Ibhalwe nguKeith McAleer
Kube yintokozo ukumela u-Tree Davis eNgqungqutheleni Kazwelonke ye-Partners in Community Forestry e-Pittsburgh (ngibonga kakhulu I-California ReLeaf ngokwenza ukuba khona kwami kwenzeke!). Ingqungquthela yaminyaka yonke yozakwethu iyithuba eliyingqayizivele lezinhlangano ezingenzi nzuzo, abatshali bezihlahla, izinhlangano zomphakathi, ososayensi nezinye izingcweti zezihlahla ukuthi bahlangane ndawonye ukuze baxhumane, bahlanganyele, futhi bafunde ngocwaningo olusha kanye nezinqubo ezingcono kakhulu zokuletha ekhaya ukusiza ukwakha imvelo eyengeziwe emadolobheni ethu. .
Ngangingakaze ngiye ePittsburgh ngaphambili, futhi ngangijatshuliswa umbala wayo omuhle wekwindla, izintaba, imifula nomlando ocebile. Inhlanganisela yedolobha lezakhiwo ezintsha zesimanje kanye namabhilidi ahlanganiswe nesitini esidala sekoloni adale isibhakabhaka esimangalisayo, futhi kwenzelwa uhambo oluhehayo. Idolobha lizungezwe imifula eyenza inhlonhlo izwakale ifana neManhattan noma iVancouver, BC. Emaphethelweni asentshonalanga yedolobha, umfula i-Monongahela (omunye wemifula embalwa emhlabeni ogeleza enyakatho) kanye nomfula i-Allegheny kuhlangana ukwakha i-Ohio enamandla, okwenza umhlabathi ongunxantathu abantu bendawo ababhekisela kuwo ngothando ngokuthi "Iphuzu". Ubuciko buchichima futhi idolobha liyaphithizela ngentsha esebenzela ukwakha imisebenzi. Okubaluleke kakhulu (kithina bathandi bezihlahla), kunezihlahla eziningi ezincane ezitshalwe ngasemifuleni nasenkabeni yedolobha. Yeka indawo enhle yenkomfa yesihlahla!
Ngokushesha ngathola okwengeziwe mayelana nokuthi kwaba khona kanjani okunye kwalokhu kutshalwa kwezihlahla okusha. Kwenye yezethulo ezikhumbuleka kakhulu zengqungquthela, Isihlahla sasePittsburgh, lo I-Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, kanye ne-Davey Resource Group yethula eyabo I-Urban Forest Master Plan ye-Pittsburgh. Uhlelo lwabo lubonise ngempela ukuthi ukwakha ubambiswano phakathi kwezinhlangano ezingenzi nzuzo nama-ejensi omphakathi ezingeni lendawo, lesifunda, kanye nezwe lonke kungaveza umphumela okungekho nelilodwa iqembu elingake lawuthola ngokwalo. Bekuqabula ukubona uhlelo lomphakathi lwezihlahla kuzo zonke izigaba zikahulumeni, ngoba ekugcineni lokho okwenziwa wumphakathi kuzothinta umakhelwane wawo futhi okuphambene nalokho. Ngakho-ke, i-Pittsburgh inohlelo oluhle lwesihlahla. Kodwa iqiniso lalibonakala kanjani phansi?
Ngemva kokuphithizela kwasekuseni ngoSuku loku-1 lwenkomfa, ababekhona bakwazi ukukhetha ukuvakashela izihlahla (kanye nezinye izinto ezibukwayo) ePittsburgh. Ngikhethe ukuvakasha ngebhayisikili futhi angidumalanga. Sabona ama-oki namabalazwe asanda kutshalwa ngasemfuleni - amaningi awo atshalwe ezindaweni ezaziyizimboni ngaphambili ezazigcwele ukhula. Siphinde sahamba ngebhayisikili ukudlula komlando onakekelwe futhi osasetshenziswa kahle I-Duquesne incline, umzila wesitimela othambekile (noma i-funicular), owodwa kwezimbili ezisele ePittsburgh. (Sifunde ukuthi kwakuvame ukuba khona, futhi lena kwakuyindlela evamile yokuhamba esikhathini esedlule sezimboni zase-Pittsburgh). Okugqamile kwaba ukubona abangu-20,000th isihlahla esitshalwe yi-Western Pennsylvania Conservancy's Tree Vitalize programme eyaqala ngo-2008. Izihlahla eziyizinkulungwane ezingamashumi amabili eminyakeni emihlanu ziyimpumelelo emangalisayo. Ngokusobala, i-20,000th isihlahla se-oki esimhlophe esiyixhaphozi, esasinesisindo esingamakhilogremu angu-6,000 XNUMX lapho sitshalwa! Kubukeka sengathi ukwakha i-Urban Forest Master Plan futhi okubandakanya ozakwethu abaningi kubukeka kukuhle naphansi.
Nakuba, abanye bethu abathandi bezihlahla bengafuni ukukuvuma lokho, ipolitiki nakanjani iyingxenye yokwakha imiphakathi eqinile ngezihlahla. Ingqungquthela Yozakwethu yayinesikhathi esifanelekile mayelana nalokhu, njengoba ngoLwesibili bekuwuSuku Lokhetho. Umphathi-dolobha osanda kukhethwa wasePittsburgh wayesohlelweni lokukhuluma, futhi umcabango wami wokuqala kwaba Kuthiwani ukube akaphumelelanga okhethweni izolo ebusuku… ngabe omunye umfana uyakhuluma esikhundleni? Ngokushesha ngathola, ukuthi imeya entsha, uBill Peduto, wayeyisikhulumi esithembekile njenganoma yimuphi, njengoba ephumelele ukhetho ngobusuku obudlule ngamavoti angama-85%! Akukubi kumuntu ongekho esikhundleni. UMeya uPeduto ukhombise ukuzinikela kwakhe ezihlahleni nasemahlathini asemadolobheni ngokukhuluma nezithameli zabathandi bezihlahla amahora angekho ngaphezu kwama-2 okulala. Wangishaya njengemeya eyayifana ne-Pittsburgh encane, ehlakaniphile, ekhathalela imvelo engangibhekene nayo. Ngesinye isikhathi wathi i-Pittsburgh yayivame ukuba "yi-Seattle" yase-US nokuthi ulungele ukuthi i-Pittsburgh iphinde icatshangwe njengesizinda samaciko, abasunguli, abasunguli, kanye nemvelo.
Ngosuku lwesi-2, uSenator Wesifunda uJim Ferlo wakhuluma engqungqutheleni yesihlahla. Ulingise ithemba leMeya uPeduto mayelana nesimo esizayo sombuso, kodwa futhi wanikeza isexwayiso esibi ngomthelela i-hydraulic fracturing (fracking) enawo ePennsylvania. Njengoba ubona kule mephu ye-Pennsylvania fracking, i-Pittsburgh empeleni izungezwe yi-fracking. Noma ngabe abasePittsburghers basebenza kanzima ukwakha idolobha elisimeme ngaphakathi kwemingcele yedolobha, kunezinselelo zemvelo ngaphandle kwemingcele. Lokhu kubonakale njengobufakazi obengeziwe bokuthi kubalulekile ukuthi amaqembu endawo, isifunda, kanye nezwe lonke asebenze ndawonye ukuze kuzuzwe ukusimama nendawo engcono.
Enye yezethulo engizikhonzile ngoSuku 2 kwakuyisethulo sikaDkt. William Sullivan Izihlahla kanye Nempilo Yomuntu. Iningi lethu libonakala linomuzwa ongaphakathi wokuthi "Izihlahla Zinhle," futhi thina endaweni yasemadolobheni yamahlathi sichitha isikhathi esiningi sikhuluma ngezinzuzo zezihlahla endaweni yethu, kodwa kuthiwani ngomphumela wezihlahla esimweni sethu sengqondo nasenjabulweni yethu. ? UDkt. Sullivan wethule amashumi eminyaka ocwaningo olubonisa ukuthi izihlahla zinamandla okusisiza silephe, sisebenze ndawonye futhi sijabule. Kwesinye sezifundo zakhe zakamuva, uDkt. Sullivan ugcizelele izifundo ngokuzenza zenze izinkinga zokususa ngokuqhubekayo imizuzu emi-5 (lokho kuzwakala kucindezela!). UDkt. Sullivan ulinganise amazinga e-cortisol (ihomoni elawula ukucindezeleka) ngaphambi nangemuva kwemizuzu emi-5. Uthole ukuthi izifundo zibe namazinga aphezulu e-cortisol ngemva kwemizuzu engu-5 yokukhipha ebonisa ukuthi babecindezeleke kakhulu. Ngemva kwalokho, wabonisa izihloko ezithile izithombe zezindawo eziwugwadule, ezinokhonkolo, nezindawo ezinezihlahla ezimbalwa, nezinye izindawo ezinezihlahla eziningi. Yini ayithola? Nokho, uthole ukuthi izifundo ezibuka izindawo ezinezihlahla eziningi zinezinga eliphansi le-cortisol kunezifundo ezibuka izindawo ezinezihlahla ezincane okusho ukuthi ukubuka izihlahla kungasisiza ukulawula i-cortisol futhi sinciphise ingcindezi. Amazing!!!
Ngifunde okuningi ePittsburgh. Ngishiya ulwazi olungapheli oluwusizo olumayelana nezindlela zenkundla yezokuxhumana, imikhuba engcono kakhulu yokuqongelela imali, ukususa ukhula ngezimvu (ngempela!), kanye nokugibela isikebhe esihle esivumele ababekhona ukuthi benze ukuxhumana okwengeziwe futhi kusisize sibone esikwenzayo ngelinye iso. Njengoba umuntu angalindela, amahlathi asemadolobheni empeleni ahluke kakhulu e-Iowa naseGeorgia kunaseDavis. Ukufunda ngemibono ehlukene kanye nezinselelo kwangisiza ukuba ngiqonde ukuthi ukutshala izihlahla nokwakha umphakathi akugcini emikhawulweni yedolobha nokuthi sonke sikulokhu ndawonye. Ngethemba ukuthi nabanye abahambele umcimbi bazizwa ngendlela efanayo, nokuthi singaqhubeka nokwakha inethiwekhi emadolobheni ethu, izifundazwe, izwe kanye nomhlaba ukuze sihlelele indawo engcono esikhathini esizayo. Uma kukhona okungasihlanganisa sonke ukuze senze umhlaba ujabule, ube nempilo enhle, amandla ezihlahla.
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U-Keith McAleer unguMqondisi Omkhulu we Isihlahla Davis, ilungu le-California ReLeaf Network.