover lawn

The insects serve a critical function as pollinators. By increasing the diversity of the plants on the lawn, we increase the hospitality of the environment for insects like bees, beetles, and butterflies. This, in turn, has a positive effect on the food supply chain for birds and small mammals.

4.  Respecting and protecting the animals

  • Maintaining the diversity of the trees and shrubs to provide habitat for the wildlife.
  • Leaving their natural habitats undisturbed.
  • Improving the diversity of wildlife in their natural environment.
  • Protecting the population of different birds.

Short and Long-term actions:

  • No hunting, fishing, trapping is allowed on the property, or any other activities such as making loud noises, traffic, snowmobiles, and walking on undesignated areas that may scare the animals.
  • We need to be cleaning woody debris and removing some deadwood from the forest floor but leaving some as a habitat for small animals and insects. 
  • We also will provide bird nesting boxes for natural bird species.

5.  Waste management

We are aware that food is a gift of the universe and much hard work by so many people. Keeping this awareness alive helps us to respect food and not to waste food. 

All organic wastes including unused food, mulched grass, dead leaves are to be composted to fertilize the vegetable gardens.

At the centre, we make the effort to reduce the household waste. 

We follow the common practices of 3Rs: reusing, reducing and recycling:

  • Using reusable bags, reusable containers 
  • Avoiding the use of plastic wrap, zip bags, single- use wipes, containers, bags, plastic water bottles, coffee cups, cutlery etc.
  • Paperless billing 

Therefore, the main source of waste is food packaging materials. To reduce the packaging waste and follow a healthy diet, the community will buy foods in bulk and avoid processed foods as much as possible.

Sangha friends and visitors are asked to participate in the 3Rs practice also.

All visitors are asked to bring their own handkerchief, hand and face towels. With this small effort from everyone, we can reduce a lot of paper waste, napkins, paper towels, especially in the time of Covid 19 with frequent hand washing.

6.  Homemade Eco-friendly products:

We have tried out some homemade dish detergent and soap, and all purpose cleaner. Due to the simplicity of the community life these products serve our purposes. Other products used at the centre are environmentally friendly ones, including products without testing on animals, such as Pink Solution Essential Paste. If you come across better products, please share with us. We appreciate your help with this effort. 

Below are some formulas of the homemade soap/ detergents that work well.

6.1  All-purpose cleaner 

Life at the centre is simple. We can use homemade all-purpose cleaner for all cleaning tasks.

Formula for All-Purpose Cleaner formula:

  • Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda into 1/2 gallon (2 liters) of water.
  • Use for removal of water deposit stains on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures, windows, bathroom mirrors, etc.

6. 2  Dish-washing Detergent

Before loading the dirty dishes into the machine, they should be rinsed well. The detergent works very well. 

Formula to make 1 liter of dish-washing detergent:

  • Add two teaspoons of liquid dish detergent and four teaspoons of baking powder into one liter of warm water.
  • Shake while mixing.
  • Each time you do a load, fill up the cup of the dishwasher with the solution. It works like a charm.