25 Oct E27: Keep the oil in the soil

As I turned, my camera lens sought out a brightly coloured poster with the message ‘Keep the oil in the soil’. I was at the Climate Action Rally in Toronto, surrounded by kids of all ages with a number of witty posters – each making their point on the climate crisis.

But there was something about this particular one.
Loved the bright yellow flower.
Really resonated with the message.
And then, my mind pulled back the wisp of a memory of a phrase:

“I put the oil beneath the feet of the moose and the wolf and the bear”.

Immediately I remembered David Adeney and his powerful poem.
I’d first heard it at his memorial service, where his children had performed it.
It sent shivers running up and down my arms.

A simple urgent message.

But then, Dave always had a special way with words.

I contacted his family, and I am grateful that they were generous enough to share the poem with me. I really hope they will publish it with the music in the very near future. The time is now.

David Adeney (1943-2017)

Dave was a very good journalist who was a wizard with words. We met singing together at Tempus Choral Society, where we shared the task of publicizing our annual concerts. He was truly a gentle man, and wonderful tenor.

God, On Air

Copyright by David A. Adeney (1943-2017) who sang this in church one Sunday, with his guitar.
Transcribed by Linda Layton.

“This is a new song about the environment supporting clean air, in particular the song is in the form of a message from God.
Your reward is you get to tell your friends God not only spoke to you in church today – he even sang to you.”

__________________________________

Hey! Turn off your phone and your I-Pad;
It’s God here, and I’m gettin’ mighty mad.

I’ve got to get something off my chest.
I’ll try to be very fair,
But it’s time you passed my test:

Clear my air.

Clear my air.
I put the oil beneath the feet
Of the moose and the wolf and the bear.
It’s all nice and neat beneath their feet

So please just leave it there,
Leave it there, leave it there.
All nice and neat beneath the feet
Of the moose and the wolf and the bear.

You’re not the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz
I gave you a brain because, because;

You got what you need, to be very fair.
You’ve got what you need to clear my air.
Now put those brain cells to better use
Learn new ways to turn on the juice.
Solar power, you’ve made a start,
For I made people very smart.
Now I want you all to do your part

And I’m sure you know that I will too:
Still bring the mountain mist and the morning dew

So put your hearts and minds to the task
You’ve got what it takes to do what I ask:

Clear my air.

As for the oil, just leave it there,
All nice and neat beneath the feet
Of the moose and the wolf and the bear,
All nice and neat beneath the feet
Of the moose and the wolf and the bear.

Now I’m glad I got that off my chest.
I tried to be very fair
But quick, it’s time you passed my test

Clear my air.
And as for the oil, just leave it there,
Leave it there, leave it there.
All nice and neat beneath the feet
Of the moose and the wolf and the bear.

All nice and neat beneath the feet
Of the moose and the wolf and the bear.

It matters now, more than ever.

This message is an important one in 2019.

The message that resonates so stridently is that if we love nature, we could choose to make different decisions in favour of helping get us to ‘Clean Air’.

I gave you brains, because, because

Did you catch Dave’s call to action? Let’s use our brains and figure out some alternatives!
“learn new ways to turn on the juice”.

Future of Work and Climate Action

In a Future of Work where we are often scared off with messages that jobs will be disappearing, this becomes an opportunity to stay engaged with a project which is going to need a lot of bright minds and a variety of suggestions, for the foreseeable future.

We are already making decent headway with solar and wind power. There is a renewed focus on batteries to facilitate storage. Construction is getting creative in how they consider incorporating new energies into home design.

What ideas can you come up with?
There is no wrong, so feel free to explore the craziest options.

Get creative!

Remember velcro and ziplock bags? And bicycles? Those also “crazy” ideas!

I hope this poem inspired you as much as it touched and inspired me.
It may have been written to appeal to and inspire young kids, but then, which of us is not still a Dr. Seuss fan, and still young at heart?

Make. Take. Talk.

This is my climate crisis 3-word call to action for each of you.

Did this poem:

• make you think more deeply, or
• take a walk in nature so you could enjoy it, or
• talk about some idea on alternate energy that is sitting in the recesses of your mind?

Did you choose to share this podcast or blog post forward via sound or print to someone else so they may be inspired?

I hope you did – and that you will then choose to let me know via a comment below, an email, or by liking this podcast.

It would be great to be able to share back to David’s family that his message continues to provide inspiration to so many.

Thank you for sharing this special moment with me.

I am your host Karena de Souza.
Together, I am very hopeful that we will be able to Tilt the Future in our favour.