Op-Ed, Michael Mccormick

When the topic “green” is introduced in a conversation most think of recycling or hybrid cars. But, what is the real thinking behind “going green”?  Is it just to lower carbon emissions and pollution?  Or, is there a deeper purpose?
            When we think about saving the planet, what first comes to mind?  Is it buying eco-friendly products to save some far away place? I say that the underlying goal should be plant conservation. In a text called “Plants in Indigenous Medicine and Diet” Maurice M. Iwu talks about how food “contains many necessary and useful chemicals which help in the maintenance of optimal health”.  The problem therein lies with mass farming and the introduction of less nutritional food.  According to Dr. Holcombe, an Oregon based physician, eco-friendly farming produces eight times more nutritional crops then when compared to the same type of crop from a commercial farm.  That is not to say that commercial farms cannot be eco-friendly it’s just to say that most are not.  The future of Homo sapiens will be determined by the survival of genetic variability and nutritional content in our diet. 
            With the changes in our planets ecosystems, due to deforestation and the encroachment of indigenous lands, most populations are now suffering from eating a “civilized” diet according to Maurice.  The Igbo of Africa are a perfect example of once having an indigenous diet, but who are now suffering with an increase in their health issues.  Maurice says this is because first world nations are bringing in processed foods and encouraging them to buy modern varieties of crops.  He continues by saying that the Igbo are loosing their traditional uses of wild and domesticated crops and that they have not had thousands of years to adapt to digestively to new chemical compounds found in modern crops and processed foods.  I believe that it is critical to conserve plants and peoples use of plants.  If we forgo thousands of year’s worth of accumulated knowledge about plants and their conservation we as a species are threatening our very existence. 
            It is imperative that we expose our kids to the outdoors and teach them about conservation says Dr. Douglas a professor at Boise State University.  She continues that it is ignorant to treat plants with the mindset that they don’t affect you or me.  Even my textbook Biology talks about how New York City, New York saves billions of dollars each year in water filtration costs.  New York City opted for cleaning up and preserving the Catskill Mountains ecosystem, where they get their cities water supply; rather than building huge water filtration facilities to meet the EPA’s new clean water standards.
“Going green”, it appears, is not for the survival of the planet specifically, but for the survival of you and me. Plants have survived for thousands of years and through many dramatic events, is it not possible that they could replenish after the extinction of humans. We need to consider the behaviors of our ancestors, many of who learned how to conserve and live with their ecosystems, and adapt modern ways with ancient practices. What is your part in conservation?