Reframing the Military: Earth Restoration Service Argues for Global Military Environmental Efforts
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06.10.07
“With more and more British soldiers in Iraq going public about how ineffectual their presence is proving to be and the environment moving from green to red alert, it’s time we embarked on a global action plan to rebuild damaged environments and restore the entire global ecosystem to health and stability. For the next hundred years, we need to embark on a large-scale co-ordinated effort to restore the climate’s regulatory services that only healthy ecosystems can provide – this is the great work ahead for coming generations.”
The above quotation is the introduction to an article in the latest edition of Permaculture Magazine, written by Andreas Kornevall of the Earth Restoration Service, and entitled “Figuring Out How to Reframe the Military”. As the title suggests, Kornevall’s argument is centered around the idea of redirecting military funds and resources into global ecosystem restoration efforts for the greater good of all. Quoting figures from TreeHugger regular Lester Brown who, incidentally, has been described as "one of the world's most influential thinkers" by the Washington Post, Kornevall suggests that restoring the world’s ecosystems and stabilizing them for the future would cost around one tenth of current global military expenditure.
The Earth Restoration Service has apparently long argued that the military is in a great position to start restoration initiatives, and in some limited cases are already doing so. The article cites examples of the US Army Corps of Engineers restoring the Florida Everglades, and the Indian army undertaking restoration projects throughout the sub continent. Kornevall argues that if the military were to take these tasks on as a more core part of their mission, they could find themselves with a new sense of value and fulfilment:
“This is almost literally beating swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks. What a redemption to change the pursuits of war to the tending of ecosystems. […] We have to look behind us and clear up the destructive path we have walked. We are at the threshold of the age of restoration.”
The Earth Restoration Service is a registered charity with “the aim of fostering a global network of projects involved in repair of ecosystems, including planting trees to restore forests, cleaning polluted oceans and rivers, and reintroducing endangered species into the wild.” The organization works with schools, ommunity groups, charities, NGOs, government agencies and businesses, to create a global alliance to address the challenge of restoring the earth. ::Earth Restoration Service:: via Permaculture Magazine::
Why is it that young people have forgotten the environmental lessons of only 35 years or so ago? My God, the USAE was the entitity that originally screwed up the Everglades in the first place: albeit at the behest of the Florida sugar industry and developers, and taking their budget orders from Washington.
Nice concept but quite bad with the Defense forces analogy. A far more appropriate analogy lies in the US Civilian Conservation Corps, of the post-Depression era. Now that was a success that we could draw upon!
Because it was 35 years ago... If your 20, 15 years before you were born is a long time.
The USAE project that "destroyed" the Everglades was done in an effort to provide "drainage" to Florida. They did it to most of the marsh lands (i.e. Lee County, Lake Apopka, etc.) in an effort to drain the inundated wetlands and allow farming in the organic nutrient rich soil. Which YES was absolutely devastating because the USAE overdrained the wetlands and the farmers added far too much fertilizer throwing the ecosystem out of balance. BUT Rechanneling the military to a useful cause is a great idea. If you go in with the right intentions of remediation and not "drainage" there are a great deal of improvements the military money could be used for. The South Florida Water Managment District is responsible for rehydrating the Everglades and has been seeing good results over the past few years. Rechannel money meant for harm and use it for good!