Danielle Levy

Those of us who love trees don’t need books and studies to be told what marvels of nature they are. Still there is a warm and penetrating sensation of delight when what one knew all along is there for all to see.

One such instance is a book recognizing the genius of trees.  Way back during the beginning of what we call evolution, what became trees, probably algae, learned to control all the elements around them, water, sun, air, fire, the ground beneath them, and did so one by one. Harriet Rix who’s a British tree consultant explains how this happened, how trees learned to use UV light, and survive.  Her new book shares how much we owe to trees including the many ways they have been part of planetary life and part of our lives.  “The Genius of Trees: How They Mastered the Elements and Shaped the World,”  doesn’t address how to speak to trees or any topics one might associate with  new research on this subject, it just shares  as this title tells us, what she calls the genius of trees,  genius because of the way trees in evolving have been able to burrow themselves into our lives and in doing so managed to essentially conquer whatever obstacles came their way. Her bottom line is simple. We need trees.

But what makes trees remarkable doesn’t stop with Rix’s book.  Another instance come from an article the NYT recently published e about the results of a comprehensive study by a team of scientists. What they reveal is that a tree is a complex ecosystem, a still largely unexplored microbial diversity, maybe home to a trillion microbial cells. And what’s more, the tree’s microbial cells not only contribute to its survival but to ours as well.  

Yes indeed we need trees.

+reposted from the GGID page

James S. Fishkin is only well known in certain circles, but his work with deliberative democracy is something many of us ought to familiarize ourselves with simply because it is something we very much need in our polarized society. It may not be the answer, but it holds a hope to bring our various factions closer. Essentially it involves talking to each other. It means not getting information from social media, but from people, it means not holding on to opinions that stem from the bubbles of social media platforms but discussing them in person.

Such an experiment was conducted in the summer in Philadelphia where a group of people over a 4-day period attended sessions, were presented with information and discussed issues together. At the end, many had changed their minds, a lot more than had been thought. People may be staunch in their views and yet those views are not as fixed as many think, they can be moved.  The experiment in Philadelphia as other such experiments in other cities show that what people think when exposed to information they can discuss in person with others can and do shift.

 James S. Fishkin, among other titles is the director of the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University. Yes, he does represent the often-crucial work universities are involved in, but what is also relevant to us at this time in our history is that what he does, and others do with him, points to one of the tools needed to help us overcome the current impasse US democracy finds itself in.

The need for what she called a moral imagination was articulated by Jacqueline Novogratz, the founder of Acumen and pioneer in social impact investing during a recent interview with the Financial Times. “What’s needed is the moral imagination; if we’re going to build systems that include the people who’ve been overlooked and underestimated, we can’t be so distant from them.” She’s after investments and investors to participate in solving big problems like poverty. The CEOs she talks with express a sense of responsibility which ought to make the tasks possible, but it will still require finding new ways to create solutions.  Through her organization, she has proven that it can be profitable.  Acumen is partnering with banks, foundations, corporations and getting results. Nevertheless, she admits that our focus on profits needs to be balanced with our desire to find answers. The new generations she says already know that capitalism as we know it won’t solve issues like climate change and inequality. But using a moral imagination could help in creating the social impact that would help us all. It’s a great phrase and a great thought and let’s hope it provides the sought after  inspiration.

*reposted from the GGID page