May 23, 2006 - Day 7 - Week 7 - Ocean Care

Yesterday I mentioned cauliflower and broccoli, and today I want to share the message of the two guests Alexandra and I hosted on Earth Talk Today.  I do not know the connection, other than the fact that the two food choices are good for my personal eco-system and Dr. Dale Kiefer and Peter Camejo’s work is good  for the planet’s eco-systems.

Dr. Kiefer, biologist, professor, oceanographer and consultant to many countries around the world speaks eloquently about the health of the world’s oceans. His encyclopedic mind focused our attention on issues like declining fish stocks, global pollution, the bleaching of coral reefs because of agricultural run-off and global warming, and the importance of monitoring what is happening.  The vast oceans are a complexity of currents, food chains, and ever changing dynamics that affect the well being of every human being on the planet.  We talked of mariculture and aquaculture as possible technological saviors, the ownership of the oceans, and the importance of watershed management.

The bottom line is that the oceans are in serious trouble.  We have treated the waters of the world as the human family’s private waste disposal venue, and now we are reaping the consequences.  Throughout the world the water is being compromised from human decisions at global and local levels.

I could not help thinking about broccoli and cauliflower.  I, and perhaps you, though I learned never to judge another’s eating habits, have treated our own bodies like the world’s oceans.  We put in whatever we like, irrespective of the potential problems down the road.  Granted we are not totally to blame, because the advertising of all kinds of comfort foods has enveloped us for decades, and we succumb to the allure of what is sweet and tempting.  However, addiction notwithstanding, we do make choices and the choices are often to the detriment of what some even call “the temple of God.”  Our bodies are precious, our bodies of water are vital, and there is a correlation as to how we treat both.

The answers are coming with better engineering, remedial practices, and better diets, but we have a long way to go to healing both the internal and the external eco-systems of the world.  Where the connection is even more direct is that lesions within my body and the bodies of many others in our nation and world mirrors what is happening to sea creatures from the Chesapeake Bay to the coast of Africa.  Pollution is creating untenable eco-system healing and the living animals on sea and land are the unwitting beneficiaries of disease.

Dr. Kiefer and others are monitoring the health of the ocean with satellites and state of the art buoys.  We have the capability of monitoring our own health through modern medicine.  Now we need to focus on what is going into the waters and our own bodies.

Tomorrow a few words about cancer, socially responsible investing, and Peter Camejo.

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