Trees are incredible forms of life on this planet.
I can write pages and pages about them. If you knew what I knew about trees, perhaps you would hug them too now and again. They are essential to our existence and without trees, our planet would be inhabitable. I cannot empahsise enough how we must strive to plant them, whenever we can, and in many places as we can.
Just because you don’t have a garden, does not mean you cannot plant a tree. Enhance public spaces like parks and sidewalks with trees. Choosing an indigenous and water wise species will increase chances of survival and not consume too much water.
Here are some important facts you should know about trees:
1. Trees seed rain
Trees transpire water which form clouds and rain back down. Check out these awesome videos which explain the process.
2. Trees increase the fertility of the soil
The leaves that fall off the trees, cover and protect the ground from evaporation. Microorganisms and other small creatures like worms, eat the organic matter and process it into nutritious soil for plants. The oranic matter becomes food for the ground. There are also trees that absorb nitrogen from their air and return it to the soil through their leaf litter and nodes in their roots. If the tree is large enough to prune, the stored nitrogen in the root nodes are released into the soil as the tree balances its roots with its canapy. When deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn, you can decide how you would like to use them, as they have great fertilizing qualities.
You can choose to rake up the leaves, and store them to make leaf mould. Leaf mould is an excellent form of compost, or you can let nature do all the work for you by leaving them on the ground. Fallen leaves have a wonderful purpose, they protect the ground from extreme cold or heat. Leaves (as mulch) stop water evaporation and when the worms eat them, they turn them into super compost for the soil. This is nature’s cycle of returning nutrients back to the soil so that more life can grow.
3. Trees stabilize the soil
The roots dig deep into the soil to secure the tree and this also protects the soil from soil erosion. Soil erosion occurs when rains fall and top soil is washed away where there are no trees to hold the soil in place. This leaves big gaping holes where it is difficult to grow anything.
4. Trees provide shade and regulate temperature.
If you measured the temperature of various man made things like tar roads, concrete, bricks and steel and then compared those temperatures with the tops of trees, you will see a big difference. Trees regulate the temperature. Man made structures like roads and concrete increase the temperature in cities and contribute to global warming. I am sure all of you have experienced the sanctuary of shade underneath a tree on a very hot day.
5. Trees help in the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem balance.
Trees provide a home to wildlife and increase chances of survival of many species. They provide food and shelter. Where many species live together, a balance is retored and is called an ecosystem. An ecosystem can fall out of balance if a species of life is removed and this threatens the survival of all other life. Biodiversity is key for survival of all species.
6. Trees are a resource for fuel and building
Wood from the fallen and dried branches of trees, can be burnt to provide warmth. Burning dried branches also makes coal which can be burnt or used to clean water. It can even clean our teeth! We can make things with wood like furniture, shelter and paper. We must be careful to prune for the trees health, and not cut them down. Destroying a forest for our own needs is selfish when there are better and more sustainable ways of providing for our comforts.
7. Trees store carbon
Do you know about all that carbon in the air that is making our planet hotter and making the sea acidic? Well, it should be in the ground or in trees where it is safe and put to good use. Trees store carbon and return it to the soil by decomposition.
The Moral of the Story
Go out there and plant a tree for Arbor month. Plant 10 trees if you can and try stick to indigenous, water wise trees. Let’s fix the grass deserts in our parks and restore the land, climate and wildlife with trees. Plant some fruit or nut trees in your garden and you will be rewarded with delicious food.
Trees are so vital to our survival. We need more of them to fix the damage we have done to this planet. Plant a tree for Arbor Month.
Charming Spring
© Patricia L. Cisco
Published: March 26, 2018
Reminiscent melodies
serenade the morning breeze.
Feathered creatures nest with care
in cherry blossoms pink and fair.
Perfumed scent of roses flow.
Tiny blades of green grass grow.
Misty showers soak the earth,
glorious colors come to birth.
Gathering clouds come and go,
rain, sun, and vibrant bow.
Dainty petals, fancy flair,
dancing in the warm, sweet air.
Violets, yellows, purest white,
graceful, gentle, welcomed sight.
Thank you, oh sweet lovely Spring,
patiently waiting the charms you bring!
Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/charming-spring
Happy Spring!
We, at Unicorn Cafe, wish you every success and happiness during this time of rebirth, rejuvination, fertility and activity.
Spring is such an exciting time of the year where landscapes burst with the colours of flowers and babies of every kind are born. The slumber of Winter ends and we awaken to warmer, longer days where our sewn seeds germinate into tiny expressions of life.
Plan your hikes in nature, make time for a wild flower drive. Invite your friends to a picnic in the park or along a river. Go stawberry picking and plant lots and lots of seeds. Indulge in the sunshine outdoors and relish the new buds on the deciduous trees.
The 15th of September is world clean up day…
…where people all around the world will be cleaning up coasts, rivers and landscapes. September has also been labelled plastic free due to the plastic epidemic that we face. Clean ups are being organized world wide so join one and have some fun while making a difference for the environment. I always meet such wonderful people at cleanups and I find them so rewarding. Remember that a clean up without a brand audit is only treating the symptom and not the cause. More about that here. Join the movement and be part of the #BreakFreeFromPlastic Revolution!
September is also Arbor month in South Africa and
there is something remarkably noble about planting a tree. Trees don’t just add greenery and shade to an area but they keep fresh water on land. Their leaves protect the soil and provide fertility. They provide microclimates and regulate temperature. If we want to stop our city from becoming unbrearingly hot from climate change, we should be planting trees and lots of them! One of my favourite sayings is ‘When in drought, plant a tree!’
Nurseries will mostly likely have Arbor week specials. Plant a fruit tree in your garden. With some love and care, it will reward you with delicious sun ripened fruit far tastier than anything bought in a grocery store. Plant an indigenous water wise tree in your local park or a sidewalk. It is the ultimate form of guerilla gardening.
Yours in creating a regenerative community
The Unicorn Cafe Team
Where to start…
I wanted to write about climate change so that every day people could understand what is happening to our planet. The science journals and graphs and special lingo can be offputting and a lot of information is not understood by the majority of people. The motivation to write about climate change happened one year ago and sadly, I have not devoted the time needed to resarch this topic fully in the way that I would like to write it.
My starting point was to explain planetary boundaries. This is a system based on 9 planetary life support systems and how they are interconnected. If a number of them are pushed, then the system in it’s entirety collapses threatning this planet’s habitability. To just explain one of these nine systems, I had to build on my limited scientific knowledge and quickly, I realised that writing this would be a series of artcles that would take a considerable amount of time.
Writing articles is not my main focus however I do feel that humans need to radically change their lifestyle to live harmoniously with the ecosystem. Hence, I write artciles to promote regenerative living however, there is more to expect…
Planetary Boundaries
Climate Change is happening now.
We are at the point of irreversable damage and that point may have passed us already. Sustainable is no longer good enough and regenerative living is not enough right now. For those that can accept the difficult and uncomfortable truth, preparation for adaption is needed.
We need to be informed of what to expect so that we can make preparations. Unicorn Cafe focuses on the positive side and drives change from this angle. Doom and gloom is not an experience we want to feel yet ignoring that serious consequences lie ahead of us would be irresponsible.
What I can do now is post links to media out on the world wide web and I hope to take you on the journey with me as I explore options to survive.
Polar Bears affected most by climate change. Less ice to reflect the sun’s rays.
There are support groups in place
It is inevitable that some of us will feel hopeless and helpless when we understand the magnitude of what is to come and so, suport groups are forming.
You can find a list here.
Find support
What Media is Reporting
There is a paper written by Professor Jem Bendell called ‘Deep Adaptation:A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy’.
Fedback on the paper can be found here.
What Do We Do When The Science Gets Scary: Climate Change And The End Of Civilization?
Runaway warming could push the world into a ‘hothouse Earth’ state
The 5 Best Places to Live in 2100
I hope that we can adopt the ‘Each One Teach One’ Philosophy and change our bad habits soon.
HOW I ENDED UP WITH A BUNCH OF 5 LITRE PLASTIC BOTTLES…
I was stockpiling water in 5 litre plastic containers when day zero was imminent. I was afraid that we would be left high and dry when and if the taps were switched off. Now that I have large rain tanks collecting our storm water, these bottles are just taking up space. I am hesistant to drop them off for recycling so researched ways to upcycle them.
There are quite a few innovative ideas hence I decided to post the pictures I found rather than explain one idea, step by step. These are easy projects to complete as you can see from the pictures. The websites, with more information, are included in some of the pictures.
Have fun and please share your upcylce ideas with us 🙂
Peg holder
A Basket
Shoe organiser
Making a lamp with plastic spoons
Plastic Spoon Lamp
Toiletry bags
Beach Bag
Beach Bag from rope and plastic bottles
Swan containers for plants
Carry Bag from plastic bottles
This Green Curry is amazing because…
it is so easy to make! Once all the chopping is done, it’s ready in no time. What is also lovely about this recipe is that you can substitute the green vegetables with other green vegetables. So if you don’t like brocolli, no problem! Just replace the brocolli with a green (ish) vegetable you do like. Other greens you can use are cabbage, baby butternuts, patty pans, brussel sprouts, asparagus, chard, kale, and peppers. Get all your healthy greens in an enjoy this quick curry.
Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped
300g – 400g baby marrows chopped
2 tbsp of grated root ginger
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 – 2 chillies chopped
2 tsp ground cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of ground coriander seeds
300g – 400g fresh brocolli roughly chopped
150g – 200g of frozen or fresh peas
150g – 200g of frozen or fresh green beans
1 tin of coconut milk (300 – 400ml)
1 heaped teaspoon of Ina Paarman’s vegetable stock
1 cup of boiling water
250g of spinach leaves
fresh coriander leaves
Method
Heat the oil either in a large saucepan or pot and add the onion. Cook until the onions go translucent but not brown. Add the garlic, ginger, chillies, spices, salt and cook for one minute. Mix the stock powder in the boiling water and add to the saucepan or pot. Add the baby marrows, brocolli, peas, beans, spinach and coconut milk. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to low and let it simmer until the vegetables are cooked.
Serve with fresh coriander leaves on a bed of basmati or long grain rice.