us. Most of them are good, necessary,
and natural, but some are not. Pollution
in the food chain is an example of a cycle
that can come back to harm us. Humans
are responsible for the discharge of
chemicals from manufacturing plants,
shops, homes, farm fields, and urban
yards. Either as airborne emissions or
land-based runoff, these toxins make
their way to streams, rivers, and lakes.
There, they settle into the sediment and
benthos and are absorbed by the smallest
of aquatic organisms: phytoplankton
and zooplankton. These are consumed
by small bottom-feeder fish, which are
consumed by larger fish, which are
consumed by even larger fish, which are
consumed by waterfowl. And waterfowl
and larger game fish are consumed by--
guess who!--humans.
the circular impact of our lifestyle
decisions, we can choose to end harmful
repetitions, such as wanton waste and
pollution. We can enmesh ourselves in
the beauty of change: the green glory
of spring gardens, the blue brilliance of
summer skies, the royal red of autumn
leaves, the whimsical white of fresh-
fallen winter snow. We can learn to
admire the evolutionary cycle of the
caterpillar that lives as a lowly, crawling,
Earth-bound creature then morphs into
a free-fluttering butterfly that ascends to
a milkweed pod to lay an egg from which
another--guess what!--caterpillar will
birth.
Cycles. Let's pay attention.
the 22nd day after conception, the heart begins to beat in
our body. For the remainder of our life, that pulse reflects
life around us. Of course, proper functioning of the heart is
crucial to good health.
--Vishal Gupta, MD, MPH, cardiologist, Borgess Cardiology
Group
until our last breath.
--Michael Warlick, MD, pulmonologist, Borgess Pulmonary
Group
with food to create our building blocks. Without oxygen,
we're toast. Then, we breathe out carbon dioxide, which the
trees and plants live on. We are all cogs in a harmonic and
symbiotic system. It's a wonderful thing, and we best not
mess it up.
-- Chuck Nelson, director, Sarett Nature Center, Benton Harbor
cally transform within the chrysalis and emerge as butter-
flies. The entire cycle adds beauty and inspiration to life.
-- Karen Wilson, outreach educator, Kalamazoo Nature Center
and consumption. As long as the public keeps consuming
things, there's going to be waste.
-- Fred Sellers, district supervisor, Michigan Department
of Environmental Quality, Waste and Hazardous Material
Division
consumers. We're the guys at the end of the process. And
we're a necessary facility.
-- Ralph Balkema, manager, Orchard Hill Sanitary Landfill
efforts. Reducing the risk to humans and our environment
is key to sustainability. To reduce our impact on the earth,
we can: not create pollution to begin with; utilize green
chemistry, which produces chemical reactions without toxic
byproducts; and employ organisms to remove or reduce
human-made pollution in what is called bioremediation.
-- Audrey Wierenga, Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality, Pollution Prevention Section