When I got the e-mail from my former neighbor this afternoon indicating that he was going to be on TV, my curiosity was peeked.  Tom has recently started a new venture in his life & is now an Eco-farmer in Hesperia, Newaygo County, Michigan.  Newsreporters were on his farm to interview him about a disturbing development that is affecting farmers across Michigan. The story featured on WZZM13 of Grand Rapids, Michigan indicates that there is a strange, unexplained phenomenon which has serious implications for Michigan.  Apparently, honey bees are dying, literally by the ton...for no known reason. 

Tom refers to his bees as "God's fertilizers"!  He practices organic farming and uses no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. The WZZM 13 TV report indicated that he had started with 3 colonies & literally overnight, 2 of them had suddenly died.  This situation is being repeated on farms across the country.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason; some farms are affected and others seem, at least for now, to be unscathed.  The situation is affecting colonies in at least 23 States across the United States, even as researches plan to converge an urgent meeting in the nation's Capitol to discuss the issue.

If this continues unchecked, there will be serious consequences for Michigan's local agriculture.  In a state plagued by serious economic challenge, this is unwelcome news.  Already, 30% of the hives in lower Western Michigan have perished.  Various theories abound about probable causes including the strange weather patterns that have affected the state with unseasonable cold & warm spells, mites and a strange disease called Colony Collapse Disorder.

Research on Colony Collapse Disorder revealed some fascinating, yet somber parallels.  Apparently as this disease progresses, honey bees don't die...the worker bees simply leave.  According to research by Dr. Jamie Ellis of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, "Symptomatically, colonies with CCD can appear healthy as few as three weeks prior to collapse." All the worker bees simply disappear leaving behind, colonies full of honey, a few workers & the Queen. 

As, I drive past shuttered factories, homes for Sale on many streets  in Grand Rapids, Michigan & witness an increase in homes in foreclosure and short sales on my local real estate board, I am struck by an uneasy parallel...Michigan was the only state to suffer a Net Loss in population as so many moved out of the state due to economic conditions.

There are many reasons why this is an important story.  Nature is often our first responder to significant changes which will affect life on earth as animals, being closer to Nature, respond instinctively to changes in the earth's atmosphere.  Reports after the major tsunami  hit  Asia indicate that animals began to withdraw from the shoreline...apparently instinctively sensing something was amiss.  Unfortunately, curiosity propelled many human beings toward the danger & eventual destruction

Bees are the primary pollinators for crops.  Although, I find it annoying to be stung, the flowers in my yard need bees for cross pollination.  So do the trees & vegetables on farms across the country.  Bees are little creatures, but they contribute a very important service as they busily buzz around.  Let's hope that we can come to a true understanding of what is so rapidly decimating the population of these creatures & perhaps in the discovery come to a better understanding of the vulnerabilities of this earth home we all share.

Other Related Articles related to WZZM 13 News Story :

Collapsing Colonies by Joanne C. Taddwell of the Daily  Courier

Mysterious Bee Deaths Threaten Agriculture by Corrine Purtill of the Arizona Republic

Bee Photo Gallery

An intriguing & Strange Scenario...Are Mobile Phones Wiping Out Our Bees? by Geoffery Lean & Harriott Shawcross

© 2007 Audu Real Estate  All Rights Reserved

According to Miriam Webster's dictionary, a steward is: "one employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (as the supervision of servants, collection of rents, and keeping of accounts."   When I googled the term "stewards" on-line, I was surprised to see how closely this word has become associated with the "green" movement and environmentally responsible home design.  It makes sense, after all that the earth is the biggest "home" we all currently occupy.

Improbably, it has been our kids who have most actively engaged our conversation about conservation issues..  Perhaps, because they are witnessing an acceleration of chaos which is at least in part due to our inattention as a society to the proper care and feeding of the earth.     

Getting high-school boys to talk about most things can be a challenge.  So, I was quite surprised by the passion they expressed about green issues.  My oldest, a senior feels very strongly about the need to recycle aluminum and plastic because they take forever to degrade.  He thinks that it is wasteful not to carpool when you can.  I was genuinely surprised when he said this, " Mom, it's important to get as much garbage as you can into the trashcan, plastic takes forever to breakdown.  Now...I'm sure that comment was MORE about taking GARBAGE out less frequently; not just out of concern for the planet!   But their interest and concern forces me to think and examine my actions.

The passion of a couple of Gen Y kids has put a different spin on the green discussion for me.  I don't see the green movement  as a series of rules as much as I view it as a shift of paradigm.  If the green movement is simply about actions which are deemed environmentally sound, we may fall short of all that is inherently possible in creating an environment that sustains, nourishes and replenishes life.  Yes, justice &  survival demand that we address issues which devastate life such as the deadly effects of asbestos, lead, radon and black mold. Our quality of life in the future will be largely impacted by our success in debunking the lie that compartmentalizes profits and environmental concerns as unrelated entities.  They are not.

But I think expanding our paradigm of the green movement might be useful and bring a deeper level of intentionality to our actions.  Green is a state of mind as well as a place of action.  Green is a community that is sustained because it honors the fact that it is inexorably intertwined with the success and the distress of others.  Green is re-using and recycling clothing which is perfectly good rather than throwing it away. Green is getting out the dinner plates and engaging in conversation with your family rather than always succumbing to the convenience of a disposable TV dinner or Styrofoam plates.

Green goes beyond purchasing the right home and making sure we are not surrounded by toxins.  Green is loving ourselves and our neighbor enough to limit our conspicuous consumption.  Green is appreciating the earth that surrounds us whether in little patches between the blocks of sidewalk in cityscapes or along stretches of highway which are litter free...because people understand that green is about each of us acting responsibly in the disposal of our trash.

Green is opening the windows to allow the cool breeze to drive out stuffy air from our energy efficient homes.  Green is walking the neighborhood, not always driving it.  Green is evaluating how we use energy and being conscious of little things we can personally change to be more efficient.  Green is about the little things...because everyone's little bit counts.

I think Gen Y will go much further in their holistic understanding of the earth's stewardship than we have ever imagined.  It will affect how they address everything, including how they live in and purchase homes. Perhaps, it's because they understand it's their future at stake.  Baby Boomers have just begun to explore this concept and we are still putting together the knowledge base which addresses the actions of irresponsibility.  But for the profound reorientation needed, this concept  will need to be more fully developed.  Unlike me, Green for my Gen Y kids is a matter of principle, not theory.