How to Build a Quick and Easy Vegetable Trellis

It’s spring in Iowa, and the smell of the moist, black soil calls out to the gardener in all of us. Ever since the first hint of bulbs peeking through the dirt, I’ve been itching to get started planting an organic garden. On Friday, the temperature was 60 degrees Fahrenheit. By Saturday, it was 35 degrees and dropping. The Weather Channel showed a big snowstorm coming in a few hours. I decided I’d better hurry.

We bought two steel-grid fence panels like this one. Photo: J. Wasson

I checked the garage to find wood to cut into stakes and a shovel to turn over the soil. I got out my skill saw, an extension cord, and a hammer. Then a friend and I jumped into my son’s Jeep and headed to the lumberyard.

I purchased two, 15-foot-long by 50-inch-wide, steel-grid fencing sections. These had to be flexible enough that I would be able to bend them into an arch, but sturdy enough not to collapse under the weight of vines and produce I plan to grow on them. The panels cost about $35.00 each, so I was now $70.00 into my experiment, plus gas and time.

“Won’t fit,” the kid at the lumberyard had said, watching my friend and me lift the grids onto the Jeep. He wasn’t prepared for our ingenuity. We tied the panels on the roof, padding it with our coats to protect the paint. (Obviously, we didn’t plan very well. If you decide to do this, bring along some old towels or a blanket for padding between your vehicle and the fencing sections.) This was only possible with plenty of rope, another $4.00.

Have you seen the movie Mad Max? That’s what the Jeep looked like, with the fencing grid curved down over the hood and tied to the front bumper. We would have been well protected should anyone want to throw a cinder block through our windshield. The whole adventure took about an hour — and the lumberyard is 15 minutes away.

Back at my house, we unloaded the sections onto the lawn. I went to work selecting the best location for the new trellis. My wife and I have a small lot — only 40 feet wide — squeezed between very close neighbors. Most of the backyard already has a perimeter of flowerbeds filled with perennials, so we weren’t anxious to disturb them.

Snugging the fencing against the stakes before raising it. Photo: J. Wasson

We keep the remaining lawn small on purpose, because we both hate to mow. We don’t like the pollution of belching fumes, and we hate the noise. We dislike starting a mower and storing a mower and tuning a mower. If I had my way, I’d rather pave my yard than mow it. My theory on saving the environment from the evils of lawn-mowing is to keep adding flowerbeds.

This year, we’ve decided to plant an organic vegetable garden. (It’s a great reason to rip out some more sod.) We’re working to become more sustainable, and gardening is a great step in that direction. It’s green living at an elemental level.

Because neither of us feels like crawling around on our hands and knees to garden, we decided to build a trellis and see how many vegetables we can grow on vines. We’ll try peas, beans, tomatoes, and squash, and any other climbing veggies we can find. (Got a suggestion? We’d love to hear from you.)

Most of our backyard is shady, so we chose to place the trellis in the center, halfway between a neighbor’s large garage on one side and our other neighbor’s large shade trees. I figure the trellis will get about 6 or 7 hours of sun on a good day.

Bending the fencing to create an arch. Photo: J. Wasson

Constructing the trellis was simple and took no more than half an hour from start to finish (not counting our Mad Max adventure). With the skill saw, I cut 8 wooden stakes out of some scrap 1″ x 2″ lumber. I then drove 2 stakes into the ground about 4 feet apart, parallel to our backyard sidewalk. I took one end of the first panel and butted it up against those stakes, then pushed the prongs on that end into the ground. Then I lifted the other end until the whole panel was standing almost vertical.

Pressing the panel down hard against the first two stakes, I then pulled down on the free end until it touched the ground. This left an arch about 6 feet wide and 6 feet high, giving us plenty of room to walk under and pick the produce yet to come. The prongs on the back end of the fencing held it in place in the sod while I secured it by pounding in two more stakes.

Two days later: sunshine and melting snow! Better get ready to dig. Photo: J. Wasson

I repeated all this with the second panel, connecting a second arch to the first one. Ta-da! In less than two hours, from start to finish, I had built a 9-foot long, 6 1/2-foot tall, trellis. It was easy enough to do alone, but having an extra person would make the job even easier.

I was going to go ahead and break the sod, but heavy, wet snow began to fall. It was the 28th of March. That’s Iowa for you.

Watch for the further adventures of Joe the Gardener (not to be confused with Joe the Plumber), right here on BPGL.

Joe Hennager

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Related Posts:

Organic Gardening in Your Own Backyard

Lights Out for Earth Hour!

It feels a little like waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Earth Hour will finally arrive tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. local time. What will you be doing for that hour? Why not join the estimated one billion people in 1000 cities “going dark” for Earth Hour? Don’t be left in the light.

The Earth Hour event is a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative designed to remind people to take action on climate change. In case you haven’t heard, the goal is for as many individuals, businesses, communities, and governments as possible to turn off all nonessential lighting for one hour. It’s a dramatic symbol of unity in the fight against what many believe to be the most serious of all the environmental problems.

This is the third annual Earth Hour event, with 64 countries expected to participate. Landmarks that will go dark include the Roman Colosseum, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, and Times Square’s Coca Cola billboard. According to the WWF, lights switched off for Earth Hour will be “symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.”

WWF and the Experience Project (EP) are teaming up to involve the public in several interesting ways. EP calls itself “the largest site for anonymously connecting and sharing common experiences.” EP will also go dark during Earth Hour. According to an EP press release, “For every 100 points EP members pledge (points are earned by participating in challenges, posting stories, etc.), the site will go dark for one second. The goal is to keep the site dark for as long as possible.”

Additional EP initiatives include “a 30 day challenge to turnoff all unnecessary appliances, signing a petition to conserve energy, or playing trivia games where accrued points can be used to buy time to keep the EP homepage dark during the day of the event.” Join us at BPGL with your own pledge to go dark on the EP site.

Facebook users can also earn “Earth Minutes” by sending messages that urge their Facebook friends to participate in Earth Hour. By reaching 60 friends, users will achieve the equivalent of 60 minutes of Earth Hour participation.

Joining the Earth Hour initiative is easy. All it takes is the simple flip of a light switch. But don’t sit there in the dark secretly watching your TV behind closed curtains. Get in the spirit. Turn off all nonessential lights and appliances — yes, including that TV. Get together with people who matter to you. Make a party of it. Lie out under the stars, if you can see them. Huddle together by a fireplace. Or just lounge in your living space and talk. Share stories about the natural world you remember from your youth. Share dreams of the future you’d like to leave for your grandchildren. Make plans to reduce your own carbon footprint and reduce your own impact on climate change. Together we can make a positive difference. (Yes, we can.)

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Fairchild Challenge Prepares Youth to Protect the Planet

“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.” — John F. Kennedy

Today’s adults will not solve every environmental challenge we face in the world. We will make progress, certainly, but the solutions to most of the major problems that plague us will not come in our lifetimes. The future of our species — and with it, the future of all life on Earth — hinges on the actions of our children and their children.

We cannot sit back idly and expect generations yet to come to take up the banner of environmentalism and sustainability. We must begin by educating — and inspiring — our youth to learn about the problems and to take action to fix them. One program that has been successfully motivating youth to learn about the environment is the Fairchild Challenge.

The seven year-old program, which began at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida, provides junior high and high school students with competitive projects, contests, and performance opportunities that engage them in a study of the natural world. More than 40,000 students participated in this free, educational experience in Florida alone this academic year.

Caroline Lewis, director of education for the Fairchild Challenge

Caroline Lewis, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s director of education, who oversees the Fairchild Challenge, says, “The Fairchild Challenge promotes, provokes and celebrates young people’s engagement in environmental issues. The program is a vital tool to give young people a voice in the national and international conversation about the critical issues affecting our planet – and to foster lifelong environmental stewardship in the students, in their families and in their communities. We are gratified to see our youths becoming more passionate about protecting our planet.”

Current Challenge options include:

Students participate in an eco skit, "What a Waste," at the Fairchild Challenge.

• Write opinion and research papers

• Perform songs and skits

• Create gardens, artwork and newsletters

• Design solar-powered devices

• Formulate “green” cuisine menus

Participating students can earn points for their sponsoring organization. By earning a specified number of points, students qualify their school or organization for the Fairchild Challenge Award, which is presented in May. Qualifying schools win a monetary prize to be used for a green project of their choice.

Fairchild Challenge Satellite Training class February 2008

According to Lewis, the template for the Fairchild Challenge initiative is expanding across the US and other nations, to foster “environmental awareness, scholarship, and stewardship in teenagers and pre-teens.” Satellite Training workshops provide educators from schools, museums, and other public and private facilities with the opportunity to learn about and implement the Fairchild Challenge in their own communities. The program is active in Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Utah, USA; South Africa, Venezuela, and Costa Rica.

In February 2008, the Conservation Fund’s National Forum on Children and Nature (NFCN) endorsed the Fairchild Challenge as one of 30 models that provide novel means for connecting youth to the environment. Larry Selzer, president and CEO of The Conservation Fund, said, “We celebrate these projects for demonstrating how to get kids back outdoors. This is critical for children’s health — and for the future of our environment. Saving a generation is not a spectator sport. These ideas invite corporate leaders, educators, community planners, government officials and others into the game.”

To find out how an educational organization in your community can become a part of the Fairchild Challenge, visit the Fairchild Challenge website or call (305) 667-1651.

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Organic Gardening in Your Own Backyard

Spring in Iowa feels like stepping out of the Ice Age into some of the most appreciated warm weather on the planet. After enduring 20 snow and ice storms from November to March (and more still possible all the way to early May), a person’s patience begins to thin. Mine does, anyway. But a few days of warmer weather, say in the 50s and 60s, changes my whole outlook.

About mid January, I stop thinking of winter as “pretty” or “picturesque.” I remember the salt, backaches, missed appointments, missed school days, cars that won’t start, jumper cables, ice-covered windows, car accidents, tow trucks, frozen body parts, wind chill, slips and falls, black ice, power outages, cold feet, heavy blankets, long johns, and itchy wool sweaters. Winter, you’ve overstayed your welcome.

I am ready for spring. I am ready for the rain to wash all those chilly memories away. I am ready for the plants in my garden to return. I am ready to see green buds pushing up through the dead leaves. I long for the feel of dirt under my fingernails. If you live in a cool climate, I’ll bet you’re ready, too.

We are looking forward to our rewards.

This year, Julia and I are motivated to do more than plant flowers. We’ve decided to add vegetables to our backyard garden, small as it is. I have a design in mind that will let us grow a number of vining veggies and still give us access to their harvest without having to crawl on our hands and knees. (Watch for more details in a later post.)

So, how about you? Are you thinking of planting vegetables this year? You don’t need a large area, even a few pots or planters will get you started on a delicious harvest for your family. You do need a lot of sunshine, though. And here’s one other thing to consider: If you want your garden to be organic, you have to start with the soil.

ORGANIC FROM THE GROUND UP

If you’ve been putting chemical weed killers or artificial fertilizers on your lawn (and we hope you haven’t), you can’t just dig up a patch of grass and call it good. Those chemicals are still in your soil, and soon will be in your vegetables, then inside you and your loved ones. Instead, build a simple raised bed, or convert old washtubs, barrels or other used items into container gardens. Be certain that the containers never held anything toxic, or you’ll defeat the purpose of using them high above a chem-treated lawn.

If you’re just starting out, and you’re unsure of the chemical history of your soil, or you’re opting for container gardens, consider buying organic soil from a trusted supplier. Packaged potting soil from a garden center may well be better than the soil in a chemically treated lawn. But if you’re looking for soil you’d trust to grow food for yourself and your family, check the label for the word “organic.”

And don’t forget to start your own compost bin. Leftover food scraps mixed with yard waste will create all the fertile soil you will need in time. We have already written about the value of the red worm and the advantages of vermiculture. But be warned, red wrigglers cannot survive outside in an open-air compost heap. You will need a covered wooden box or bucket to house them.

WHY PLANT A GARDEN?

With the extra effort it takes to plant, sow, and tend a garden, why do it? I can think of several good reasons. Maybe you have others to add.

One of the joys of gardening is watching bees at work.

• You know the grower. You’ll have no worries about how wholesome the food is.

• It’s the epitome of “shop locally.” When you shop in your own garden, you save fuel. Here in Iowa, most of our fruits and vegetables are trucked 1,500 miles before reaching our tables. How far are yours transported? (Can you say, “carbon footprint”?)

• No mowing! You don’t have to mow the area where you plant your garden. This isn’t a “no-labor” proposition, though, as you’ll get your share of exercise planting and tending your plot.

• You get to experiment with agriculture on a limited scale. Learn which plants grow well together. Find out firsthand whether the natural pest control suggestions keep aphids in control.

• If you’ve got kids, it’s a great opportunity for them to learn about the cycle of life and of reaping what you sow.

• You get to relax a little. Gardening lowers your heart rate and blood pressure. It’s good for you in so many ways.

• You can see Nature at work. Bees and butterflies are becoming a scarcity today. If they stop by your garden for a visit, you’ll get to watch life replicating itself on a tiny and important scale. You won’t get that experience going to the grocery store.

• You’ll save money. Sure, you have an initial investment in seeds, a few tools, and water, but the payoff in healthy vegetables (and your health) far outweighs the modest amount you have to invest.

TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

I asked Fred Meyer, founder of Backyard Abundance, an Iowa City group that encourages gardening “in your own backyard,” what a novice should consider when starting a garden. These were his suggestions:

Starting with plants, instead of seeds, speeds the time to harvest.

• Pick an area with a lot of sun.

• Choose plants that are easy to grow: beets, beans, squash and tomatoes. You can buy starters from greenhouses or at the farmers markets. (In general, bigger seeds mean easier-to-grow plants.)

• Don’t over till the soil. The best nutrients are at the top.

• Fertilize with compost, not chemicals. Start your own compost.

• Control weeds and moisture with mulch, yard clippings, and newspapers.

• Don’t over water. Water is too precious. Capture your rain water.

• If you have questions, contact a Master Gardener. Or read the many relevant publications available online.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about my tiny backyard garden. If you see me on the street, check my fingernails to see how my garden is doing.

Joe Hennager

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Related Posts:

Green Living – A Beginner’s Guide

Praise the Lord and Green the Roof

Sustainable Living Profile: Jessica Klein

Ranching Underground Livestock

My 5: Hector Hernández

BPGL: What are the five most important things we can do to save the planet?

HECTOR HERNÁNDEZ:

Hernández is in charge of a gardening program for inner-city San Antonio youth. Photo: Texas AgriLife Extension Service

• Recycle whatever you can in your community: glass, paper, plastic, etc.

• Be more mindful of water usage. Right now, we’re in a drought situation in Texas, so we’re careful when we water the garden plots and make sure we don’t over water.

• Respect nature. Don’t litter. It’s our only home, so we have to take care of it and respect it.

• Reconnect with nature. Most of the kids we work with in San Antonio live in the inner city. They don’t have an opportunity to garden or go into green space. Our project gives them an opportunity to discover their own planet.

• Reuse things. Instead of throwing something away, find another use for it.

Hector Hernández

Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Related Post:

Growing Citizens and Leaders through Organic Gardening

Green Living on Wheels - Take a Spin at a Bike Library

Joe’s post last week about riding a bicycle reminded me that I’m a bike-riding wannabe. I look with envy at friends, who ride with ease down our city streets, then cruise 50 miles down country roads in a single day. I’m awed by people my age — and older — who train for and ride in RAGBRAI (Register and Gazette Bike Ride Across Iowa), the annual bike trek across our state. While a trans-Iowa ride is not on my list of things to do before I die, I hear it’s a lot of fun. But that’s not what I dream of.

A trusty friend awaits its owner. Photo: Julia Wasson

All I want is to cruise downtown to the library, ride to my local coffee shop, or zip over to a friend’s house like I did when I was a kid. (My office is a 20 step commute from my bedroom, so biking to work is out.) So what’s stopping me? I don’t have a bike.

Picking out a bicycle requires a commitment — not just a financial commitment, though a new bike can be as pricey as some of the second-hand cars I’ve owned. More than that, getting a bike requires an investment of time. It isn’t easy to pick out just the right bike, not when you expect to own it for years. And a bike requires a commitment of labor to maintain it. I learned to repair a flat tire when I was 10, but haven’t been called upon to do anything similar since. And, let’s face it, the fat-tire, single-speed transportation choice of my youth was a dinosaur compared to even the lowliest K-Mart, blue-light special you see on the streets today.

But, lucky for me, there’s a simple solution to my bike-envy woes. Thanks to the Environmental Advocates of Johnson County, I can borrow a bike from the Iowa City Bike Library for short trips, a season, or half a year, then take it back. No commitment required. All I do is pick out one of their 500 bikes, then give them a deposit (from $20 to $80, depending on the condition and style of the bike). Then I check out the bike for up to six months. The beauty of this is that I don’t have to find a bike that I’m going to love for the rest of my life. But, I’m pleasantly surprised, and I do fall in love, I can make the bike of my dreams my very own by surrendering my deposit.

Great exercise, reduced carbon, instant transportation. What's not to like? Photo: Julia Wasson

But this post isn’t just about me. If you’re in a similar situation — no bike, but would love to use one without a permanent commitment — there’s a solution. Bike libraries, which allow users to check out and return a borrowed bike, are popping up in cities around the world. It’s a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, exercise, and get where you need to go.

BIKE LIBRARY MODELS

There are three primary models of bike libraries, according to the International Bicycle Fund, from which the following information is quoted:

1. “Let-loose: Multiple locations used for lending with no membership and no real tracking system. These programs tend to experience high rates of mechanical problems and rapid evaporation of their inventory, and subsequent burnout of volunteers.
2. “Controlled Network: Several bike stations used for a short-term or relatively short-term lending/checkout program that involves membership and keeping track of who has the bike for how long. There is high administrative/communications burden. Even so, inventory tends gets lost fairly quickly. High volunteer demand can lead to volunteer burnout and high volunteer turn over, which exhausts the program.
3. “Single Source: One bike station used as a bike maintenance clinic and single source for bike lending - generally more long-term lending than quick trips around city. This is the furthest from the altruistic ideal, but it tends to be the most stable, and have the greatest longevity.”

WHERE TO FIND A BIKE LIBRARY

Here is a small sampling of the many bike libraries in various parts of the world. If you know of one in your area, feel free to post a comment and let others know. And if you live, or will be traveling, in one of these cities, be sure to check that city’s website to get the details.

CANADA

Yellow Bike Action, Kingston, ON: Lease a salvaged bike for one day to four months for a small fee ($5 to $40) plus refundable $25 deposit.

FRANCE

Velib’, Paris: Borrow one of more than 10,000 bikes for a small fee.

Even little ones can find a ride at many bike libraries. Photo: Joe Hennager

NORWAY
Sandnes Green Bikes, Sandnes: You can borrow a bike for a day, entirely free, in the city of Sandnes.

U.S.

Arcata Library Bike Program, Arcata, CA: Pick a bike. Pay $20 deposit. Check it out for up to six months. Ride on!

Buffalo Blue Bicycle, Buffalo, NY: A convenient, online program allows you to reserve a bike and get the code to unlock it at any of several bike library hubs in Buffalo. Use the bike from 2 hours to 2 days.

New Brunswick Bike Library, New Brunswick, NJ: Members only. $20 “grease fee” gets you use of workspace, tools, and volunteers’ wisdom. Work on your own bike, adopt a frame, or build a bike “from the ground up.” Members may also check out a bike for a one- or two-week loan. Volunteer time is required before checking out a bike.

Wildcat Wheels, Lexington, KY: Free bike checkout for University of Kentucky students, faculty, or staff.

Fort Collins Bicycle Library, Ft. Collins, CO: Free bike checkout for residents, visitors, and students. You’ll need to leave a credit or check card, but won’t be charged if the bike is returned in good condition.

UCSC Bike Library, University of California at Santa Cruz: Borrow a bike, a helmet, a lock, and lights. But first, go through a workshop on bike safety, tire changing, and more.

Orange Bike Project, University of Texas, Austin, TX: If you’re a UT student, you can check out an Orange Bike for an entire semester, just like checking out a book at the library.

PedNet, Columbia, MO: Here’s a bike library for employers and employees. Each bikes come with “helmets, locks, lights, rear racks and cargo bags.” Check them out for up to 60 days.

MORE GOOD STUFF

This Heidelberg bike rack is perfect for students and commuters alike. Photo: Joe Hennager

If your locale doesn’t already have a bike library, consider starting one. The International Bicycle Fund website provides information about starting a bike library or a corporate or government fleet. Topics include liability insurance, theft deterrents, tracking devices, and more.

And here’s another great resource for bicycle enthusiasts in the US and Canada. Austin’s Yellow Bike Project has put together a directory of bike-related resources like bicycle shops, bicycle clubs, and repair shops.

See you on the bike path soon!

Julia Wasson

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth

For far too long, critics of environmentalism have resorted to a now-familiar false dichotomy pitting humankind against Nature. Human beings are a species apart, they say, detached from the ecosphere but still able (indeed, morally obligated) to reap its benefits. This fallacy is backed up by a related either/or argument, in which any environmental regulation is equated with obstructing the progress and well being of the human race. According to this philosophy, the protection of the proverbial spotted owl threatens the welfare of humanity.

Over the course of decades, science has unambiguously disproved these premises. It has become increasingly clear that in addition to providing innumerable nonmaterial benefits to humankind, the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it bestow upon us equally incalculable eco-services, such as water purification and soil enrichment. Humanity requires Nature to survive. Therefore, it is in our best interests to protect, preserve, and nurture the environment.

This is the argument behind E.O. Wilson’s The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth (2006). Refuting the tired ideas of anti-environmentalism and presenting the reality of human dependence upon Nature, Wilson demonstrates that the environmental crisis will affect us all, regardless of our ideological differences. It is appropriate then, that the book is not simply a sermon to the converted. Rather, it is a direct address to the very people who stand in the way of environmental progress. Of course, the converted can enjoy it too.

Written in the form of a letter to an unnamed Southern Baptist pastor — a member of a famously anti-environmental, anti-science political coalition — The Creation is Wilson’s compassionate plea to safeguard and care for the biosphere. Though Wilson is obviously attempting to bridge sharp political, cultural, and religious divides — to forge a truce, if you will, between Red States and Blue States — he is just as interested in expressing his personal conception of Nature and humanity’s place in it. And the reader is lucky for that, for Wilson is a fine chronicler of the natural world and his musings are as effective an argument as any.

Winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for General Non-fiction, E.O. Wilson has long been one of America’s most prominent naturalists and theorists. In The Creation, he clearly draws upon his decades of work in the fields of sociobiology, entomology, and conservation to produce a document that is brief without being shallow and compassionate without being impractical.

Beginning with a salutation to the unnamed pastor, Wilson goes on to describe the wondrous workings of Nature and the problems that humanity — with its mix of “Stone Age emotion, medieval self-image, and godlike technology” — has caused it. “Civilization was purchased by the betrayal of Nature,” Wilson tells us in the first few pages. If humanity and Nature are to survive, this betrayal must be mitigated as much as possible.

Refreshingly, The Creation is not simply a screed or list of grievances, and Wilson doesn’t try to assign blame. Though the many environmental problems we face are well-documented, he is equally interested in compelling a sense of reverential awe for Nature. For each current or coming ecological catastrophe, there is something uplifting, fascinating. So while “the pauperization of Earth” is examined in-depth, Wilson is generous enough to provide a profile of the wolverine and the pitchfork ant (“two magnificent animals”) and the occasional incredible fact (“700 bacterial species thrive as symbionts in the human mouth”). Along the way, he touches upon his own thought-provoking theories of “biophilia” (the theory of humanity’s innate connection to Nature) and “consilience” (the unity of all knowledge), as well as his long love of ants.

And somehow it all works. When I came to the final page, I didn’t feel despondent or angry, but rather, inspired. I was excited to protect that pitchfork ant, as I was every other living thing.

The Creation is less concerned with all of the past crimes perpetrated against Nature than it is with preventing future ones. Wilson only devotes half of the book to the sorry state of the environment. The other half is dedicated to biology as a subject of study — its definition, laws, discoveries — and how to effectively teach a love of Nature to children and students. He closes with a proposal to the pastor to create “An Alliance for Life.” But what of the profound differences separating the author from his symbolic opponent? Wilson has an answer:

“Forget the differences, I say. Meet on common ground. That might not be as difficult as it seems at first. When you think about it, our metaphysical differences have remarkably little effect on the conduct of our separate lives. My guess is that you and I are about equally ethical, patriotic, and altruistic. We are products of a civilization that rose from both religion and the science-based Enlightenment. We would gladly serve on the same jury, fight the same war, sanctify human life with the same intensity. And surely we also share a love of the Creation.”

Published just three years ago, The Creation seems well-suited to the historical moment. With all this talk of national unity and the bridging of partisan divides (cross your fingers), it seems fitting to read a book about hope and change from an author who’s truly a uniter, not a divider. For its affirmative tone, Wilson’s text strikes me as one that begs repeated readings. For those of you fighting the good fight out there — through activism, conservation, recycling and the like — you may occasionally feel as if it is all in vain. But, sometimes, great causes should be undertaken regardless of their chances of victory. The Creation will tell you why.

Jordan Jones

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)