Applegater Spring 2014
9
DIRTY FINGERNAILS AND ALL
Heavy metal is not music to my ears
by SIOUx ROGERS
Wow, I f o u n d a n e w w o rd :
phytoremediation. Well, obviously only
a new word to me as it is not new to the
plants doing all the work nor to the industry
studying this unique phenomenon.
“Phytoremediation (from Ancient
Greek phyto, meaning ‘plant,’ and Latin
remedium, meaning ‘restoring balance’)
describes the treatment of environmental
problems (bioremediation) through the use
of plants that mitigate the environmental
problem without the need to excavate the
contaminant material and dispose of it
elsewhere.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Phytoremediation)
It seems that plants have a
secret society for harvesting heavy
metals. There are several words used for this
plant process. One is hyperaccumulators.
If you don’t understand this word, check
out your garage, or your “mess” drawer or
your clothes closet. Can you relate to the
word hyperaccumulator now?
Do you realize that while industry is
spending millions of dollars to de-weed and
“perfectise” every green living space, the
toxins that are added during this process
are just making way for more weeds? Weeds
become immune to toxins, just as bacteria
become resistant to antibiotics.
While you are spraying toxins on the
plants to get rid of them, you are actually
damaging the soil. If left alone, some
plants will—at no extra charge—remove
toxins from your soil and make it healthier.
Spraying with toxins is very short-sighted
and not the solution. In the long run, it is Plants have removed as much as 95
the problem.
percent of toxic contaminants in as little
Below are some of these hard-working as 24 hours. Subsequently, Helianthus was
toxic-accumulator plants, now used planted on a Styrofoam raft at one end
worldwide to clean up the mess we humans of a contaminated pond near Chernobyl
have created.
and in 12 days the cesium concentrations
• “Thlaspi caerulescens, Alpine Pennycress within its roots were reportedly 8,000
and also known as Alpine Pennygrass, is a times that of the water, while the strontium
flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. concentrations were 2,000 times that of
It is found in the Western United States, the water.
Scandinavia, and Europe” (http:// • The Chinese brake fern (Pteris vittata
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thlaspi_caerulescens). L.) and related species are being studied
Pennycress is a slow toxic avenger for as a possible way to remove arsenic from
soil remediation but gets the job done. water and soil. Remediating arsenic-
Each plant used for the purpose of toxic contaminated soil and groundwater using
accumulation does so at its individual rate. currently available engineering methods is
• Brassica juncea and Brassica carinata costly and difficult. The ability of brake ferns
are both in the
to hyperaccumulate
Alpine Pennycress helps clean toxic residue. a r s e n i c i n t h e i r
mustard family.
In laboratory tests
fronds has led to
with metals loaded
the development
onto artificial soil
of environmentally
(a mix of sand and
friendly and cost-
vermiculite), these
effective remediation
plants appear to be
of arsenic-
the best at removing
contaminated sites.
large quantities of
• Aquatic plants,
chromium, lead,
of which there are
copper and nickel.
several species,
• Helianthus sp., a
have the uncanny
type of sunflower,
capacity to locate
is currently used
heavy metals in
by a New Jersey
water and then
company to help
remove these metals
clear toxic residue
via their roots. I
from Chernobyl.
would like to think
Gen Y Worldview
Yoga is for every body
by JESSE HART
Though the popularity of yoga is
growing rapidly in the western world,
many people have applied only a western
concept to a more universal spiritual and
scientific practice. I am happy to be able
to explain to my community the truth
behind this ancient practice and why every
human being should at least be familiar
with its basic concept. After all, yoga in its
fundamental sense is the practice of being
comfortable in human form.
What is yoga?
This ancient spiritual science offers
a direct means of stilling the natural
turbulence of thoughts and restlessness
of body that prevent us from knowing
what and where we truly are. Translated,
yoga means “union”: of the individual
consciousness or soul with the Universal
Consciousness or Spirit (aka, your
connection of yourself to your creator).
Though many people think of yoga only as
physical exercises—the “asanas” or postures
that have gained widespread popularity in
recent decades—these are actually only a
superficial aspect of this profound practice
of unfolding the infinite potentials of the
human body, mind and soul. Yes, yoga will
help with flexibility, but the practice will
also assist in an increase of balance and
strength, both physically and mentally.
Simply put, yoga is meditation and a
workout combined into one.
Is yoga the right choice for you?
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Absolutely positively
definitely yes. Get up and go for it right
now. It will be the best choice you ever
made!
Yoga is for all—the young and old,
big and small, male and female, flexible
and stiff (especially the stiff ). Human
beings perceive the world outside the
body in the eternal moment of now. Our
sense of what is happening around us and
how we define things is in relation to the
experience of our life thus far. It may seem
counterintuitive, but what happens within
our internal selves creates the perception
(reality) of the external and never the other
way around. When we lose touch with our
inner self—our thoughts, feelings, internal
organs, muscles and bone structure—
we are allowing the health of the mind
and body to lessen. When we are out of
harmony internally, the external world
follows suit. In yoga we learn to
create a new, healthy and enjoyable
pattern of awareness. Right now,
this may seem like quite a feat
and perhaps you are many steps
away from that goal, but in yoga
we understand the truth and
discipline of taking the first step,
which, as it turns out, is the only
step that we ever take, consciously
or unconsciously, every moment of
our lives. Learning new techniques
to assist our consciousness will
open up new possibilities in your
life that you doubt or deem impossible.
What can I do to start?
You may not know it but you have
already started. Perhaps during heightened
stress or anxiety you reminded yourself to
“breathe.” Perhaps you suffered a physical
injury and took a moment to massage or
stretch the afflicted area. Though breathing
and stretching are good for trauma, with
some guided practice one can learn how to
get greater benefit from these actions. Most
of us are given lessons to learn to drive the
vehicle that is our car, but few are given
lessons to drive the vehicle that is our body.
To keep the body alive and well, we
know to provide the bare necessities of food
and water, but preceding this sustenance
are the most needed commodities for life:
breath and movement (with a sense of
calm, yet energetic purpose). All living
this is as easy as
sucking up an ice
cream soda via a
straw, but alas, not
so. Some examples
of these aquatic
Sioux Rogers
plants are water
hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.)
Solms), pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata
L.) and duckweed (Lemna minor L.).
• The roots of Indian mustard are effective
in the removal of cadium, chromium,
copper, nickle, lead, zinc, uranium,
cesium and strontium 90 from hydroponic
solutions.
An excellent reference for additional
information is http://www.mhhe.com/
biosci/pae/botany/botany_map/articles.
Phytoextraction by any plant,
including aquatic species, is a sophisticated
process. For our purposes, all we need to
know is that it happens and is being further
developed and utilized.
The obvious next questions
are: what happens to toxin-laden plants
after they have done their job and how
do we dispose of them? The literature
is not unilaterally decisive about a one-
size-fits-all solution. The good news
is that even though heavy metals are
detrimental to soil and are ingested by
humans in an overabundance, they have
a positive usage in other applications. To
offset the cost of the process of utilizing,
monitoring, harvesting and disposing of
phytomediation plants, the heavy metals
can be extracted and re-used.
Dirty Fingernails and All
Sioux Rogers • 541-846-7736
mumearth2@yahoo.com
The author practicing what he preaches.
creatures, from humans to animals,
insects and plants, need what is called
in yoga “prana” or “life-force” brought
into the body through our breath. Our
internal organs, respiratory and circulatory
systems move and operate on their own,
but we either learn how to assist them or
let our functionings go the route of least
resistance. I sincerely implore you to avoid
the latter. Every cell in your body will
thank you for the compassion.
Blissfully, I have recently come to
find great comfort in discovering that a
path to happiness, balance and connection
with nature/universe/God/energy is not
difficult. Discovering euphoria is as easy
as learning to consistently practice the art
of observing, stretching, balancing and
allowing.
Jesse Hart • 541-221-1080
empathinity@gmail.com