Everything effects everything

I read an article about the effect the BP oil spill in the gulf may have on loons in northern Wisconsin. It was a good reminder that “everything affects everything.”
We are lucky to live in an area where these kinds of tragedies are few. It can be a relief to think “I’m glad it didn’t happen to me.”
But, it did happen to me.
It happened to me because I live on this Earth, and what happens in the Gulf, or in the Middle East, or the North Pole, happens to me. I can feel compassion for those who are on the front lines by asking one question.
“How does this affect me?”
The BP oil spill affects me because it affects the loons that I love to hear calling on the lake. It affects me because other birds I love may winter by the Gulf. Fish that live in the Gulf find their way to my table and nourish me. Fruit grown on farms near those waters travels through the food chain to my grocery store.
People living by the Gulf watch as oil washes up on their shores. They see the devastation inflicted upon the plants and animals they live with. This affects me because they are my brothers and sisters on this planet Earth.
Science has shown that the extinction of one species can have a detrimental effect on an entire eco-system. This tells us that every small action has the potential for large effects.
Last week I attended the Northwest Wisconsin Lakes Conference in Drummond. The speakers talked about how making a few small changes to the lakeshore environment (like adding rip rap to a piece of shoreline) can cause a decline in the turtle population. Turtles eat bugs, so a decline in turtles can cause resurgence in mosquitoes and flies. To eliminate the bugs, a shoreline property owner may take out more of the shoreline buffers. Removing shoreline buffers can cause a decline in the frog and fish populations, which causes a change in the lake’s ecosystem, causing more algae, cloudy water, fewer birds, fewer mammals ... and more bugs.
Everything affects everything.
The BP oil spill will no doubt cause a rise in oil prices, which effects my pocketbook. But the monetary effect is only one issue. It has also caused more distrust of large corporations, and shown the lack of effectiveness of our system of government and their failed attempt at regulation and monitoring of those corporations. It has shown that there is more concern in our nation for profits than there is for the environment.
What good will all of those profits do when we no longer have a safe planet to live on?
Knowing that a few small changes can have large detrimental effects, reason says that a few other small changes may have large beneficial effects.
What can I change to help mitigate the effects of the BP oil spill?
I can conserve a little more gas. I can keep the dogs away from the barn while the mother raccoon raises her babies in the loft. I can watch how many chemicals I put into the ecosystem. I can help elect honest politicians and try to keep dishonest ones from being re-elected. I can adopt a dog from the animal shelter. I can pick up trash on a beach. I can watch and enjoy a northwood’s sunset. I can find a way to find peace within myself and not add to the energy of negativity created by tragic events.
I can find a place in my heart to pray for the BP corporate leaders because they have to live with the consequences of the oil spill, too, and hopefully learn from them.
Because everything affects everything.