by Sarah Lane and Julie Hall

Our July issue features the dueling and yet associated themes of Independence and Interdependence. As living organisms, we are all more or less independent, able to perform certain functions—swallowing, moving, gripping, looking—on our own, and yet each one of is connected to all others on this planet. Whether tree, primate, amphibian, parasite, flowering plant, reptile, insect, aquatic mammal, or crustacean, we are all inextricably linked by virtue of place. Here’s an example (look here for the source):

• The drop by one or two degrees Fahrenheit that comes with global warming (caused to great extent by human activity) has lead to an outbreak of mountain pine beetle infestation in western pine forests.
• That means that many of our pine forests are in jeopardy.
• That means that they will release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• That means that instead of the forests serving as a carbon sink, they are becoming a net carbon source.
• That means that global warming will increase.

But the relationship between idependence and interdependence is evident in the political, social, and economic realms too. Our political goals are now being framed in terms of independence: We want to be independent of foreign oil. Our states seek energy independence and the independence to make their own decisions about voting rights and marriage. We wish to be independent of the pressures of  big business lobbies, of fear of rogue states and their nuclear capabilities, of the demands of our allies. But at the same time, we come to see that there is no such thing as independence. A hurricane or a guerrilla war can affect gas prices. A flu outbreak across the world can reach us in a day. The activities of a few unscrupulous individuals in a particular economic climate can damage economies all over the globe.

Perhaps one of the best examples of our independent/interdependent relationships on Planet Earth is water: water as moat, as boundary, versus water that flows from one shore to another, that we all drink, from which we fish, that we all depend on. In this issue, Blue Planet Run, an organization dedicated to providing safe drinking water to people all over the planet, shares 24 interesting and surprising facts about water. And we want you to share your specific reactions to a photo in Blue Planet Run’s new book, The Race to Provide Safe Drinking Water to the World. You could win a free copy of this beautiful full-color book. At Kids’ Rock, kids can read about young Katie Spotz’s planned incredible solo-row across the Atlantic to raise awareness of and money for Blue Planet Run’s mission.

Birds live largely independent existences from their human neighbors, and yet humans and birds, especially urban birds, have a large impact on each others’ lives. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Celebrate Urban Birds Project provides an interesting look at pigeons and other common urban birds. At Kids’ Rock, Celebrate Urban Birds introduces kids to some interesting urban birds and presents eleven fun bird-related activities.

Kirsten Coraro, founder of Nexyoo.com—a company dedicated to empowering eco-friendly businesses, conscious consumers, and the planet—takes a hard look at our economic independence and interdependence, advocating for a new green, conscious consumerism. And at Kids’ Rock, we bring back two P3 features on our planetary interdependence in the realm of garbage, one examining the ways garbage unites us and the other showing kids what they can do to declare their independence from garbage. Look for more upcoming features on helping your kids learn to assert their independence while exploring their dependence on and relationships with the rest of the globe.

We’re all in this together, each of us in our own ways. We encourage you to join us here at PK Reader by becoming a member and by contributing your opinions and ideas. PK Reader is a community of diverse, strong voices, and we want you to be a part of it.

©2009 ProgressiveKid

Image by Matt Mangum, 2007, Creative Commons license

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