Using Private Money to Capture Rain and Sustain the Earth

If I had plenty of money in the world and I wanted to help protect the earth for future generations (and mine), what would I do? I would start with water, then look at air and soil - the three elements most supportive of human life. I would look to see what projects I could carry out that would support all three elements, for maximum effectiveness. I would take action myself without waiting for some person or law to force me into it, and if I could get other people involved, either benefitting or educating them as well, I would choose those over actions I can take only for myself.

With a background in water conservation and environmental protection I already had a pretty good idea, so I identified three such projects, all of which are described below: 1) plant groves of trees, 2) grow food locally, and 3) create parks in low income areas.

All three of these projects benefit water, air, and soil, and they all three have an uplifting effect on humanity in whatever locations they are carried out.

I would plant as many trees native to the area as I could - in my yard first, then in my business landscape if I have one, then out in the community. Trees provide moisture in the air that helps attract rain and rain clears the air. With their crown, leaves, and trunk, trees capture rain when it falls and directs it down to the ground. From there it sinks down through the intricate mesh of tunnels dug by the tree's roots, feeding the soil-creating microbes underground and helping the earth to absorb rainwater, even as some of it feeds the tree.

Trees provide the oxygen we breathe. Through their own breathing process, which is opposite to ours, they breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, removing carbon dioxide from the air. By shading the earth so it doesn't heat up as much from the sun, they also cool the air.

Planting trees is one of the most important things we can do to improve the long term quality of our air, whereas cutting down trees is the worst. Since they are the best carbon dioxide air cleaner we have, when there is an excess of CO2 in the air as we have now, we need more trees not fewer.

In addition to water, tree roots provide passage for air into the soil, at least near the service where the aerobic bacteria live that start the decomposition process. This supports colonies of microorganisms, small insects, and small invertebrates (worms) that help break down the old leaves and other tree discards into healthy soil (compost). A healthy tree provides shelter and food for birds and animals (fauna) and smaller plants growing near it. As the soil improves, so does the health of the tree and its fruits and those who feed from them.

I would choose trees that were native, so I know they will thrive under the weather conditions in my area and not need much care, further conserving energy for me and my landscaper. I would also want them to support local fauna, which foreign trees do not. Some of them I would plant strategically, near enough to shade the building so I can conserve electricity in summer that would otherwise be used in cooling.

Of course, whatever services trees provide in my area, they will also provide wherever they are planted, so I would give money in donations to tree-planting projects near where I live, and to forest preservation and replanting projects elsewhere - all money well spent that can help with improving water, air and soil.

By growing and sharing local organic food, either in my own yard or via a community garden, I could help to increase the health of the soil and the health of the community around me. I would encourage family, friends, and neighbors to do the same, which would end up decreasing the amount of food needed from other countries. That reduced long distance transportation will cause a related decrease in truck, train, and airplane emissions, which in turn would help clean the air.

By composting and using my own organic wastes, instead of throwing them in the trash, I will save room in landfills and help prevent contamination there. In my garden the compost will make the soil fluffier, letting water be absorbed more easily. By composting instead of grinding kitchen waste in the disposal, I also save a ton of water. And, of course, by growing healthier food I increase my own health and that of my family.

Why not? If I have the money, why not go whole hog? We need more parks - trees, water, beauty, safety (the Forest Service discovered that big, old trees help prevent crime).

I would buy a brownfield, if available - land in a poor residential area that has been contaminated. I would raze any buildings, recycling as much of the materials as possible or giving it away to local residents. I would engage their assistance, paying them a little and giving them a lot.

I would get residents involved in planning and maintaining the park using native trees, bushes that thrive in whatever toxins exist in the soil, and a rain detention pond, possibly with a mini-reclamation facility to clean out toxins leaching from the soil. We would plant water plants in the pond and direct all irrigation overflow into it. We would test the water after each rainstorm, until it tests clean enough to add fish and frogs to keep the mosquitoes down.

Together we would plan a space in the park for a community garden and I would find instructors from the city or local college to teach residents how to compost and grow food. I would work with the city to hire and train locals to maintain the park and pond, then turn it over to them and go somewhere else to do the same thing again.

There are many more projects possible to take on or create alone or with others that support one or two of the elements, rather than all three: Like car pooling to help reduce toxins in the air, conducting water use surveys to identify ways to reduce water used, revamping landscapes using all native plants or just to get rid of grass (the biggest landscape water user of all), working with the city to set up kitchen organic waste composting sites, or carrying out some sort of political activism.