Poet, writer and Catholic priest, Thomas Merton, wrote “Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things.” After the 1950s nuclear testing in the Nevada desert, scientists discovered that the fallout levels measured on the ground were higher in the highly populated North Temperate Zone. That was not surprising, because Nevada is relatively close. In fact, fallout levels were 10 times higher than the levels measured on the ground in Arctic regions. The puzzling aspect was that levels of strontium 90 were much higher in Alaska caribou than in cattle raised at the Nevada test site. Native Inuit people who consumed caribou had the highest levels of strontium 90 than any other group in the world. Why?

Lichens, a major food source for caribou, receive their nourishment from the air. Rain, minerals and even dust are absorbed by lichens. Unfortunately this, combined with the fact that they grow slowly and accumulate the fallout over many years, made them exquisitely suitable to absorb the strontium 90.

Along come the caribou and ate the lichens. Along come the Inuit, who eat the caribou. Being at the top of the food chain, the Inuit ended up with high amounts of both strontium 90 and cesium; substances that once were spread across the tundra in lichens but originated in Nevada. Strontium 90 has been shown to cause bone cancer and leukemia.

What we do individually and collectively has an effect beyond ourselves and our borders. To increase your awareness, check out some of the following activities:

Healthy Children: Healthy Planet Discussion Course: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, for 8 weeks, Sweet Peas Kids Café, 134 S.W. 4th Street, Corvallis. Join other parents and grandparents in exploring the challenges and opportunities in raising kids in today’s consumer culture. Contact Maureen at 752-3517, cnwei@peak.org, to for more information. Materials fee, $20. Sponsored by Northwest Earth Institute and Sweet Peas Café.

Liquified Natural Gas (LNG): Oregon At a Crossroads: 6:30 p.m., music followed by discussion at 7 p.m., July 8. Secretary of State Bill Bradbury and clean-energy activists from Oregon and California will preside at a discussion. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2945 N.W. Circle Blvd., Corvallis. Contact Elizabeth Waldorf, 541-207-3613, for more information. Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and Mary’s Peak Group Sierra Club.

U-Pick Farm Bike Convoy: 9 to 11 a.m., July 12. Start at the Student Sustainability Center, 738 S.W. 15th St. Participants pay for own produce. Come with a bike and reusable containers/bags. Contact Yuliya, kostromy@onid.orst.edu, 753-4072, for more information. Sponsored by the Oregon State University Student Sustainability Initiative.

Da Vinci Days: A Festival Celebrating Art, Science and Technology: July 18 to 20. Includes Green Town with interactive sustainability displays, pavilion with sustainability workshops and more. $15/weekend, $10/one day — Tickets on-line at davinci-days.org. Contact: Brenda VanDevelder, 757-6363.

Neighborhood Naturalist Adventure: 9 to noon, July 20. Meet at the Avery Park Rose Garden, 1210 S.W. Avery Dr. Corvallis, and carpool to a location to be determined. No dogs, please. Contact Don Boucher for more information at 753-7689 or bouchdon@peak.org. Free.

Northwest Earth Institute Volunteer Training: 6 to 9 p.m., July 21, Student Sustainability Center, 738 S.W. 15th St., Corvallis. Being an NWEI discussion course mentor is a fun and inspiring way to support our community’s journey to sustainability. This three-hour training shows you how to mentor all eight of the NWEI courses. You need not have taken an NWEI course. Other volunteer opportunities also will be shared. Preregister by contacting Maureen at 752-3517 or cnwei@peak.org.

Make Your Own Worm Bin Workshop: 5 to 7 p.m., July 24, Student Sustainability Center, 738 S.W. 15th St. $5 for bin only, $10 for bin plus worms. Contact Bob, cressmar@onid.orst.edu, 753-4072, for more information. Sponsored by the Oregon State University Student Sustainability Initiative.

Bicycle Birding: 9 to noon, July 27. Meet at the Avery Park Rose Garden. Bring your bike, helmet, water and binoculars. The ride usually is less than 10 miles as you ride slowly, stop and listen for birds. Call Don Boucher at 753-7689 or bouchdon@peak.org

Maureen Beezhold coordinates the local chapter of the Northwest Earth Institute and is assistant coordinator for the Corvallis chapter of the Oregon Natural Step Network. For information on any of these projects, call 752-3517.