The torrential rainstorm had pounded the countryside throughout the night.  Now, the first rays of dawn stretched across the landscape.  In that first light, Rich realized a new neighbor had moved in under cover of darkness.
       
        “Howdy,” he called.  “I’m Rich, Rich Soyalls.  Welcome!”
       
        “Whoa!  What a wild ride.  Where am I?” the newcomer called back from the muddy quagmire.  Will E. Rhode explained that before the storm he had been covered with rows of young corn plants, apparently up-stream somewhere.  He went on to tell the sad tale of how, decades ago, he was healthy, fertile topsoil.  “But after years of mismanagement, I guess I’m not surprised that I’ve been torn from my home and now am a wrung out muddy mess.”

        Rich, on the other hand, had soaked up that healthy dose of rain and never felt better.  Settled in this same location for hundreds of years Rich Soyalls hosts a vital, living ecosystem chockful of decaying matter and roots that feed all manner of tiny creatures and micro-organisms.

        “Yeah, I work for Ima Wizepharmer,” Rich explained. “She treats me well, and I grow some great crops for her!  Wizepharmer follows a few basic practices: 
        - Minimize disturbing me. 
        - Cover me with mulch or crop residue.   
        - Keep me well stocked with roots by planting cover crops and rotating in perennial and     forage crops.  
        - Foster biodiversity by varying crops and cover crop rotations.

        “And catch this bonus!  Humans are complaining about all the carbon (CO2) in the atmosphere these days.  They say there’s 411 parts per million(ppm) in the atmosphere.  The long-term average has been 275 ppm since humans first arrived.  So there’s way too much, and it’s messing up the climate!  But these practices pull boatloads of carbon out of the air and incorporate it into the soil making me even more fertile.  I love that stuff!”

        Rich and Will agreed that folks like Wizepharmer are true Heartland Heroes.  Not only do they feed the world, but by using these best practices they draw climate-disrupting carbon out of the air and put it into the soil where it grows vibrant living ecosystems.  It’s a Win-Win-Win: healthier, more stable soils, greater crop yields, and less climate disruption.

        What’s not to like?  With today’s environmental challenges, we really can’t afford to do less.  Because this is the only home we’ll ever know.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.

        Renae and Olive were packing away the church nativity display for another season.  As Olive wrapped up the baby Jesus figurine, she remarked, “It’s really quite amazing!  In our Christian tradition an earth-shaking transformation took place some 2,000 years ago.  Jesus gave us an enlightened vision of The Spirit and taught us a new way to relate to one another.  Humankind was lifted to a higher level.”

        The women continued to work quietly then Renea said, “Maybe now’s the time to take the next step higher.”  “What do you mean?” questioned Olive.

        Renea told Olive about a recent article in the journal Science.  It stated, "Pervasive human-driven decline of life on Earth points to the need for transformative change.  Continuation of ‘business as usual’ would result in great loss for both humans and the Earth.”  The article lists a litany of human impacts: 70% of land surfaces altered, 77% of major rivers no longer flow from source to sea, the tally of animal species going extinct is rising, biodiversity is being lost. 

         “Yikes!” Olive cried.  “That’s scary!” 

        “You bet it is.” Renae replied.  “But we humans are smart, and hopefully wise as well.  The author says in order to save the planet and ourselves ALL of us need a better understanding of how tightly woven together humans are to the natural world.  Then we need to apply that understanding ‘system-wide across technological, economic and social factors.’ The good news is, we humans have advanced to the point where we are able to understand our world as never before.  It’s time to apply that understanding and make sustainability the new ‘business as usual’ rather than the exception,” Renae concluded.

        Olive furrowed her brow then said, “I’ve got it!  This January instead of making resolutions for just the new year, I say we make a new DECADE resolution.  Let’s make the 2020s the decade we humans embrace a new, healthier relationship with the natural world.  No more willy-nilly extraction, consumption and discarding of Earth’s resources.  This decade we commit to a new way of life,” Olive A. Newway declared.

        “I’m IN,” Renae Sance agreed.  “Jesus showed us how to transform the world; now it’s our turn.  We’re the stewards of this beautiful planet, and this is the only home we’ll ever know.  So we really have no choice because we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        Brooke Trout was looking forward to this holiday season more than ever.  She had an especially meaningful gift to share and was trying her best to keep it a secret.  But when Helga Heifer happened by, she couldn’t resist.  Helga bent her head down and Brooke whispered in her ear.

        “Land sakes!” Helga exclaimed.  “That’s the best present ever!  I promise to keep it a surprise.”  But, you guessed it, Helga can’t keep a secret.  So when Stanley Steer shared a drink with her that night at The Barn, Helga spilled the beans.  “This is perfect!” Stanley remarked. “During this dark, cold season it’s easy to feel glum, especially with the daily papers loaded with seemingly insurmountable problems.  This gift will really lift folks’ spirits.  But shhhh… here’s comes Cates.”
 
        Closing the barn door, Farmer Cates slipped into the moonlight admiring how it sparkled on Lowery Creek.  The water’s soothing gurgles soon lulled Helga, Stanley and all the ruminating cattle in Iowa County’s Jones Valley into a peaceful slumber.

        The next morning, Brooke was excited to see DNR Dan pull in to chat with Farmer Cates and his neighbors.  “Good!  Just who I hoped would stop in.  Now I can be sure I’ve got the details right,” thought Brooke as she darted behind Dan’s waders.  She was now well-situated to eavesdrop on the conversation.

        “Yup, that’s right,” Dan said. “Jones Valley farmers have done an outstanding job of managing streamside pastures.  As you know, we’ve been monitoring Lowery Creek for more than 50 years.  Various sections of it have been rated as either a Class 2 or Class 3 trout stream meaning it supports fish, but conditions aren’t ideal.  In fact, we used to stock this creek in order to maintain a trout population.  But with your help, stream health has gradually improved.  So much so that next year we’ll re-classify Lowery Creek as a Class 1 trout steam.  Now, instead of being stocked, we’ll use Lowery Creek to collect brook trout eggs for distribution elsewhere.  Well done!”

        Brooke was proud to share this environmental success story as a gift to the whole world. “These farmers are both growing food and improving the environment at the same time.  It’s a great model for a healthy future because this is the only home we fish and the humans will ever know.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        “Ohhh,” Wanda Eatalott moaned.  “I stuffed myself again,” she though as she pulled back from the Thanksgiving feast.  “Why do I make myself so miserable by over-eating during the holidays?  I’d have enjoyed it more if I’d had a little less.”

        “Excuse me! Excuse me!” Lemmie Grabatonn practically barked as he pushed his shopping cart through the Black Friday crowd.  Lemmie had been up since early morning and now 8 hours later still had several items left on his gift list.  Later that evening while soaking his tired feet Lemmie though back to last year’s family gift exchange party.  There were so many gifts that many of the children had to actually be coaxed back to the tree to finish opening their presents.  “Huh,” Lemmie thought to himself, “If we’d have had less stuff, we’d probably have enjoyed the day more.”

        “Maybe if I push just a bit harder,” Anita Havalott grunted as she tried to close the storage closet door.  Once more, Anita hadn’t been able to resist the alluring appeal of “The More You Buy, The More You Save” sales at the mall, so she bought another car-full of stuff.  But now the closet, the attic and the garage were all overflowing.  Anita kicked at the closet door and thought, “I really need to get rid of some of this stuff.”

        Meanwhile next door, Les Ismorre picked up the Sunday paper and braced himself for another dose of the 4,000 to 10,000 advertisements that average Americans are exposed to every day.  The not-so-hidden message is, “You are unhappy.  Buy this and you’ll be as happy as the models in this ad are pretending to be.  Our stuff will make you happy!” 

        “Just look at all these ads!  No wonder we Americans are driven to consume, consume, consume!” Les thought.  Estimates are it would take the resources of FOUR Earths if every human devoured resources like the average American.  “Too bad we forget that experiences, especially those we share with others, make us happier than things, and the happiness lasts longer too!

        “This holiday season instead of stuff, my gifts will be to help spread four genuine keys to happiness: friendliness, cheerfulness, compassion and gratitude,” Les resolved.  “So often it really is true that Less is More.  More for me, more for others, and more for our beautiful planet home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        The alien craft had apparently landed!  As my trusty dog, Fritz, and I stepped out into the moonlit night we could see the glow of its lights and hear the roaring engines just beyond the trees.  We cautiously approached only to find that the craft was merely a huge multi-row corn combine disgorging its grainy meal into the waiting trailer.  A far cry from the 2-row Farmall corn-picker my dad pulled with the old Ford 960 tractor.

        The climate-controlled high-tech cabs on today’s huge harvesting machinery are emblematic of the technological advances we have made here in the 2nd decade of the 21st century.  Back then, Dad would come home from the fields to a drafty house warmed by a coal burning furnace.  Now, instead of corn, his son harvests solar energy to heat his home, power his appliances and propel his vehicle.  Dad would be flabbergasted!

        That coal-burning furnace and the other energy sources and systems employed in the 20th century brought great prosperity and convenience to us all.  But much of that technology is no longer suitable in today’s world.  A case in point is the transmission-line-triggered fires in California.  With the changing climate, our huge system of exposed overhead power lines that travel hundreds of miles over land is increasingly vulnerable to the rise in extreme weather (and to techno-terrorists too).  That system has to periodically be shut down to avoid additional fires.  It can no longer be assumed that this is the best way to provide reliable, economical energy.

        At least that’s what the U.S. Navy, the State of New York and many others think.  They’re building micro-grids as an alternative.  A micro-grid is a small-scale power system that produces and stores its own locally generated renewable energy from home-owner and community sources.  When the grid system fails, the micro-grid can function independently to keep the power on.  Meanwhile, it provides economic development, jobs, and innovation to local communities while reducing the need to expand the expensive grid system.

        Like it or not, the Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line and the Badger Hollow Solar Farm have thrust Iowa County into the forefront of the energy conversation.  We can either let outside forces determine our energy future, or we can harvest and manage our own energy sources while growing our local economy.  Seems like an easy choice for our beautiful Driftless Area home where we’re forever… Earthbound.

        The approaching holiday season brought the old friends together to reminisce.  Now all in their “golden years,” the talk soon turned to questions of how each would be remembered once they were gone.
 
        Bea Quest said she intended to donate her extensive book collection to the local library.  “Who knows?” Bea hoped, “Maybe I’ll get a plaque on the reading room wall!”  Wealthy Pearson noted that her investments had done well. “I’ll be able to leave my children a tidy sum,” she boasted.  N. Dow Mennt intended to bequeath his antique furniture collection to the local museum.

        Liv Engwell sat quietly as she listened to the grand plans her friends had made.  She’d lived a quiet, modest life and wondered, “What have I to leave to future generations?”  With sagging shoulders she shuffled home.  “I’ll soon be forgotten,” she sighed.

        That evening granddaughter, Dee Sendant, stopped by.  She saw at once that Livie was troubled.  “What’s wrong Gram?” Dee asked.  Livie poured out the apprehensions she’d had since that afternoon’s conversation.

        “Gram,” Dee smiled, “your friends just have things money can buy.  But you have something much more valuable to give - your example of how to build a healthy, livable world.”  Dee reminded Gram how she makes a practice of Reducing her acquisition of stuff by borrowing, renting and sharing.  She Reuses and Re-purposes things instead of buying new, and then Recycles once things are truly beyond repair.  “And Gram, you’ve taught us how to eat lower on the food chain by mostly filling our plates with fruits, veggies and grains.”  Dee also reminded her that Gram was the first one in the neighborhood to have a home energy audit.  After completing the suggested improvements, her home energy use dropped dramatically saving her a bundle of money.

        Dee continued to list Livie’s prudent practices: minimum use of pesticides, harsh chemicals and artificial fertilizers, consolidating car errands to reduce travel, reducing her mowed lawn area, and on and on.

        “Gram, your friends will leave fine gifts to the future, but yours will be a far greater legacy.  As Earth Day founder, Gaylord Nelson said, ‘(Our) biological systems are the sustaining wealth of the world.’  Gram, you’re living a life in harmony with those systems.  And that’s a blessing to us all, here on the only home we’ll ever know where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

        Little Bucky loved the Halloween season!  After carefully brushing his coat Bucky donned his best cardinal red and white then headed out looking for treats. 

        His first stop was at Old Man Coal’s dusty door.  “Well if it isn’t my favorite little customer, er…I mean friend.  Looking for treats?  Let’s see what we have.  The usual I presume?”  Coal coughed up a lump of coal into Bucky’s sack.  The badger frowned as he turned away knowing that every year he traded a huge chunk of his $15 billion annual fuel budget for lumps of dirty coal.

        Bucky’s next stop was at Nat Gass’s fracking house.  “Come in,” burped Nat while seeping gaseous fumes with every breathe. “Well, if it isn’t little Bucky.  Here you go pal,” he hissed as he handed Bucky a gas-filled balloon representing another quarter or so of that $15 billion.

        Pete Rolium’s pumphouse was next door.  Pete filled Bucky’s flask with his best 87 octane gasoline.  “Always happy to take a generous slice of that $15 billion annual energy budget off your paws little Bucky.”  Pete gushed.

        As Bucky left Pete’s his spirit sagged.  “Just who is getting treats and who’s getting tricked?” he thought to himself.  “Sure, all these guys are happy to give me their energy goodies in exchange for my hard-earned cash.”

        As he shuffled down the road he stopped at Bette Erway’s gate and decided he’d try one more door.  When Bette opened her door she peered into Bucky’s sack and shook her head.  “We can do better than that,” Bette smiled. “Bucky, you have no buried fossil fuels or uranium of your own, so every year you send your money out of state to buy energy from others.  But remember, the sun shines and the wind blows in your state too.  With today’s technology you could be generating your own power while creating home-grown jobs.  Perhaps even more important, your Focus on Energy program (FocusOnEnergy.com) provides almost $6 in energy-saving benefits for every $1 spent.  Treat yourself!” Bette advised. 

        She dropped a shiny medallion stamped SWEBS into Bucky’s sack.  The medallion was to remind him that Solar, Wind, Efficiency, and Battery Storage combined would be the real treat freeing him from Coal, Nat, and Pete’s tricks.

        Bucky headed home assured that he really can save dollars while building a cleaner world right here where we’re all forever… Earthbound.

        Director Barney Owl coughed up yet another pellet (indigestion?) as he propped his talons on the desk.  He’d stayed up all morning pouring over the latest ACB (Avian Census Bureau) report. “These finding can’t be right,” he hooted.  “There must be some mistake.”  So he called together his bureau chiefs.

        “This survey claims we’ve lost almost 1 of every 4 birds in North America over the past 50 years.  It says habitat loss, pesticides, insect declines and the changing climate have wiped out almost 3 billion of our friends and neighbors.  Tell me it isn’t so!” Barney pleaded.

        Melody Lark was the first to pipe up.  She reported that her grasslands are among the most threatened biomes on Earth and have a bird population decline of over 40%.  Janice Junco reported that a quarter of her flying forest friends have been lost.  And on it went with reports from the desert, arctic and coastal regions all sadly giving similar statistics.

        Finally Woody Duck lightened everyone’s spirits.  “Thanks to wetland conservation efforts waterfowl have added 34 million flyers since 1970.  Things do improve when our human friends make the effort,” Woody quacked.

        “That’s it!” Barney hooted. “Humans are the key to stabilizing our population.  We’ve got to educate them about how each individual can make a difference.”  So the ACB put together a guide for humans and posted it at 3BillionBirds.org. (Click:  7 Simple Actions)

• Make windows safer. – Add window “clings” or use other diversion methods.
• Keep cats indoors - Cats are the #1 human-caused reason for the loss of birds, aside from habitat loss.
• Reduce lawn space and add native plants.
• Reduce pesticide use.
• Drink shade-grown coffee – Look for Bird Friendly certification on your coffee package label.
• Reduce plastic use – A boatload of environmental benefits will follow.

 
        Perched in the back, Baldy Eagle hadn’t said a word, but now in his stately manner he strode to the front.  “Humans are a clever species.  They saw the damage that DDT pesticide was causing and wisely banned it in 1972.  As a result, my raptor family has expanded by 15 million members since then.  Humans know that we birds really are the ‘canaries in the coal mine,’ a sort of barometer of environmental health.  I’m confident they’ll help because this is their only home too.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

       Common Sense perched on the shoulder of ancient humankind and whispered in its ear, “Obviously, the sun revolves around the Earth.”  During the Renaissance she murmured to doctors, “Draining out the diseased patient’s bad blood by bloodletting will drain out the illness as well.”  In the 1800s, Common Sense basked in America’s abundance and practically shouted, “Limitless resources, such as the passenger pigeon, can’t possibly be exhausted.”

        In recent times Ms. Common Sense pointed to the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents and convinced most of us (this writer included) that nuclear energy as a power source is incompatible with a healthy environment.  “It’s just too risky, a possible catastrophe!” she’s warned.

        But Common Sense sometimes gives way to further analysis, scientific advancement, or actual demonstration as in the case of the now extinct passenger pigeon.  Today’s challenges over energy use and climate disruption may give us reason to question Common Sense’s former message about nuclear energy.  Could it be that catastrophic consequences would be more likely if we DON’T include sensible use of 21st century nuclear technology in our energy mix? 

       Consider a recent quillette.com article by Michael Shellenberger.  He explains that  the energy density of any fuel determines its environmental and health impacts.  Fossil fuels, for example, have very low energy density.  In contrast, uranium can produce one million times more heat per its mass than fossil fuels.

        Renewables also have weak energy flows, so they have to be spread over enormous areas.  It’s understandable that those concerned about the negative effects of fossil fuels have looked favorably toward renewables as the only and best alternative. They seem natural.  However, even in sunny California, a solar farm requires 450 times more land to produce the same amount of energy as a nuclear plant.

        What about safety?  Nuclear is arguably the best energy from an environmental perspective because it produces so little waste and its residue is contained.  Since the 1960s, every major study finds nuclear is the safest way to make reliable electricity.  (Maybe the least environmentally destructive also?)  Nuclear plants already save lives that would have been lost to air pollution.

        Wow!  Shellenberger’s argument is one big kielbasa to chew on!  In today’s energy and resource hungry world Common Sense advises, “Let’s wisely examine ALL options in building a healthy and prosperous future because this is the only home we’ll ever have.  We’re all forever… Earthbound.” 

       Byron Buymore couldn’t wait to show off his brand-new riding mower.  It only took him 10 minutes to mow his whole yard by mostly making tight turns and backing up over the small lot.  So he had plenty time to drive it over to Sharon’s to show her its many fine features.

       Just for fun, he tucked in the full color brochure describing the new SUV he’d just ordered.  (He loved that new car smell!)  Byron figured she’d be very impressed!  He also wanted to ask if she had room in her storage building for his new rider.  Heaven knows it would never fit in his 2-car garage, too much stuff in it already!

       Byron putted into Sharon’s driveway and found her on the patio.  “Hi Bye!  I just got back from visiting my sister, Bette Erway.”   Sharon went on to describe Bette’s tidy house that’s part of a co-housing community with 6 other families.  Sharon stayed in the community guest house and happened to have come the weekend of the fall block party.  The festivities included a soak in the shared hot tub while watching the kids play in the tree house and on the yard swings and climbing ropes.  Bette loved the easy access to these accommodations without having to be the only one responsible for their cost or upkeep.

       Sharon went on to tell about a sweet Facebook group Bette had joined called the Buy Nothing Project. (buynothingproject.org) With no obligations or fees and “Keep It Civil” as the only rule, she’s found this is a simple way to share or give away stuff she no longer needs and also to get free items or services that she can use.  An added and maybe even more important benefit is that she’s gotten to know her neighbors better and has found lots in common with folks whose yard signs (and opinions) are very different than hers.

       That evening Byron watched a news clip that reported it would take the resources of FOUR Earths if every human consumed resources like the average American.  He’d always assumed that owning a bunch of cool stuff was the key to happiness.  But Sharon A. Goodlife made him think there may be a more fulfilling way to live without so much stuff.
After all, we only have this one planet to share where we’re all forever… Earthbound.