Sustainable Christmas - a Vermont folk tale
by BernieThe young boy of nearly twelve years of age reached into his pocket to count the savings from his days' work. Nearly three dollars, not bad he thought, for an afternoon of raking leaves, weeding a marigold bed, and listening to old man Jones talk endlessly about farming and the hard work entailed in working and sustaining the land.
He wondered where the reminiscent neighbor had
farmed, given his city yard. The small lot hosted many wildflowers, as well as
annuals, a hedge of lilacs as purple as his teenage sister’s bedroom walls, and
a cherry tree which in spring offered tart yet slightly sweet cherries-if you
beat the chipmunk to them. The elderly man assured the boy that the hundreds
of species planted in his yard, especially the native plants, were beneficial to wildlife and people alike.
All this is crammed into less than one acre.
The evergreens - the cedar hedge, the patches of yew,
the hemlock scattered over the bank and along the Centennial
Brook running beyond the house, and a few blue spruce, scotch pine, along
with the oak, white, and river
birch, not only provided food for birds,
chipmunks, squirrels, and other creatures, but also provided accommodating and
sustainable homes for them.
He used the word 'sustainable' a lot. Like when he
bragged about his raised bed gardens and his endless efforts of amending soil
using homegrown compost. A few times a
week the young boy would ride his bicycle to Starbucks to collect used coffee
grounds, and cart them back in a milk crate attached to the back of his
bike. Watching the old man mix the
grounds with sand was like watching his (the boy's) mom mix dough for pie crust.
His hands reached into the mix up to his forearms
quickly blending the ingredients making the soil dark and loamy looking. Next,
he dumped the mixture on top of old editions of The Other Paper and cardboard within an empty raised bed. Once the
bed was full, the mixture sits for a year while organisms decomposed the organic
matter, helping to transform nutrients into minerals plants could use, and
improving soil structure for less compaction and better air and water movement.
Mom makes pies; Mr. Jones helps make a living ecosystem to grow flowers and
food.
By December, the young man now twelve years old had
acquired a sense of duty, a moral compass of sorts, to live sustainably. His mentor had created a moral context for
action. It was too cold to amend soil; the ground was nearly frozen. Reaching
once again into his pocket to count his savings, now a robust forty-five
dollars, he considered buying a real Christmas tree for his mentor.
Arriving at the Christmas tree stand, he heard the
ringing bell of a Salvation Army volunteer sitting placidly on a chair next to
a red bucket for holding donations. This image framed the decision of how to make his
earnings most sustainable - into a larger context. His savings would not
purchase a renewable resource (Christmas tree); instead, he would support a living ecosystem of
sorts - the Salvation Army and its beneficiaries.
On the way home, the young man spotted a scotch-pine
tree branch with a pine-cone attached, lying on the ground.
The old man was delighted with the gift, placing it on his kitchen window, expressing the joy this Christmas tree conveyed to him.
Merry Christmas!
Other relevant reading.
What does Sustainability mean?
From Growth Capitalism to Sustainable Capitalism: The Next 20 Years of Sustainable Investing.
Institute for Sustainable Communities.
UVM Office of Sustainability
Shelburne Farms Educating for a Sustainable Future.
Other relevant reading.
What does Sustainability mean?
From Growth Capitalism to Sustainable Capitalism: The Next 20 Years of Sustainable Investing.
Institute for Sustainable Communities.
UVM Office of Sustainability
Shelburne Farms Educating for a Sustainable Future.
Great story. Merry Christmas Bernie.
ReplyDeleteoh that is a wonderful tale... a merry Christmas to you, Bernie
ReplyDeleteA Wonderful Story! I read it out loud to Mom, she said, it is a wonder, well written story, that sounds very familiar. I love the little tidbits of connection to the family. I definitely did not get any literature skills.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Bernie.