Greenversations

About the Author: As the news director for EPA’s Office of Research and Development, Melissa-Anley Mills is always on the hunt for good science stories. She joined the Agency in 1998 as a National Urban Fellow.

Oh boy, it’s Sunday night, and I can’t wait to get to work tomorrow and tell my co-workers that this weekend I met The Raging Blue Robots, Saturnalia, Nuts for Squirrels and the Taco Buddahs. Now these aren’t the names of the latest bands to hit the DC music scene who hope to win legions of adoring fans, these are folks with an entirely different focus: winning the Marian Koshland Science Museum’s first annual eco-scavenger hunt called “The Green Hunt.”

You see, on Saturday, I helped staff The Green Hunt for the U.S. EPA. Free to the public, the event honored Earth Science Week 2008 and was designed to inform people about climate and earth science, and show that urban environments provide great learning opportunities for outdoor science activities.

As we neared the start time, we were anxious to see who’d burst through the Koshland doors proclaiming “We’re here for the Hunt!” From 11 until about 4:30 a diverse set of teams arrived, all ready to run around the neighborhood, looking for science clues: Teams of friends, teams of big sister/mentors, teams of college students on a homework mission, mom-headed teams, dad-headed teams, mom-and-dad-headed teams, abuela y padres headed teams.

Once their time cards were stamped, they were off! Dashing about DC’s Penn Quarter trying to complete the clues and challenges as fast as possible. There were challenges for the observant, brain teasers, some math, and things that you had to track down and take photos of or doodle. Once the teams checked back in and had their return time recorded they headed to the registration desk to have their answers checked.

Here are links to the map and clue sheet from the hunt you can use to set up a similar science event in your own town, city, or school. So, what did folks think? The general consensus was: FUN – for both the teams and for me! Not bad for my Saturday at “work!”

About the author: Jeff Maurer manages Web content and does communications work for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. He has been with EPA since 2005.

A recent trip to the EPA GreenScaping exhibit at the US Botanic Garden (recently featured in a Green Scene video) revealed this: my dad owes me compensation for hundreds of lost hours during my childhood. By my calculations, I am owed no fewer than 220 child hours, the equivalent of two-and-a-half trips to Disney World or 73 afternoons at Chuckie Cheese. I have already let Dad know that I expect to collect on these damages promptly. Here’s my reasoning…

We had a large yard growing up, which needed to be mowed every Saturday. Because we lived in the South, that realistically meant that it needed to be mowed every Saturday morning, unless you wanted to risk heat stroke trying to shove our dreadnaught of a push-mower across the grounds. Mowing in the evening was out of the question, as allowing our lawn to remain unkempt through the afternoon would have caused my family to become the subject of public ridicule. Or so went my dad’s logic.

With fall came Sisyphean bouts of leaf-raking. The leaves, of course, needed to be raked so that the grass wouldn’t die. For some reason, it never occurred to Dad that if we abandoned the leaf-raking task, the lawn mowing task would become unnecessary as well, which seemed like a total win-win to me.

Periodically throughout the year, we would fertilize the lawn. The fertilizer was bright green – not so much “grass-colored” green, but more “spent-nuclear-waste” green. The fertilizer’s primary function was to clog the machine that applied it.

These chores constituted a never-ending maintenance ritual that, though burdensome, I grudgingly acknowledged as necessary. And that is what I believed, until I saw this sign in our GreenScapes exhibit:

I went to the natural lawn care page on our GreenScapes site, and it turns out that if you run a mulching mower over fallen leaves, it creates a natural compost that fertilizes your lawn! We could have combined these three chores into one! And there are more lawn care tips like that one that could have saved me countless hours of poorly-paid child labor! If I had known that a mulching mower was all that was standing between me and Saturday morning cartoons, I would have gladly used my allowance to subsidize an upgrade. A recent question of the week also revealed that many people have known about this for years. Unfortunately, my dad isn’t one of those people, which is why he now owes me several Saturdays worth of cheese pizza and ski-ball tickets.

This week we’re focusing on OSV Bold, one of EPA’s research ships. Two usually shore-based EPA staffers, Margot Perez-Sullivan and Margaret Ford, went out on the ship with the researchers a couple of weeks ago with one goal: come back and share what it’s like. They wrote and photographed each day, but had no Internet access at sea, so we’re posting their blog entries this week. And the EPA folks will read and respond to comments all week. We’ll resume our usual blog features next week: Question of the Week, Science Wednesday, and Lina’s multilingual musings. Let us know whether this kind of in-depth reporting floats your boat! — Jeffrey Levy, Greenversations editor.

Day 1 (9.5.08):
I’ve never been on a cruise. Never spent the night on a boat…at best it was a ferry here and there or the random tourist trap night cruise. When I found out I was invited to tag along and document science and research in action on the EPA’s Ocean Survey Vessel (OSV) Bold, I was thrilled. And a little scared.

The EPA uses the OSV Bold to monitor coastal waters throughout the United States. This summer marks the Bold’s maiden voyage to the west coast and this is her last survey before returning to the eastern seaboard. The Bold has an enormous mission and its surveys are carefully planned to maximize monitoring and research year-round. The Bold is 224 feet long, has a full crew of 18 and can accommodate up to 19 scientists on any one survey.

Our west coast scientists are excited to have the research vessel on this side of the country and are taking every opportunity possible to get out to sea and conduct research and sampling surveys on the Pacific.

A team of nine scientists descended upon Eureka, California this September and began mobilizing for the upcoming Humboldt Open Ocean Disposal Site (HOODS) survey. HOODS is an ocean disposal site for dredged materials. West coast ports are the gateway to Asia; the Port of Los Angeles alone receives 50% of the nation’s foreign goods. These mega ships need deep ports to come into, which is where dredging and ocean disposal sites come into play. In a nut shell, sites like HOODS receive sands and sediments from local ports that need to move this material to make sure large ships can come into ports. A sediment testing program is in place to make sure that only clean, nontoxic sediments are taken to HOODS.

That said, during this survey, scientists are taking samples to determine the chemistry of HOODS’ sediments to confirm that the sediment testing is accurate, ensuring the sand and sediment material being dumped from the ports meets EPA standards, meaning it’s clean and doesn’t negatively impact the ecosystem near the site. Our scientists are also documenting the presence of benthic organisms (tiny sea critters that live on the ocean floor) in and around the HOODS disposal site. The results will be put together to make sure the HOODS site is being taken care of properly. VIDEO: Scientist Brian Ross discusses the survey plan.

For our marine biologists, the benthic samples will give them a good idea of the health of the ocean floor. There is a direct correlation between the types and health of these tiny ocean floor critters and the overall ocean floor environment.

We’ve got nine environmental scientists on this survey with over 5 decades of education combined. Our nine environmental scientists are: Allan Ota, ocean disposal site expert and co-Chief Scientist; Brian Ross, ocean disposal site expert; Amy Wagner, marine biologist; Greg Nagle, chemist; Kevin Ryan, drinking water expert; Tina Yin, watersheds expert; Eugenia McNaughton, Ph.D in algae plankton and quality assurance guru; Carolyn Yale, Ph.D. watershed planner; and Chris McArthur, Chief Scientist from our Atlanta regional office.

Margaret Ford our videographer and I are on board to document the survey.

We arrived this evening and got our room assignments, a short orientation of the survey schedule and a walk around the work areas with Allan. Often, to maximize time at sea, Bold surveys run on 24-hour operations, luckily we are only on 8 hour shifts for this survey. VIDEO: See our arrival.

We are scheduled to push off tomorrow afternoon…

What did you know about ocean research BEFORE you read this blog? Very little (63%, 94 Votes) Some (19%, 28 Votes) Quite a bit (18%, 27 Votes) Total Voters: 149  Loading ...

Each week we write about the science behind environmental protection. Previous Science Wednesdays.

About the author: Aaron Ferster, a science writer in EPA’s Office of Research and Development, is a regular contributor to Science Wednesday.

Last Spring, a pair of barred owls took up residence in the upper reaches of a tree just past the edge of our yard. They announced their presence during dinner one warm evening, a series of deep hoots in a pattern birders describe as “who-cooks-for-you.”

We caught a brief glimpse of one as it leaned off its perch and in a long, silent swoop faded into the shadows of the woods behind our house, disappearing like a ghost.

The owls didn’t disappear for long. The girls soon discovered a trove of owl pellets beneath the roost. By picking the pellets apart we learned what the owls were eating. Sometimes there were crayfish claws or fish scales, but the owl’s main course must have always included small mammals. Every pellet contained the tiny white vertebra and jaw bones of mice.

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	Curtis Tackett adds a handful of sunflower seeds to one of the small, humane traps the survey team sets to survey mammal diversity. After examining the small animals, the team sets them free. (Click image to enlarge.)

Could owls and other wild neighbors be good for health by reducing the relative abundance of tick-infected mice? Last week I got to tag along with a team of Yale researchers surveying mammal diversity in the forests of Connecticut, part of an EPA-funded effort to explore just such questions.

Naturally, the team is taking a much more scientific approach than sifting through a handful of owl pellets. Instead, they set out small aluminum traps to humanely capture a representative sample of the local small mammal population.

Every critter caught was identified, ear-tagged (if not previously captured, a regular occurrence), and weighed. Before they were set free, each animal was thoroughly inspected and any black-legged ticks found were collected for further analysis. After the first day, we joined forces with another team conducting a similar survey of birds, part of an ongoing population study now sharing their efforts with the Yale team.

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	Field coordinator Kim Tsao carefully examines each a white-footed mouse, counting and removing black-legged ticks for further analysis for the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. (Click image to enlarge.)

The few days I spent with the survey team is a small part of a larger, two-year study to better understand of the links between biological diversity, land use, and Lyme disease. I was happy to have the chance to escape the office for a few days in favor of the forest. It reminded me once again how fun it is to explore the woods and to learn more about our wild neighbors, some of which might prove to be important for our health.

About the author: Maria Pimentel is a scientist in the Office of Air and Radiation who joined EPA in 1995. Prior to that, she worked in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Lea la versión en español a continuación de esta entrada en inglés.
Some links exit EPA or have Spanish content.

Sometimes I wonder if those of us growing up in an island are especially aware of their connection with the environment and their community.

I spent my childhood somewhere between the sun and the sea in the beautiful island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. From the rich and fertile volcanic soil we harvested tropical fruits, vegetables, and grass for farm animals. The gifts from the sea were fresh seafood, life-abundant waters, rich with sea coral and beauty. Vieques is also home of the Mosquito Bioluminescent Bay, one of the most unusual live phenomena in the world.

In this small island, we had no drinking water reserves, so we learned to conserve water for drinking, until the construction of an underground pipeline from the main island. Before then, the source of drinking water was rain collected in tanks, and a desalinization plant which utilized sea water as raw material. As I look back, I realize our long history of loving this island.

The Taino Indians, the first habitants of Puerto Rico had a special connection with their environment. Together with their benevolent god Yukiyu, (who lived in the rain forest, El Yunque) and their destructive god Huracán or Hurricane, who sometimes still strikes in anger, there was a balance. Since ancient times, the community had a strong, simple, yet vital connection between survival, nature, and natural events.

Experts tell us that our early events determine our makeup in life. This is a possible explanation for my innate curiosity to understand how nature “works” and the path that my journey took when I later moved to the main island, Puerto Rico, went to college and, after several detours, continued a higher education in science.

After a productive career as an educator, researcher and health scientist at EPA, I have come full circle. My ultimate goal is still to understand, educate, and protect the environment we all live in.

I would like to invite you to go back in time and share your childhood memories related to the environment. And to do what you can to enjoy, preserve, and protect the environment around you. Your contributions will be enjoyed by all of us.

Algo para recordar

Sobre la autora: María Pimentel, científica en la Oficina de Aire y Radiación, ha estado laborando en EPA desde 1995. Con anterioridad, trabajó en el Instituto Nacional de Ciencias de Salud Ambiental.

Algunas veces me pregunto si los que viven en una isla comprenden su conexión con el medio ambiente.

Yo crecí en un lugar entre el sol y el océano en la bella isla de Vieques, Puerto Rico. Durante mi niñez, del rico suelo volcánico cosechábamos frutas tropicales, vegetales y hierba para los animales de corral. El mar nos regalaba mariscos frescos, abundante vida marina llena de arrecifes de coral y belleza. En Vieques también se encuentra la Bahía bioluminiscente de Mosquito uno de los fenómenos biológicos más raros del mundo.

En esta pequeña isla caribeña, no existen grandes reservas de agua potable. Por ende, aprendimos a conservar agua hasta que se construyó un acueducto submarino proveniente de la isla grande. Previamente, las fuentes de agua potable en la isla eran el agua de lluvia, la cual recolectábamos en cisternas, y una planta desalinizadora de agua, la cual utilizaba agua de mar como materia prima. Según voy recordando el pasado, me doy cuenta de cuan larga es nuestra historia de amar a nuestra isla.

Los indios taínos, los primeros habitantes de Puerto Rico, tenían una conexión especial con el medio ambiente. Junto al dios benevolente, Yukiyu (el cual habitaba en el busque lluvioso, El Yunque) y su dios destructor Huracán (el cual algunas veces, todavía golpea con ira) existía un balance. Desde tiempos antiguos, en la comunidad existió una fuerte, simple y, a la vez vital conexión entre la naturaleza, los eventos naturales y la supervivencia.

Los expertos coinciden que las experiencias en nuestra temprana vida determinan nuestras características adultas. Tal vez, es esta razón por mi curiosidad innata acerca de cómo la naturaleza “trabaja” y la senda que tomé cuando mi familia se mudo a la isla grande, Puerto Rico, asistí a la universidad y, luego de varios desvíos, proseguí una carrera en ciencia.

Como bióloga, he gozado de una carrera muy productiva en educación, investigación científica y ciencias de la salud en la Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA por sus siglas en inglés). Sin embargo, mi objetivo sigue siendo comprender el medio ambiente en que vivimos y educar acerca de cómo protegerlo.

Ahora, quisiera invitarle a retroceder en el tiempo y compartir los recuerdos de su niñez relacionados al medio ambiente. He invitarle a disfrutar, conservar y proteger el medio ambiente que le rodea. Todos nosotros nos beneficiaremos de su contribución.

About the author: As Jeffrey Levy of EPA’s blog team enjoyed a recent vacation, he sent along environmentally relevant thoughts and pictures.

We’ve been back home now for a few weeks. Hawaii was a pretty incredible way to spend our 15th anniversary. Aside from a sense of wonder, a couple of things struck me while I was there that have stayed with me.

First, it amazed me how little air conditioning is used in Hawaii. Between the trade winds and the magically low humidity (I mean, it’s a tropical island!), it was remarkably comfortable even in the upper 80s. And I get hot here in DC when it breaks 75. What’s funny is that when I’ve brought it up to friends who have also visited, they say they were also surprised.

The Honolulu airport was mostly open to the outside. Actually, some gates have air-conditioned spaces, but not the main terminal. I wonder how they decide where to put it? And then there’s the Kona airport, which really goes without AC:

You check in under a series of open-air pavilions. Once you’re though security, there is no concourse. Instead, each gate area has its own pavilion, and you walk across an open-air courtyard to get to your gate.

My first hint that’s how it would be came when making reservations, and every place mentioned ceiling fans but not AC. In fact, the only place with AC was our Waikiki hotel. I wonder if that’s a heat-island effect, or it’s just that there’s little airflow through a high-rise hotel room. Or maybe it’s that tourists expect AC, so hotels there include it.

Hawaiians seem in tune with their environment in a way that I envy. And in this case, they save a lot of energy by relying on their special climate to keep things comfortable. If only we could import it here. When we landed in DC at 10:00 pm, it was only 73 degrees but about 20 times stickier.

The other thing I wanted to mention is the coqui frog. You may remember Lina Younes asking people in Hawaii not to eradicate this Puerto Rican favorite. I’ll leave the debate about whether to eradicate them in the comments on that post.

But Lina commented on my first Hawaii post asking whether I’d heard the little songsters. Did I ever! North of Hilo, we heard a single frog, and I can understand Lina’s fond memories of “co-kee, co-kee” lulling her to sleep.

But south of Hilo in the forest, they were so loud we could hear them through the car windows (yes, we were hot, so we put on the AC). So for Lina, I recorded them: Hawaiian coqui (MP3 sound file, 20 seconds, 550 KB, transcript).

Now I understand why people commented on Lina’s post that the coquis had destroyed their peaceful evenings!

About the author: Sandy Raimondo is a research ecologist with the Office of Research and Development in Gulf Breeze, FL. She joined EPA in 2003 and models potential effects of toxicants on organisms and populations.

A few months ago I joined a crew on a sailboat that competes in the local yacht club races. I’ve never been a huge water person, much more of a mountaineer than a sailor, but since I live on the Gulf coast I decided to harness the side of nature that’s in my backyard rather than dwell on what wasn’t. Since moving here I’ve given sea kayaking a whirl and tried to learn how to surf, but sailing definitely suits me better – I don’t eat sand nearly as much as I did trying to surf, and my body thanks me for it. But it’s also the invigoration that goes along with a boat keeled on its side, cutting through the water, powered by something that you can’t see. Or maybe it’s the Jimmy Buffet.

Anyway, sometimes I think environmental research is a lot like sailing. Not in the sense that it’s a breeze, or that you sit in your little vessel and let something else push you a long, although sometimes you actually do get to move downwind and head straight toward your goal. But much more often you have to tack back and forth against the wind, constantly changing directions to get to your eventual finish. But since the finish is a buoy, it’s not really concretely fastened. These days, new environmental challenges blow in before we can address the ones that popped up last year. Its one of those things that might be frustrating if all you want to do is sail downwind. But if you like the adrenaline rush of hanging off the side of the boat to keep yourself level while your direction and speed are determined by which way the wind is blowing, then environmental research is a good place to be.

About the author: While Jeffrey Levy of EPA’s blog team enjoys vacation, he’s sending along environmentally relevant thoughts and pictures.

Aloha from sunny Hawaii! Like Karen Reshkin a few weeks ago, I’ll be sending a few entries from vacation back to the office.

Several years ago, I worked for the SunWise Schools program, so I know all about sun safety, from applying (and re-applying) sunscreen to wearing long- sleeve shirts, and even staying out of the sun during the middle of the day. And I know that the strongest sun occurs on the summer solstice (last week), when there are no clouds, at low latitudes and at high altitudes. Add in no recent exposure, and my wife and I have the perfect setup for major sunburn.

So when we went up Haleakala on Maui, we knew we needed to be very careful. We put on SPF 50 sunscreen that blocked both UVA and UVB, and we wore jeans, long-sleeve t-shirts, and hats with big brims (it’s only in the 60s at 10,000 feet).

For snorkeling the next day, we slopped on SPF 60, which was so thick it took several squirts to cover everything. And we wore shirts in the water.

The result? Sunburned faces. We couldn’t believe it until we realized:
1) we hadn’t been burnt at all after the mountain, so it wasn’t that trip.
2) our faces were in the water and the backs of our legs weren’t burnt, so it wasn’t snorkeling.

But we did stand outside in line for breakfast for 45 minutes from 9:30-10:15. Bingo! It’s not only the activities we know will burn us, but being outside here anytime.

So enjoy yourselves outdoors this summer, but follow the SunWise actions steps no matter what you’re doing.

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and chairs EPA’s Multilingual Communications Task Force. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

Lea la versión en español a continuación de esta entrada en inglés.
Some links exit EPA or have Spanish content.

For all those garden enthusiasts—whether you have a green thumb or not—have you noticed anything different this season?

The reason I’m asking the question is that I’m yet to see any butterflies in my backyard. Don’t know if I just haven’t seen them or of something else is going on.

I’ve tried to create a healthy natural setting that will encourage regular visits from benefitial insects and wildlife. I normally use greenscaping techniques to protect the environment. I have specifically planted several shrubs and perennials that supposedly attract bees, butterflies and birds—aster, yarrow, butterfly bush, and daylilies, to name a few. Overall, the flowering plants are blossoming as expected this year. Currently, I’ve noticed that my birdhouses already have their share of regular tenants. The hummingbirds have already made an early appearance—but no butterflies.

I was hoping to enjoy the colorful scenery with these fluttering visitors while leisurely resting at my deck, but I suppose I’ll have to be patient. Nonetheless, I have two other options in the DC metropolitan area at this time to see butterflies from around the world. The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History has an exhibit on Butterflies + Plants: Partners in Evolution through the 10th of August and the Brookside Gardens South Conservatory in Wheaton, MD has a live butterfly exhibit called “Wings of Fancy” through September 21st. I highly recommend them to anyone who wishes to learn more about these colorful insects. If you’re traveling through DC, they exhibits are definitely worth a couple hours of your time.

In the meantime, I welcome advice on attracting butterflies to my garden.

¿Para dónde se han ido las mariposas?

Sobre la autor: Lina M. F. Younes ha trabajado en la EPA desde el 2002 y está a cargo del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Comunicaciones Multilingües. Como periodista, dirigió la oficina en Washington de dos periódicos puertorriqueños y ha laborado en varias agencias gubernamentales.

Para aquellas personas que les gusta la jardinería—independientemente si tienen buena mano o no—¿han notado algo diferente esta temporada?

La razón por la cual pregunto es que todavía no he visto mariposas en mi patio. No sé si se trata de que aún no las he podido ver o si algo irregular está ocurriendo.

He tratado de crear un entorno natural saludable que fomente las visitas rutinarias de la vida silvestre e insectos beneficiosos. Normalmente utilizo las técnicas de jardinería ecológica para proteger el medio ambiente. He sembrado arbustos y plantas perennes que supuestamente atraen abejas, mariposas y aves. En general, todas las plantas han florecido abundantemente este año. En la actualidad las pequeñas casitas de pájaros tienen sus habitantes tradicionales. Incluso los zumbadores han aparecido temprano esta temporada—pero las mariposas brillan por su ausencia.

Esperaba poder disfrutar el colorido paisaje a mi alrededor viendo a los pequeños visitantes revoloteándose en el aire mientras descansaba en mi balcón, pero parece que tendré que ser más paciente. No obstante, tengo dos opciones en el área metropolitana de Washington para ver mariposas provenientes de todo el mundo. Se trata de dos exposiciones. Una en el Museo de Historia Natural de la Institución Smithsonian llamada Mariposas + Plantas: Socios en la evolución que dura hasta el 10 de agosto y otra en los Jardines Brookside en Wheaton, MD llamada “Alas de fantasía” hasta el 21 de septiembre. Ambas son excelentes y las recomiendo para cualquiera que quiera ver estos coloridos insectos. Si está pasando por DC, estas exposiciones definitivamente merecen un par de horas de su tiempo.

Mientras tanto, espero que alguien me pueda aconsejar sobre cómo atraer las mariposas a mi jardín.

About the author: Brenda Reyes Tomassini joined EPA in 2002. She is a public affairs specialist in the San Juan, Puerto Rico office and also handles community relations for the Caribbean Environmental Protection Division.

Lea la versión en español a continuación de esta entrada en inglés.
Some links exit EPA or have Spanish content.

Some people are born with a green thumb, some aren’t. At least that’s what I heard when growing up. My earliest memories as a child are from my maternal grandparent’s house in the town of San Sebastián. In this hilly town located in the northwestern area of Puerto Rico my Corsican-Italian ancestors settled in the 1800’s to grow coffee. Being green came as a second nature to me, as I grew watching my grandmother Carmen taking care of her beautiful orchids and roses and my grandfather Víctor, a farmer, growing sugarcane, plantains, oranges, and coffee.

Part of my job at EPA is devoted to attending public outreach activities where people ask not only about environmental topics but also about plants, composting and greenscaping. Besides providing them the brochures, I enjoy answering their questions and giving them advice on how to plant and the proper care certain plants and trees need. Sometimes, when asked about orchid care, I give my grandmother’s special recipe-milk and water. But I was not prepared for some questions of my own, when I decided to grow organic eggplants. With rising food costs I was looking for a way to grow a garden in our backyard. I already have navel oranges, therefore I thought this was going to be an easy task.

On a Sunday afternoon in late March I planted my eggplant seeds. A week had passed a nothing was growing. The next Saturday, I went to my grandparents’ home for a visit. After the usual exchange of happenings in the family, I told my grandfather about my eggplants. “Sun” he advised. The next day I moved my planter box from under the acerola tree to a sunnier spot. The next Friday, my grandfather passed away at age 90. This morning, before leaving for work I went to my backyard to hang some clothing on the clothesline. As I was enjoying the beauty of my heliconias and orchids I realized that my thriving eggplants and oranges have turned into little reminders of not only my green thumb, but of him.

Talento propio para cultivar

Sobre la autor: Brenda Reyes Tomassini se unió a la EPA en el 2002. Labora como especialista de relaciones públicas en la oficina de EPA en San Juan, Puerto Rico donde también maneja asuntos comunitarios para la División de Protección Ambiental del Caribe.

Hay personas que nacen con una excelente “mano” o talento para cultivar plantas, otras no. Bajo esa premisa crecí yo. Las memorias más tempranas de mi niñez se remontan a la casa de mis abuelos maternos en el pueblo de San Sebastián en dónde abundaban las plantas y el verdor. Fue en este pueblo montañoso del interior norteño en el que se establecieron mis antepasados corsos-italianos para sembrar y cultivar café en el siglo 19. El amor por la naturaleza es parte de mi personalidad ya que crecí jugando entre las rosas y las orquídeas de mi abuela Carmen y los plátanos, caña de azúcar, café y cítricos que mi abuelo Víctor, un agricultor, cultivaba con tanto esmero.

Parte de mi trabajo en la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos está dedicado a interactuar con las personas en actividades públicas y contestar preguntas sobre sus preocupaciones ambientales, cómo hacer composta o utilizar técnicas apropiadas para hacer aún más verde su jardín, entre otras. Además de proveer literatura escrita disfruto mucho de conversar y aconsejarles sobre el cuidado apropiado de ciertas plantas y árboles. A veces cuando alguien me pregunta el por qué sus orquídeas no florecen les doy la receta especial de mi abuela–vertirles la leche que queda en el recipiente de la leche mezclada con un poco de agua. Sin embargo, no estaba preparada para un evento inesperado cuando sembré berenjenas orgánicas. El alto costo de la comida me llevó a decidirme a comenzar un proyecto de jardín casero en nuestro patio. Como ya teníamos cítricos, pensé que esta tarea sería una sencilla.

Una tarde de domingo el pasado mes de marzo planté mis semillas de berenjena. Había pasado una semana y nada crecía. Me preocupé ya que casi todo lo que siembro crece. El próximo sábado fui a visitar a mis abuelos. Luego del intercambio habitual de aconteceres familiares, le conté a mi abuelo de mi aventura con el huerto casero y las berenjenas que no crecían. “Sol” me aconsejó. Al día siguiente las cambié de abajo del árbol de acerolas a un lugar un poco más soleado. El viernes de esa semana mi abuelo falleció a la edad de 90 años. Esta mañana antes de irme a trabajar fui al patio a poner la ropa en el cordel de secar la ropa. Mientras contemplaba la belleza de mis heliconias y orquídeas pensé que mi pequeño huerto casero se había convertido en un recordatorio no sólo de mi habilidad para cultivar, sino también de mi abuelo Víctor.