Supposedly as the most evolved of animals we have a duty to look after the planet.
I today wondered how we should view our relationship with plants and animals. Even though we often fail to live up to our potential, we are the most evolved species so far to walk upon this planet. In my opinion since we are the most advanced of the animal species, we are in a relationship of being like a big brother or sister to fellow animals and the plants on this planet. We have a duty of care to look after animals and plants like a big brother or sister. We are the stewards of our planet.
If we accept our responsibility as stewards, then we must enter the relationship with animals and plants with respect. Cute and beautiful our little brothers and sisters may be, but they are unpredictable and dangerous, with the capacity to do us harm. That which we will steward need the space and the opportunity to manifest their needs, so we need to develop strategies of co-existence and support to animals and plants.
A video on YouTube, a teaser for a nature documentary by the BBC on polar bears shows why animals and plants should be respected. A hungry mother polar bear attempted for 45 minutes to get at a human in a glass box in order to feed herself and her two cubs; all she was missing was a can opener. The BBC is famous for its nature documentaries, and this film will appear on BBC 2 on 7th Jan 2013; and for a short time after will be available on BBC iPlayer.
Sustainability action 4 : found location for beehive
My dream of being a beekeeper is for me a huge leap into the unknown. Fear and procrastination has dogged me, so my New Year resolution of “getting off the fence” by boldly going forward to do what needs to be done to achieve my dreams is now in play. Large challenges can be broken down into smaller stages, which makes them easier to achieve in small steps. A major obstacle was finding a location for a beehive. A neighbour has agreed to the location of one beehive on their land free of charge, the reward of me boldly taking the plunge and asking my neighbour if they would host my beehive.
As I have no experience of beekeeping I am only going to have one beehive this year, and learn through trial and error as the year progresses by looking after that beehive. Next challenge is putting together the funding for the equipment, bees and the beehive. As far as sustainability is concerned, looking after bees is putting energy back into the environmental energy system.