A Walk in the Woods

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 28

A Walk in the Woods

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is episode #28 called A Walk in the Woods. 

In this episode I am going to first try to convince you how important it is to take a walk in the woods on a regular basis. Then I am going to discuss how important that resource really is to all of us, how that resources is being destroyed and why, and what you can do about it. At the end I of course want to give you an important parting thought that will hopefully encourage you to change your way of thinking about the planet on which we live.  

One of my favorite things in life to this day is to go for a long walk in the woods. This habit was truly engrained in me as a child. I grew up in a rural area of north Georgia and southeastern Tennessee and spent a lot of time on the family farm. At that point in time no one had a telephone, television, much less video games. And in my early childhood the farm did not even have electricity.  I distinctly remember these things slowly changing over the years. But, the one thing that was always absent was the television.  

What this meant, especially during the summer months when we were out of school, is that the parents would be get tired of us hanging around the house. Often times we were told to go outside and play and not return until dinner time. But, that was rural TN and Georgia and things were very safe for kids.  But, what that also meant is that we had to be creative in finding ways to entertain ourselves. Most of the time that meant playing on the creek bank, fishing, or just running amok in the woods. 

As we got a bit older we also got very creative about foraging for things in the forest. We would pick wild blackberries, walnuts, pecans, as well as other things. Then package them in sandwich bags and set up a small table on the sidewalk of the local supermarket and sell our products. Every year at Christmas time our best seller was mistletoe. We would borrow the 22 long rifle from my grandfather and spend hours out in the woods shooting mistletoe out of the tops of trees and then sell it.  We would spend a day at the local supermarket and be elated that we would go home with $10.  And back then, for a kid to have $10 in their pocket was unheard of. 

But when we had nothing better to do, and the entrepreneurial spirit was quiet, or we were just plain tired, I would simply go for long quiet walks in the woods. Just the simple act of sitting somewhere enjoying the view, listening to the quiet, and the total absence of man made sounds was something I also remember about my childhood.  

The interesting thing is I have always craved such environments. And over the past 25 years I have lived in such a place. My cabin backs up to National Forest and I have had no neighbors for the past 25 years. I spend my time off on the homestead working on projects. I go to bed at night and wake up in the morning in an environment of almost total peace and quiet.  I would say that 99% of the time the only disruption to the peace and quiet is the crowing and gobbling of our own roosters and turkeys. 

Often times I think that there would be a lot less anger in the world if everyone on a regular basis would make the effort to spend time in such a place. Once you become accustomed to such an environment, it is something that you crave. In fact one of my biggest challenges is all the constant noise stimulation that I get from a busy day at work. 

And you may find this kind of funny but my girlfriend Annette has a son that is a little over 16 years olds. He just recently got a job in a local restaurant. Overall he is enjoying making his own money, getting off the homestead, and also making new friends.

I asked him just the other day how it was going with the new job. He said that he liked it, he enjoyed the people that he worked with because he was making new friends. But he also said that the one thing that truly bothered him by the end of the day was the over stimulation as a result of all the noise. It is so interesting to me that he would say that. 

My younger sister is a psychologist and her and I have had several conversations about this very same thing.  And some of the things she has shared with me is the benefits for people spending time in nature. And not only that, there is a growing body of research that clearly points to the beneficial effects of exposure to the natural world. This, among many other things, includes improving your health, reducing stress, and promoting healing.  

In fact, a recent study involving 20,000 people, conducted by Mathew White of the European Centre for Environment and Humans Health at the University of Exeter, found that people who spend two hours a week in green spaces, such as parks or other natural environments, either all at once or spaced over several visits, were substantially more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than this who don’t. 

Now I have to say that there are many studies that point to the beneficial affects of spending time in nature.  And just to mention a few: 

1. You have a greater feeling of happiness. According to one Finnish study, just 15 minutes in nature helped people to feel restored. 
2. You concentrate better: Taking a walk in nature, and a break from the constant over stimulation so often experienced in modern culture, gives your brain a much needed break. So folks, leave you phone behind.
3. Nature also limits your stress: Many studies show that spending time in nature lowers your stress, blood pressure and heart rate, and helps with depression. 
4. Helps you to heal: One study showed that people exposed to natural light healed faster and experienced less pain. 
5. Weight loss: and of course spending time outside also helps with weight loss
6. And I could go on and on. 

The bottom line is that being outside, taking a walk in the woods, spending time in nature is truly beneficial for your mental health and well being. But, there are so many other benefits that we receive from your natural world. 

Did you realize that in Western medicine, about 25% of all drugs are derived from rainforest plants. Now that is pretty impressive since less than 5% of all Amazonian plants have even been studied for their potential medicinal benefits.

In the United States alone it is estimated that there are between 300 and 400 medicinal plants. Twenty of the best selling prescriptions drugs in the United States are derived from some of these plants. In fact, 40 % of the prescription drugs used in Western medicine are derived from plants that people having been using for centuries. 

But, we are of course destroying the very thing that is beneficial to us in so many ways. And we are destroying these natural resources simply for a short term gain. But at this point that should not be a surprise to anyone especially if you have already listened to some of my previous episodes.  

Did you realize that since 2016, an average of 28 million hectares of forest have been cut down every year. That is about 69.1 million acres. That is the equivalent of 1 football field of forest cut down every second around the clock. It is also estimated that 140 rainforest plants become extinct every day and yet only 5% of those plants have been studied for their potential medicinal benefits. 

Moreover, over the last 25 years, more than 70% of the rainforest in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos have been cut down. In Indonesian, the rate of closer to 80%. That is an area equivalent to the size of the country of Germany.

At this point as much as 80% of the world’s forest have been irreparably damaged or out right destroyed. Humanity has altered at least 70% of Earth’s land mainly for agricultural purposes. This results in deforestation, land degradation, loss of biodiversity, pollution, and also contributes to global warming. 

So this begs the question: Why is this happening? What are the long-term results?  And what can you do about it? 

For a quick summary, our world is growing at break neck speed. Consequently, the increasing need for space is turning out to be a major concern. As far as humanity is concerned, there is a desperate need for land that is used for agriculture, industrial use, as well as land used for housing related to growing urban areas. What happens as a result of this is that land is permanently cleared of tree and plant cover to be used for these purposes. That is the underlying process of what we call  deforestation. 

But to be a bit more more specific:.

1. Agricultural activities are by far the most significant cause of deforestation. In fact the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says that agricultural activities lead to 80% of the deforestation with subsistence agriculture causing 1/3 of that. 

2. Livestock ranching is responsible for another 14% of deforestation. Most of these farmers slash and burn and use the land until it is depleted and then move on to the next parcel. 

3. Illegal logging is often used to feed a thriving industry of various wood products

4. Urbanization and over population: The urban sprawl of course devours land not to mention additional land used to build roads. 

5. Pollution making land unfit for the growth of forests

6. Mining of course completely destroys land and once again the building of the roads needed to support that industry and transport materials. 

7. Forest fires: an increasing number of forest fires due to global warming and lack of rain fall. 
8. Paper production: American, China, Canada, and Japan combined produce 400 million tons of paper each year. This accounts for approximately 640 million trees each and every year.

But now that you know what is going on, let’s talk about the

effects of deforestation:

1. Climate imbalance and climate change. What you must understand is that forest and climate balance are intrinsically linked. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, produce oxygen and release water vapor into the air. Trees also provide shade which keeps the soil moist. A lack of tree cover cause drier conditions, increased temperatures and leads to climate change. 

2. Global warming. And all of this of course leads to increased global warming and increased greenhouse gas emissions. As stated above, trees absorbs CO2. But when they are cut and burned, they then become sources of CO2

3. Soil erosion and destruction: Without tree cover to keep the soil moist and roots to hold the soil in place, the ground dries and erodes. 

4. Wildlife extinction and habitats loss: The massive removal of trees is the direct cause of habitat loss, species relocation and extinction. A study conducted in the Brazilian rainforests predicts that up to 90% of the predicted extinctions will occur during the next 40 years. 

5. Ocean Acidification: The oceans serve as a huge sink hole for CO2. With the massive loss of tree cover, there is increase CO2 in the atmosphere, which is then absorbed by the ocean which causes the oceans to be more acidic. This of course promotes loss of numerous species especially those associated with our coral reefs. 

6. Loss of biodiversity: Did you know that about 80% of our global biodiversity is located in the tropical forests. 

7. Food insecurity: I find it ironic that deforestation to produce food actually results in food insecurity.  But more on that in a minute. 

Now with all that knowledge in hand, what can actually be done about it? How can you help the situation? Once again, some of the things that I will suggest here are going to require a conscious change in some of the ways in which you live. 

1. Government regulation: Okay don’t laugh when I mention this first one. But, government regulation is key to stopping deforestation. Only if big government steps in and completely changes the playing field will deforestation completely stop. But, we all know how unlikely it is that that is going to happen. That is like asking the government to stop oil production. There is simply too much money involved. But if the government were to ban clear cutting, that would accomplish a lot

2. Reforestation is a fantastic plan. Developers that clear land for urbanization should be required to put a plan in place to plant and replace more tress than what they cut down. Additionally, land previously cleared for agricultural activity should be reforested. 

3. Reduce your consumption of paper. Now this is a big one for all of us. Many of us consume paper and never even think about it.  Napkins, toilet paper, printing paper, notebooks, sticky notes, cardboard packaging. Make a conscious effort to reduce the amount of paper that you consume and go paperless. For example, I never write myself notes anymore. I only make notations in my smart phone and iPad. Before I go to the supermarket, I type my grocery list in my Phone. 

4. Eat less meat. Now this is a big one as well. It is well known that agricultural activities have one of the greatest impacts on the environment especially the production of beef. Now I will have to admit that I was hesitant to make this change in my life for some time. But I will also admit that especially over the last year as I have worked on the podcast, and all the things that I have learned, we have actually reduced our meat consumption by at least 30%. We now regularly experiment with various recipes containing only plant based sources of protein.  

5. Purchase products from forest friendly companies and reduce your consumption of products that promote deforestation. Search out and find companies that are deforestation free. 

6. Refuse to use products that contain palm oil. This single ingredient is responsible for a significant amount of deforestation. Palm oil is a common ingredient in numerous products and is the most widely consumed vegetable oil on the planet. It only grows in tropical forests and the production of palm oil is a direct cause of deforestation. Palm oil is in lipstick, pizza dough, instant noodles, ice cream, detergents, margarine, chocolate, cookies, packaged bread, shampoo. All you have to do is read the label and choose to purchase a different product. 

7. Educate others. So many people are still completely unaware of what is going on in the world. Speak out and educate others on the problems and challenges that face us all and encourage them to make better choices. In episode 18 I talked a lot about how choices make changes. 

You now it is so easy to talk about climate change, and in this case deforestation, and yet so many people do not feel motivated much less obligated to make a change. Personally, I think part of the challenge is that there is no one single cause of this problem. Consequently, it is hard for any of us to appreciate the fact that it is happening and the potential devastating affects it can have on all of us. This is why I encourage my listeners to take the information that I offer and do some further research and convince yourself that change in necessary.  

But just for a quick recap: 

Deforestation causes climate change, global warming, soil erosion, species extinction, habitat loss, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, and food insecurity. Any one of these things could and would eventually produce devastating changes to life on Earth. For example, the simple loss of biodiversity reduces that amount of species available for a human food source. The way things stand now, humanity depends on only a handful of animals and plants for over 80% of our food supply. With extensive loss of biodiversity, we are producing significant insecurity in our food supply. 

Things you can do: 

Help with reforestation, reduce your consumption of paper, eat less meat, purchase forest friendly products, refuse to use products that contain palm oil, and educate others on how their choices affect the environment. 

For this next week, I would like to challenge my listeners to simply take at least 2 to 3 hours our of your busy schedule and take a walk in the woods, visit some local park, green space, sit by a creek Only then will you appreciate the healthy benefits of spending time in places similar to how and where I live. Only then will you appreciate how I live every day. Perhaps only then will you appreciate what we stand to loose not only locally but on a global scale. 

The forests that we have provide us with many, many benefits from mitigating climate change, providing oxygen, providing a valuable source of useful medications, substantial biodiversity and food security, and the list goes on.  But, we are slowly but surely destroying a valuable resource. Remember choices make changes. Just for one simple example, the Starbucks company produces 8,000 non-recyclable paper cups per minute, which adds up to over 1 billion a year, which means 1.6 million trees have to be harvested yearly just to produce cups that end up in the trash. 

Choices make changes. Learn to choose differently. 

Now there are an amazing number of articles on various topics that discuss how our choices are responsible for deforestation. And I do have a number of articles referenced in the transcript for this podcast episode. So, feel free to download the transcript, read some of these articles and see for yourself. 

Now in closing, the final thought I want to pass long in this episode is a quote by Chief Seattle from 1852. Chief Seattle said “The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. What ever he does to the web, he does to himself.”

This is your host Patrick signing off until next week. 

 Additional Resources

What is Deforestation? Definition, Causes, Consequences, Solutions 

Deforestation Explained: National Geographic

70+ Breathtaking Facts About Deforestation That Will Leave You Spellbound

Deforestation Fronts: A Threat to People and Nature, by World Wildlife Fund

Walmart, Costco, Target, McDonalds and More! Companies Linked to Promoting Amazon Deforestation 

Orangutans Are Suffering in Indonesian Fires Right Now Due to Palm Oil Deforestation! 

From Soy, Palm Oil and Beef Consumption to Human Rights and Habitat Exploitation: All You Need To Know About Deforestation In Light of The Amazon Fires 

Amazon Is Reaching a Point of No Return Thanks to Deforestation – Here’s What You Can Do Right NOW to Save It 

New Investigation Exposes Burger King’s Connection to Mass Deforestation in Latin America 

Deforestation in the Amazon is Up by 29 Percent and Our Appetite for Meat is Largely to Blame