For many people, weeds and insects may seem an unlikely issue for classroom focus – after all, just how interesting can your average thistle or cockroach be?
In fact, weeds and insects are incredibly interesting … and important. Weeds and insects play an important role in a healthy and balanced ecosystem. Despite their value and potential uses, many people want to poison and kill them.
Through the use of war terminology such as “A War on Weeds”, “Weed Warriors”, “Danger” “Toxic” and “Insect Killer” we set up a battlefield with Nature. The words we use and the archetypes we evoke come with consequences. In a sense, each word is an archetype having its own personality, history, entomology and consequences. For these reasons this guide aims to focus on harmonious words centring on the important relationship between Nature and humanity.
The Working with Nature Guide is one attempt to bring a new, chemical free message to an extremely important group of people – students, our land and water managers of the very near future. A more eco-literate and nature-aware community is our best chance of having fewer pollution problems.
Weeds and insects serve many functions – they deter or help manage the life crops, improve soil structure and act as indicators of soil health. Weeds and insects can be an important component of livestock fodder and many are good enough to eat, while others have important medicinal value. For example, ecent research is investigating other uses of weeds such as hemp and even insects to help replacing valuable and scarce elements important in concrete making.
