Photo Credit: Ask Mary Stone
Deacon Tom Cervone, Ph.D., Sister Maureen Houlihan, D.C., and Nicole Cervone-Gish, Ed. M.S.
Our Planet Earth
Author’s note: This website encourages and informs all people to act with Care for Our Common Home.
Introduction
Plants have leaves which may grow on a tree, shrub, wildflower, vine, vegetable (e.g., lettuce) or a blade of grass. There are many different shapes and sizes, but if they have a green color, they contain the green pigment called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is needed for the leaf to use sunlight to put water and carbon dioxide together to produce glucose and oxygen (O2), products both plants and humans need to survive. Please review the YouTube at the end of this article on how plants accomplish the photosynthetic process.
Leaves are photosynthetic factories, and there are thousands to millions of leaves on a tree depending upon its age and species. Each year, they use sunlight to make food and O2, and when the fall season arrives, they turn other colors and eventually fall from the tree so the tree does not lose water in winter. This leaf litter on the ground is important to enrich the soil, camouflage animals against predation, and as homes for many different animals. Jimmy Ray Dean believed that the simple, everyday occurrences of nature, like a leaf turning green and then returning to the earth, were profound examples of life and renewal. He saw these as miracles because of the intricate processes involved in growth, decay, and the continuation of life. He died at 81 on June 13, 2010.
Leaves are a part of nature, and how they work to maintain a balance is important. Many people think of what nature can give them, but our belief is to protect earth’s green world and fight against global warming and climate change. Examples of photosynthetic organisms in the world are plants, algae, and phytoplankton. Here in this article, we emphasize tree leaves so you can keep your property green, and if we all do this, plants will afford us even a better life on earth. Keeping your property green is a priority with plants that will give enough O2 for us to breathe, ample shade, water retention, and build richness in our soils.
We emphasize leaves as photosynthetic factories and are great for shade and reduce temperatures, absorb water, and reduce erosion. Trees can absorb between 10 and 150 gallons of water daily, yet of all the water absorbed by plants, less than 5% remains in the plant for growth. They rely on available water in the soil to “rehydrate” the tree with the help of mycorryzal fungi during the nighttime hours, replacing the water loss during the daytime hours.
Algae in freshwater and marine environments are important in maintaining O2 levels in the atmosphere. They’re a diverse group of simple, primarily aquatic, photosynthetic organisms. They are not plants since they have an absence of true roots, stems, leaves, and complex reproductive structures. Algae are single-celled or multicellular, and they play a crucial role as primary producers and forming the base of the food chain.
In addition, we also have phytoplankton in the oceans. They are free-floating, micro-algae which inhabit the sunlit, upper layer of water environments. These microscopic organisms, some being bacteria, contain chlorophyll which help them absorb energy from the sun. They use light energy, carbon dioxide, and water to make food, and release O2. Scientists report that roughly half the oxygen in the atmosphere comes from the oceans. The oceans are very important and all efforts should be made to protect them.
Even though plants, algae, and phytoplankton make oxygen through photosynthesis, they consume food and O2 in cellular respiration. So keep in mind there is a balance in how organisms live within their world, and it is important that they be protected to help us and themselves. We should always promote “living with nature” like the native Americans (indigenous people) who used, replaced, and kept this balance.
What Can You Do?
- Keep your property green not only for oxygen, but for shade, biodiversity, and water retention.
- Encourage laws to protect more properties in a natural state with deed restrictions on no development.
- Promote more people to relax, and take time to stay at state and local parks.
- Join a Land Trust that accepts or purchases properties so they stay as they are in perpetuity.
- Plant more trees, shrubs, and other plants on your property and reduce your grassy lawns.
Quote: “I’ve seen a jillion miracles. They’re all around. Every green leaf is a miracle.” - Jimmy Ray Dean, Singer, TV host, Actor, and Businessman
Tom Cervone, Ph.D. is the founder of Our Planet Earth. Sister Maureen Houlihan D.C. is a member of the “Care of Earth” Committee of the Daughters of Charity. Nicole Cervone-Gish, Ed. M.S. is an award-winning St. Elizabeth Anne Seton teacher at Holy Spirit. Michael Cervone, B.S. is the programmer and designer of Our Planet Earth website.