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Showing posts from June, 2018

Plant a Tree and Save the World—Easier Than You Think!

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A version of this article was published by Rural America In These Times in 2018. For more on topics like this, see my book, American Apartheid: The Native American Struggle.... TNAFA director Clayton Apikan Brascoupé takes a break. D on’t despair, if you feel political decisions nowadays are not being made on your behalf—or even against your wishes, says Clayton Apikan Brascoupé, a Mohawk farmer who has lived and worked for many years at Tesuque Pueblo, in New Mexico. His solution? “Start by planting trees,” Brascoupé advises. “They are a positive answer to climate change and much more. Trees build up soils organically and increase their water-holding capacity. They sequester excess climate-altering carbon dioxide. They attract beneficial insects that help other crops and produce food, medicine, building material and other useful items. Planting them can transform a community.” Brascoupé directs the Traditional Native American Farmers Association (TNAFA), headquartered in Sa