The Nature-Nerd Nuts & Bolts of Learning to Serve Earth
Caring for (our) Nature through Environmental Stewardship
I’ve always yearned for connection to Life, but it’s taken some time to know where to start. Here’s an overview of how I found my way:
What is Environmental Stewardship?
To start, I learned the basics of what it is to be an environmental steward, which means, simply: to care for the environment as our home. Environmental stewardship includes consideration of all the Earth’s pieces; just like a home needs care of the walls, the windows, the doors, the roof, and the foundation, the environment needs care for the whole ecosystem. So, to understand environmental stewardship, it was essential for me to first understand the nature of ecosystems.
According to National Graphic, “an ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work together to form a bubble of life.1” As “every part of an ecosystem depends on every other part, directly or indirectly2,” in order for the whole to flourish, each part of it needs to be well and in-balance. Therefore, environmental stewardship seeks to support what’s hurt or out of balance while keeping in mind that as one part is healed, the rest of the pieces also benefit. To learn more about the different elements of the ecosystem and the roles they each play, click here.
Here’s some ways that I’ve been able to volunteer as an environmental steward of my watershed:
I’m grateful to say that finding opportunities to serve my home habitat wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. In fact, I found many experts from my community who were committed to organizing and offering opportunities to help out. Furthermore, more often than not these volunteer opportunities did not require any previous experience or understanding, and were often tremendous opportunities for learning. Volunteer leaders have been very kind and generous with sharing their understanding, and very grateful for any support they can get (as much of the work that’s needed is somewhat time consuming and tedious -such as pulling weeds, planting seeds, or picking up trash). Because tasks are often quite simple, it was easy for me to start as a novice. Similarly, because tasks are often tedious, it’s easy to talk to others while working, making it fun and satisfying to work alongside so many hands. Volunteering in environmental stewardship has been an incredible opportunity for me to make friends with caring folks and have a meaningful impact along the way.
Furthermore, I’ve found that volunteer opportunities are often offered at family-friendly times (such as weekend mornings) and often don’t require more than a few hours of help to make a big difference.
With that in mind, here’s a list of most common environmental stewardship opportunities I’ve been able to find, and how I’ve come to understand their value:
Preserving Biodiversity (learn more about Biodiversity here).
Planting Native Plants: Native plants have evolved over thousands of years to make the best of the water within the watershed. For example, in deserts, cactuses have adapted to hold water and protect it; in plains, grasses have adapted to filter water and stabilize the soil (preventing runoff). This is to say: the plants that are native to the watershed know how to care for the water best. Making sure that the watershed is populated with plants that are made to serve it gives the watershed a winning chance. Learn more about native plants here.
Removing Invasive Plants: Invasive plants are introduced species that dominate ecosystems, making it difficult for native plants and animals to thrive. By removing invasive plants, the native ones are more able to fulfill their essential roles within the ecosystem. Learn more about invasive plants here.
Supporting Wildlife3: Birds, fish and critters all play their part within the overall health of the ecosystem such as spreading seeds, fertilizing the soil with their poop, and maintaining the overall balance of the whole. Any efforts to support local wildlife are essential in the care of the watershed.
Supporting Pollinators: Wherein “more than 80 percent of the world’s flowering plants need a pollinator to reproduce,4” and as both the water and the animals depend on those plants, I learned that supporting pollinators is fundamental to the wellbeing of the whole watershed.
Cleaning the Air
Reducing Air Pollution: Watersheds need clean air because pollution from the air falls down to the earth through rain5. With that in mind, any effort to reduce the amount of emissions from transportation or industrial production greatly supports the wellbeing of the watershed.
Planting Trees: As climate change can greatly affect weather and water patterns, planting trees, which absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide (one tree can absorb more than 48 pounds [and]…release oxygen in exchange6), planting trees is a big help, and really fun to do with others!
Picking Up and Processing Waste
Picking Up Litter: as trash can clog waterways, kill wildlife, and leach harmful chemicals7, picking up trash is always a helpful task.
Recycling and Up-cycling: While landfills do their best to mitigate the harmful impacts of trash, they still have an effect8 as they emit large amounts of methane into the air, can leak harmful liquids into the groundwater, and create unhealthy feeding patterns for wildlife9. For that reason, any efforts to keep trash out of the landfills is supportive to the watershed as a whole.
Local and Sustainable Food Production
Local and sustainable farms/CSAs can hugely support the production of food in ways that are in harmony with the ecosystem.
Concluding Connections
While picking up a few pounds of trash, planting a handful of trees, or pulling a few buckets of weeds haven’t always seemed like it would make much of a difference, what I’ve found in my volunteer experience is that the value of the experience goes far beyond the work of the day; it’s helped to restore my belonging. By participating directly in the web of life that I am part of, I’ve gained a renewed sense of purpose, connection and belonging that has rippled waves of hope and confidence into all parts of my life. Check out The Natural Reciprocity of Service-Centered Art to learn more about how my service, song and story have helped me to grow peace within and around me.
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ecosystem/
Ibid.
https://www.wwf.mg/?360235/world-wildlife-day#:~:text=Improving%20soil%20health%20and%20fertility,their%20dung%2C%20increasing%20fish%20productivity.
https://www.farmers.gov/blog/value-birds-and-bees#:~:text=More%20than%2080%20percent%20of,with%20the%20help%20of%20pollinators.
https://www.cbf.org/issues/air-pollution/index.html#
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2015/03/17/power-one-tree-very-air-we-breathe#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Arbor%20Day,the%20very%20air%20we%20breathe.
https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/impacts-mismanaged-trash_.html
https://www.colorado.edu/ecenter/2021/04/15/hidden-damage-landfills
https://www.ljpwastesolutions.com/about-us/blogs/entryid/22/how-landfills-hurt-wildlife-and-what-your-company-can-do-about-it#:~:text=This%20is%20potentially%20a%20significant,in%20potential%20disease%2Dspreading%20animals.