![]() This is a young oak tree we saved in Schumacher College gardens 3 months ago. I just finished knitting the scarf! So what happened that Autumn morning? A chainsaw shredded the bright morning light with their blades of death. The sound came from the garden of the college... As we passed by towards the community task of the day we mumbled how awful to loose more trees. We were upset but carried on walking, we had work to do after all! My whole body shuddered and stopped, I burst into tears…again! That week was a deep time of grief for our earth so my heart was wide open...I had to meet this feeling nervous knowing I had to rock the boat yet again. One of our relations was going to die. Looking at the situation I could not accept that these trees had men with chainsaws in them. The community had not been consulted. Decisions like this must be part of a shared decision making process that allows all voices to be heard. The men in the trees had been commissioned by the head gardener to clear what was creating shade on the polly tunnel. A microcosm of what is happening in our world was happening right here at Schumacher College: If a sentient being is in the way to our progress, of our task of the day, of our plans we must eliminate it. With an eagle view we could see that the tunnel was in the wrong position which perhaps needed moving. How many trees will we kill to accommodate an experimental decision based on yet again a human centered world? After back and forth conversation between a few gardeners it is agreed that the silver birches would die and that the oak tree would stay alive until further meeting. 48 hours later I received an apology to not have consulted with the community and that the oak tree could actually stay in life because it would not create as much shade as they originally thought! We had a ceremony to greet and thanked the tree for its teaching about community and fierce love. A few limbs had been chopped but the tree was young and strong. This is the first scarf I have ever finished for this beautiful young oak tree. The slices are from a fallen hazel tree in North Wood. Azul Beecause WE all MATTER = MOTHER…TIMBER
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