Action, Compassion, Love

Could the Brisbane River be considered a deity? And if it were deemed a god or goddess, would it mean the community would be more reverent to this grace-ful waterway? To consider this question I turn to David Haberman's wonderful book River of Love in an Age of Pollution (2006).

Haberman spent several years in India conducting ethnographic research about the people who revere the Yamuna River, the Goddess Yamuna, the Mother. For thousands of years the river has been worshipped as a divine entity but, says Haberman, recent ecological trauma has placed the river in both environmental and religious jeopardy.

The Yamuna river is among the holiest in india. A sister to the sacred Ganges, the Yamuna rises in the land of high peaks, ice and snow and flows through India, into the Ganges and onwards to the sea (Bay of Bengal). But Haberman's view of this endanged river is shocking. Littered witih toxicity, the river Goddess is seriously ill. The task of his marvellous book is epic, to document the plight of the river and travel its length bearing witness to its failing health.

Talking with people along the way from Hindu priests, ecologists and locals, Haberman weaves a story of resilience and deep spiritual grace. The Goddess Yamuna is the Goddess of 'exquisite love and compassion', of 'loving generosity' and 'Mother of the World' (2006:104, 107). Honouring the Goddess by immersing onself in her sacred flow is said to 'increase love' (122), to be cleansed of sin and 'evil consequences' (126), and to be healed of illness. Hearing about the Yamuna's role in healing he asks: 'One might wonder: what will happen as she who protects from disease herself becomes a possible source of disease through pollution?' (127).

Haberman makes a pilgrimage far to the source of this sacred river. At the headwaters, the Yamunotri glacier, the river's water is pure, clean, clear. He calls the water here 'aquatic drops of nurturing love' (44). But as the river travels downstream the water colour changes as the effects of industrialisation, chemical outflow, agricultural pesticide and fertilizer runoff, urban development and sewerage interact. The grace and elegance of the river shifts from the beauty of the loving sacred Goddess to a sewer which 'can no longer sustain life' (81). Eutrophication from a build up of toxic contaminants suffocates the Yamuna.

For example, a recent news item from India reports that just this week the Yamuna will be inundated with 30 tons of toxic paint from 300 clay idols of the Goddess Durga will be immersed into its flowing waters. The news report indicates that although there are guidelines for religious communities to follow in relation to river pollution, they are not being enforced. The outcome - the Goddess Yamuna continues to suffer.

Along his river journey David Haberman meets a priest who declares that the Goddess 'is dying' (137). The priest recalls how he 'used to bathe in the river with faith when she was alive' and with a great deal of sadness adds: 'When the river is finished, life will no longer be possible for human beings'. Others argue that despite the pollution, the spiirtual power of the river is still strong.

Haberman's book is a masterful lesson of reverence and worship in the face of rapid ecological decline. There is a message here about love, compassion and action. We need to love a river, an ecosystem, the Bay, the ocean, the forest, our local places. But beyond love we need to care for these environments actively. Haberman says what's needed is 'a vast outpouring of love, a mighty river of love that will nouris and sustain us while washing away the pollution that is threatening the very fount of all life' (195).

Reflecting on the need for love of and for the Goddess Yamuna brings me back to this river valley in Brisbane and to the possibility that deep reverence, honour and love can be piled upon its grace-ful flow.

Reference
Haberman DL, 2006, River of Love in an Age of Pollution: The Yamuna River of Northern India, Berkeley and Los Angeles, University of California Press.

Another One Bites the Dust

The weather is getting much warmer. Shade is so welcome on these hot days. But many of the shade trees that create a luxurious green umbrella over the river valley and among the houses are fast disappearing. One day there is a beautiful old weatherboard house waiting for a new owner, perhaps a lick of paint and care of the old garden and tall trees. And the next day everything is razed.

It's the middle of nesting season. Bats have lost their foraging food sites and flowering gum blossoms. Possums and birds have lost their homes. A tan-furred ringtail lies dead at the side of the road. I feel powerless.

What takes me out of my despondency is the substantial research work that's been done around urban forests and green spaces in terms of human health and wellbeing, along with the dedicated agencies and volunteers involved in promoting sustainable living. In Brisbane and other cities, green architects, designers and landscapers are working to improve and restore urbanscapes to sustainable living environments. For example, according to the South Australian Urban Forest Biodiversity Program (UFBP):

'The UFBP aims to redress the loss of biodiversity in metropolitan Adelaide, thereby enhancing environmental sustainability, amenity and quality of life. Applying biodiversity planning to urban areas is a new approach to achieving the goal of a sustainable future that conserves the region's unique biodiversity - our natural heritage.'

This elegant Brisbane River valley could well be protected within such a UFBP framework. The SA organisation heralds the value of biodiversity outlining that diverse habitats are valued for several significant reasons: (i) their ecosystem services including the protection of water resources; (ii) their biological services including the provision of food and shelter, and (iii) for their social 'services' including recreation and education. The UFBP report cites conservation biologists Meffe & Carroll (1994) who suggest an additional category needs to be included - psycho-spiritual services - as an important values' attribute of diverse urban habitats. These values relate especially to concepts of aesthetic beauty and religious awe.

Meffe and Carroll regard these four biodiversity services as 'instrumental values', that is, they are valued only in relation to their human use. In contrast, they point to the 'instrinsic values' of diverse habitats. They warn that when faced with the potential eco-tragedy of many development projects, it is important to argue for intrinsic value rather than instrumental (anthropocentric) value but will developers and governments accept this distinction and embrace a notion that shies away from economic considerations.

Perhaps another way of arguing for the re-greening of the river valley is to examine the benefits of urban trees. For example, The Southern Center for Urban Forestry Research & Information in the US has produced a booklet listing the benefits of urban trees noting an improvement in people's quality of life, in community amenity and air quality. The booklet states that trees 'reduce stormwater runoff and erosion; they temper climate; they can save energy; they create wildlife habitat; they can improve health, serve as screens, and strengthen community. They can even help contribute to a community’s economy and way of life'.

Other studies show that community involvement in urban forest re-creation and bushland care helps create a sense of community, promotes pro-environmental behaviours and 'enhances a community’s sense of social identity, self-esteem and ownership'. And notably, 'a loss of trees ... can have significant psychological effect on residents'.

Ecological knowledge and awareness of the benefits of urban treescapes are crucial. Action around re-greening will ensure our living spaces are shady, restful and sustainable.

Reference
Meffe GK and CR Carroll, 1994, Principles of Conservation Biology. Sinauer Associates, Massachusetts.

Experience of the Spirit

In his book ReEnchantment (2000), David Tacey writes that: 'We are witnessing the rebirth of an ancient experience of the spirit.' He views this spiritual enflowerment as 'holistic, embodied, mystical and immanental rather than transcendental' (2000:100). It is inspired by indigenous eco-religious cosmologies. In the western quest for the sacred and the outpouring of individualised spiritualities, Tacey argues that we need to create a web of connections from the centre outward (rather than an upward heavenly focus) and seek the 'divine presence' in everyday subjective experiences.

What is useful about Tacey's overview is his potent observation of the shift within a postmodern spirituality from the transcendent to the immanent and self-transcendent, from heaven to the heavens and the earth, from power over to reconciliation, from a disembodied a-sexuality to an acceptance (indeed celebration) of our erotic and embodied lives, and from the masculinity embedded in hierarchy and dogma to the recovery of 'the feminine face of the divine' (102). Tacey hopes this will bring about an earth-centred spiritual revival, whether within mainline religions or the syncretism of new age spiritualities.

These shifts are apparent in the expressions of nature religion as well as the greening of mainstream religious practice. The influence of concepts such as lived experience and lived religion have overflowed into everyday life such that the daily connection with the river valley offers a space to experience the sacred in everyday ecological processes and actively participate in the sacredness of river spirituality.

The theme of sacred water and river spirit is also the focus of a radio performance honouring the Chesapeake Watershed in Maryland (US). Entitled 'In Living Community: A Spirituality of Water', producer and writer Sara Leeland (2006) pays homage to the flow of the river noting the deleterious impact of upstream action on downstream river and enbayment health. She laments that the waters of the once nourishing fish-filled Chesapeake Bay 'are on the edge of dying' (2).

One reason for the state of these troubled waters, she believes, is that politics and a desire for healthy waterways don't mix, so she concludes that politics is not the answer. Instead she questions whether a 'spiritual re-awakening' could change our response-ability about 'the role of water in our lives'. Then she asks: 'Could such an awakening lead to unprecendented support for action to heal our human impacts on the waters of this planet?' (2).

Leeland raises similar questions to Tacey. Both outline that an eco-spiritual revival is linked to the understanding of the planet as 'a revelation of divine wisdom'. This, Leeland hopes, can be manifested in a practical engagement in water-care, saying, 'The more we become sensitive and reponsive to water, the further it leads us into a vital recognition of our larger community' (Leeland, 2006:9).

Water holds a spiritual power that spirals through the peaks of waves and rides on the interflow of the salt-laden tides.

References
Leeland SE, 2006, In Living Community: A Spirituality of Water, Radio performance piece, Chesapeake County, WYRY 97.5 LP FM, http://chestory.org/pdfdocs/essay2006-01.pdf
Tacey D, 2000, ReEnchantment: The New Australian Spirituality, Sydney, HarperCollins.

Wild Water, Urban River

There are wonderful water-based programs taking place right under our noses and we might not even be aware of them. The Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program of local waterways and the Healthy Waterways project for SE Queensland are looking after the environment and working together across community, industry and science to create purposeful strategies for waterwise development and water sustainabiltiy.

What happens upstream is reflected in what's going on downstream, especially the upstream events along the Brisbane River and the end point of the flow into Moreton Bay and then further afield. How the land and water are treated along the river's trajectory reflect not only the health of Moreton Bay but also the health of the creatures that live there - Dugongs, Turtles, Fish and Seagrass.

The EPA explains that seagrass is central to the marine web of life, and dead or alive, seagrasses are protected under the Queensland Fisheries Act, 1994. Many animals from big mammals like the Dugong and Green Turtle forage the seagrass, while these leafy meadows are home to an ecology of fish, prawns, seaweeds and other marine species.

The EPA comments that 'Seagrasses are very sensitive to changes in water quality and are used to measure ecosystem health.' So practices like land clearing, use of fertilisers and pesticides, sewerage and septic overflow and dredging have changed the river's water quality and turbidity and also affected the health of Moreton Bay.

Early accounts of river quality talk of clear water and easy fishing. But landclearing leaves arenas of denuded soil which, when it rains, flows in a muddy plume down to the river, eventually running into the sea, smothering the seagass meadows and the food for the sea mammals. In an information session on the future for Moreton Bay held during the week, renowned Dugong researcher Dr Janet Lanyon from the University of Queensland mentioned that after very heavy rains and flooded rivers a few years ago, the Dugong were found to weigh less and did not appear to be as healthy.

She indicated the likely cause was the reduction in seagrass meadows (See Lanyon, 2003). In her talk she pointed out that an increase in the human population over the next few years intent on finding home along the waterways of SE Queensland will bring increased pressure on the Moreton Bay environment, particularly the mammals, some of whom like the various turtle species, are already threatened.

She also mentioned that researchers in Florida monitoring the health of the Manatee have suggested that global warming might not be such a bad thing for these large sea mammals. Warmer water might lead to a greater spread of sea meadows and thus more Manatee and Dugong-friendly pastures for undersea grazing. But she stressed the need for urgent action now to protect the delicate and interconnected marine, coastal and riverine ecologies.

Reference
Lanyon JM, 2003, 'Distribution and Abundance of Dugongs in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia,' Wildlife Research, 30, 397-409.

Waste Water

Sparkling water doesn't just come in a bottle.

This week as Al Gore receives accolades for being inconvenient and telling a truth about global warming, and the British Court system decides that schools can show An Inconvient Truth as long as the other side of the story is also told, another potential eco-problem is piling up as this city warms up - plastic water bottles. In Australia 65 percent of these bottles end up in landfill. Many lie washed up under the mangroves along the riverbank brought in on the tide.

The number of bottles sold in Australia is growing at 10 percent a year. According to the Australian Beverages Council, Australians consumed 40 litres of bottled water per person in 2003, while the Australian Bottled Water Institute says that, last year, we spent a collosal $385 million on 250 million litres of bottled water. But only 35 percent of the bottles get recycled, say the Australian Conservation Foundation.

In a study Environnental Issues: People's Views and Practices (ABS, 2004), the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 21 percent of households use bottled water compared to 16 percent in 2001 (and 3% in 1994). But paradoxically, while households bought bottled water, most people surveyed (70%) said they were satisfied with the quality of tap water (which they also pay for). So what makes bottled water such an attractive commodity - is it the advertisements?

Advertisements for bottled water depict scenes of pristine mountains, sparkling rivers, rushing waterfalls and glowing tropical islands. These images are meant to imply that the water is actually being bottled from these pristine places; this ensures its purity and quality. But there is no labelling to link what is advertised with what is bottled.

Perhaps one reason is that carrying bottled water is somehow 'cool'. Perhaps there is a hint that the individual is just as pure and pristine as the advertised product. Perhaps it shows a notion of being healthy compared to a carbonated drink, filled with sugar, colour and preservatives (something that children have). Perhaps it's the brand name.

Or perhaps it's about convenience. Carrying a metal Sigg or other re-usable even plastic water bottle may be more cumbersome, not as convenient, not as funky. But there is a whole range of great colours and patterns on such water bottles, so they could be better marketed.

Research on environmental problems associated with plastic water bottles on several websites discusses the issue of the chemical make-up of the plastic bottles and consumer safety, as well as raising concerns about the amount of energy and fuel that goes into the making of the bottles, especially the amount of extra water used in their production (Thompson, 2007). Other sites talk about their place of origin and wonder at the ecological footprint implications involved with importing water from Europe or elsewhere. For instance, Canadian scientist David Suzuki recommends drinking tap water and comments: 'It's nuts to be shipping water all the way across the planet, and us — because we're so bloody wealthy — we're willing to pay for that water because it comes from France.'

And churches in Canada are taking the lead to disparage bottled water use. In February Canadian news reported that: 'Last August, delegates to the United Church of Canada's general council voted to discourage the purchase of bottled water within its churches. The motion called on church members to advocate against the "privatization of water" and to support healthy local supplies of water.' (CBC News, 2007).

Earlier this year on Clean Up Australia day, the local bushcare group collected piles of rubbish along the river much of it plastic water bottles. We gathered a great number of bags of discarded bottles. Maybe people would recycle them if there were enough recycling bins about, but better still, bring your own.

Reference
ABS, 2004, Environmental Issues: People's Views and Practices, Cat. 4602.0, Canberra, Australian Bureau of Statistics.
CBC News, 2007, 'Buying bottled water is wrong, says Suzuki. Environmentalist launches national tour on green issues,' Feb 1, 2007.
Thompson K, 2007, Un-bottling our Water Supply, Aug 23, http://www.celsias.com/2007/08/23/un-bottling-our-water-supply/

Enfaithed in RiverSpirit

Swathed within the river valley I watch as high in the sky the Brahminy Kites circle on the eddies, coming lower and lower over their old nesting site. My heart bleeds with the memory of the day I saw Currawongs and Ravens continually dive-bombing the kites' perfect home site, a messy twiggy nest overlooking the water. As one Kite sat on the nest guarding either eggs or tiny offspring, the other Kite was in the air, trying to chase the birds away. Not long after this occurred, the Kites abandoned their nest.

Being part of the ecosystem, part of the changing patterns of bird fight and flight, and being witness to these events in the wild are sacred acts. As I get to know more about this place I begin to feel not only 'enswathed' within the valley's ecological processes but also 'enfaithed' within the lived and living river-spirit.

The meaning manifested through river connecting in a spiritual sense is reflective of the concept of 'lived religion'. Religion theorist Robert Orsi (2003) questions whether the study of lived religion is relevant 'to the world we live in'. He suggests that oft made distinctions in mainline religion between the sacred and the profane are blurred within the practice of lived religion, where everyday experience is celebrated as religious experience.

To explore this notion further, and to question the dynamics of river spirituality as a lived and living religion, I turn to an article titled 'The Literature of Nature and the Quest for the Sacred' included in the lusciously edited volume 'The Sacred Place: Witnessing the Holy in the Physical World' (Olson and Cairns, 1996). Writer Douglas Burton-Christie teases apart notions of spirituality and religion as they relate to the natural world. Using a framework developed by Bernard McGinn (1993), Burton-Christie explains McGinn's three main approaches to spirituality - 'historical-contextual', 'theological' and 'anthropological', where the latter fits the concept of 'enfaithment' within riverspirit.

Burton-Christie (1996:169) says that the 'anthropological or hermeneutic approach ... seeks to understand spirituality as a fundamental element in human experience', while 'historical-contextual' refers to 'spirituality rooted in a particular community's experience rather than a dimension of human existence as such' (168).

For McGinn and Burton-Christie, the community being referred to is solely human, but here along the river the community means more than that. The Brahminy Kites wheeling through the treetops and swooping along the water-land interface display in 'awe-some' terms the more-than-human nature of this very special place. Proposing an alternative reading of McGinn's spirituality concepts, the river offers a spiritual experience rooted amongst the community of nature - human and other-than-human. It blends the historical-contextual with the anthropological and is intensely theological. RiverSpirit is a lived and living sacred place and practice.

References:
Burton-Christie D, 1996, 'The Literature of Nature and the Quest for the Sacred,' in Olson WS and S Cairns, Eds, The Sacred Place: Witnessing the Holy in the Physical World, Salt Lake City, The University of Utah Press.
McGinn B, 1993, 'The Letter and the Spirit" Spirituality as an Academic Discipline,' Christian Spirituality Bulletiin, 1, 2, Fall, 6.
Orsi RA, 2003, 'Is the Study of Lived Religion Irrelevant to the World Today: Special Presidential Plenary Address, Society for the Scientific Study Study of Religion, Salt Lake City, Nov 2, 2002,' Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 42, 2, 169-174.

Ferals along the River Bank

Feral plants can be beautiful despite causing damage to the local ecology. Along the riverbank the weeds are thriving between the tall eucalypts. An abundance of Lantana, Prickly Pear, Boganvillea, Mother-in-Laws Tongues, Asparagus Fern, grasses galore, Morning Glory, Camphor Laurel and many more flourishing even in the midst of drought. Some of these plants are escapees from suburban gardens; some may have been brought or planted by the people who used to live along the river in their small boats.

In his exciting book Feral Future (1999, 2001), the biologist Tim Low documents the litany of garden variety escapees along with many other feral species of plant, animal and insect which have decimated ecosystems in Australia and globally. While perfomer John Williamson sings 'The Cootamundra Wattle is my friend', Low writes that the Acacia baileyana 'has invaded woodlands to Africa, Europe, America, New Zealand and Australia' (2001:xx). He terms such feral plants 'invaders' - species that are out of place and once released, do great damage. The cause? 'Our collective ignorance' (2001:xxi).

The riverbank then is charged with a history of ignorance.

So which weeds grow where? And how can we find out what is, or is not a weed? The 2007 National Weeds Strategy defines weeds as: 'a plant that requires some form of action to reduce its harmful effects on the economy, the environment, human health and amenity.' Knowing this it is questionable why nurseries are still allowed to sell plants which may run rampant in the bush, like Agapanthus.

The document continues: 'Weeds are among the most significant and costly environmental threats in Australia. Of the 2700 species of introduced plants now established, 429 have been declared noxious or are under some form of legislative control in Australia. ... There are two types of invasion: introduction of exotic plants and movement by native species into new areas in response to changed land and water use and management practices.'

To combat the spread of exotic species, the government strategy recommends (among other actions): 'Prevention and early intervention are the most cost-effective techniques for managing weeds.'

In doing some internet research on Australian weeds, I discovered that just last week was the Australia-wide Weedbusters Week but there was no information about this important event that I saw in the local community, no advertisements on television, no broad community encouragement via posters in shopping centres, local organic stores or the small local nursery. Perhaps a group like Planet Ark should be given the responsibility for promoting such a national event, especially as the government's Weed Committee regards the problem as a such a significant issue.

The local bushcare group along the river is a small heroic group of weed baiters and tree planters intent on protecting this small patch of Brisbane riverbank from being completely overrun by weeds. This watchful group of river lovers is making a big difference.

Reference:
Low T, 1999, 2001, Feral Future: The Untold Story of Australia's Exotic Invaders, Camberwell, Vic., Penguin Books.