Biosphere II
I often think about our connections to one another and how our
Earth home is connected to larger galaxies and the universe. I want to travel
into space - to experience the connected-ness of all life from the
awe-inspiring perspective of looking back at Earth. There is a group of people
who remind me, in some ways, of space explorers. They are the crew of the Biosphere II project
near Oracle, Arizona.
Last September, eight volunteers entered the Biosphere - a
massive and carefully designed technical structure in the Arizona desert. At a
cost of about $100 million, the Biosphere has been created to model and study
ecosystems under controlled conditions. The volunteers - scientists and
citizens with a variety of expertise - were selected to spend two years inside
the confines of this simulated environment. When they entered, they took nearly
4,000 species of plants and animals with them and established a series of
diverse habitats. These artificially constructed habitats are designed to be
counterparts to similar natural habitats on earth. The crew also has a
food-raising and gardening area. The Biosphere food growing activity is similar
to Windstar’s Biodome,
created by John Katzenberger with Buckminster Fuller.
John in the Windstar Biodome circa 1984.
After a difficult start with unusually cool and cloudy weather
near Oracle, infestations of aphids and mites devastated parts of the Biosphere
garden. The loss of sunlight affected the plants’ capacities to process carbon
dioxide. Food crops were lost and the crew suffered weight loss. Fortunately,
sunlight has since restored the garden’s vigor. Things seem to be back on
track. This particular problem with food production created a situation in
miniature that some believe the Earth is facing or will experience on a larger
scale with projected increases of greenhouse gases.
The main aim of the Biosphere II project is to create a
self-contained system than can sustain life. Some people have criticized the
commercial aspects of the project. Others question the value of the scientific
studies. For me, those dimensions in no way diminish the sincerity of the
people who are inside that space. Their commitment is real and deserves support.
The results of this project will have vast implications. We may benefit here on
Earth from the experiences and observations the crew is documenting concerning
its interactions in modeled ecosystems.
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Over the years, we at Windstar have made a conscious choice to
applaud those people who work to make a difference by living lives that
contribute to the creation of a sustainable future. Some of these people have
been scientists, steeped in the rigor of their discipline. Others have
addressed the planetary promise through music and dance and self-understanding.
Now, more than ever, we should recognize that there is not one path toward
creating a world that knows and cherishes itself and can be sustained in peace
and health.
Let us return to Donne and paraphrase: “No human is an
island, entire of itself: If any be washed away by the sea, the world is the
less.”
There is so much work to do. We must proceed with
expedience. On this journey, we are all connected. There are many ways to make
a contribution.
Whatever we scientifically learn from the Biosphere II project,
I think in the long run we will also benefit from a greater empathy for the
humans who made it possible. In fact, if you visit the Biosphere and
communicate with the crew at all, you do so through a telephone outside the
plastic shield. I have been there and found the experience poignant and
powerful. I learned firsthand of the challenges they are facing. I thank them
for their courage and honor the connections they are making for us all.
-John Denver
Windstar Vision July-August 1992
Read about the current status of the Biosphere here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosp...
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