BETTYE FOSTER BAKER
508-696-9983
Remember the old song sung by Kermit the frog, It’s Not Easy Being Green, written in 1970 by Joe Reposo for Sesame Street’s 1969 inaugural season? The lyrics of the first stanza were: “Having to spend each day the color of the leaves /When I think it could be nicer being red or yellow or gold/Or something much more colorful like that/ It’s not easy being green/It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things/And people tend to pass you over because you’re green.”
This song made a profound statement on human characteristics interpreted as racial differences at the time and became a powerful message for understanding and appreciating uniqueness among us. Ray Charles and Lena Horne both sang the song on Sesame Street. It was also an inspiration for writing my children’s book, What is Black? Today it has taken on new meaning — inspiring us to protect our environment — as Sesame Street teamed up with Mr. Earth, played by Hollywood star Paul Rudd in April, 2009, to teach children to become environmentally conscious by “recycling, re-using, conserving water and energy.” Is there any better place to start than with children?
Each part of the ecosystem serves a unique purpose, interdependent and connected in ways we are still learning. No, It’s Not Easy Being Green, yet understanding our natural world and advocating for its protection is critical to our survival.
Flying over the Island in one of our small aircraft provides a bird’s-eye view of the pristine landscape, natural habitats and beautiful beaches for which the Island is legendary. That aerial view alone should create a greater sensitivity to take seriously the change occurring before our very eyes. If you needed more proof that real change is here and that it will continue to affect us in profoundly negative ways, focus on this season’s summer of unseasonable and sometimes violent rainstorms, the many floods throughout the country — indeed the tropics are moving north. To become good stewards of the environment, it is necessary first to erase the denial of global warming which at times seems overwhelming.
A determined Martha’s Vineyard community has begun to speak more loudly on the topic of “green.” Buying local produce and seafood reduces carbon emissions because it limits the amount of food trucked and ferried across the Sound. In our town, Oak Bluffs, there are small signs of progress when we see shoppers at the Reliable Market select reusable bags for shopping rather than plastic or paper; when more people are planting and harvesting residential gardens, while others are devotees of the Community Solar Greenhouse (COMSOG), a 25-year-old membership produce cooperative. Here people can grow and tend their own plants or depend on volunteers to tend them. Gardens provide not only fresh produce but they produce teachable moments for children of every age, who get involved with the soil and discover that tomatoes do not grow in the supermarket. The slow food movement on the Island is another example of change in our eating habits and a natural outgrowth of buying local and gardening. In the process, people can become responsible for their own well-being and commit to reducing their individual carbon footprint. There is much to be done, and happily, many have already started.
Over time, Martha’s Vineyard became the summer place for a host of intellectuals, many extraordinary creative types: thinkers, writers, artists, jurists, actors and entertainers — it still is — and Oak Bluffs has been that quintessential place where the gifted, particularly artists, have come to rejuvenate, create and give us a sense of life’s possibilities. Glenn Tunstull comes to mind. It was fascinating to learn that at one time he lived in my home town, Louisville, Ky., also home to famed artists Sam Gilliam, Robert Thompson and sculptor Ed Hamilton, whom I know well. Tunstull’s powerful landscapes in oil and watercolors stretch across the boundaries of waters and regions, depicting abstract scenes in flakes of striking mosaic brush strokes and vivid colors that capture the imagination and the spirit of his inspiration. His love of Brazil and Martha’s Vineyard, where he spends August each year, are vividly portrayed in his work. He will be showing his latest works at Cousen Rose Gallery, Saturday, August 8. All are invited to the reception from 7 to 9 p.m.
I recently had a conversation with Sam Feldman, who lives in Chilmark. Since the death of his wife, Gretchen Feldman, last year he has come to learn there are no male bereavement groups — not on the island or the nation. So in true Sam Feldman style, he started one. It has been so successful that the project is now going national. The Martha’s Vineyard Men’s Bereavement Group meets Mondays, 3 p.m. at Feldman’s house. The group is facilitated by psychiatrist George Cohn. Call Sam at 508-645-3621 or e-mail him at sfeldy@msn.com for information.
Family and friends are arriving on the Island in record numbers. Otis Warren, principal in the Warren Group and a real estate developer, and his wife, psychiatrist Dr. Sharon Warren, of Baltimore, Md., are guests of Craig and Diane Welburn this week. The Warrens have been coming to the Vineyard for several years now and continue to be impressed with the friendliness and warmth of the Islanders. They are particularly delighted with our restaurants and the many cultural activities they have attended.
Join Jim Thomas of the U.S. Slave Songs Project and storyteller Camille Born for their program: Secrets, Stories and Songs from the Underground Railroad Saturday, August 8, at 8 p.m. at the Tabernacle. Cost is $15, at the door or in advance.
The Rev. Hal Taussig will be the guest preacher at Union Chapel this Sunday, August 9, with his sermon This is God’s Good News. The service begins at 10 am, preceded by organ preludes by Garrett Brown at 9:40 a.m. Rev. Taussig is both pastor and professor; he is visiting professor of New Testament Studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York as well as pastor of the Chestnut Hill United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, Pa. Union Chapel is at the foot of Kennebec and Circuit avenues in Oak Bluffs. It is non-denominational and welcomes all; summer attire is acceptable.
The Rt. Rev. Ruth Urban is guest preacher at Sunday service at the Tabernacle. He is the bishop of All Nations Anglican Church, Brandon, Miss.
The Martha’s Vineyard Rotary International Club’s Annual Pancake Breakfast is on Sunday, August 9, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Anchors, across from Memorial Wharf in Edgartown. There will be all you can eat pancakes, sausage, bacon, juice, coffee, tea and milk. Cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children. This fundraiser has been one of the most popular on the Island. Proceeds will go to many charities Rotary supports: Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, Windemere, Soup Kitchen, Boys’ and Girls’ Club, the new YMCA and Hospice. The organization will fund three local MVRHS students to attend a leadership conference on Cape Cod. Dollars will also help defray cost of numerous students involved in the Rotary international exchange programs.
Nick Barnard and Will Joyner, our town’s summer tennis pros, are doing a phenomenal job with their young charges at the tennis clinic. They offer junior clinics daily at Niantic Park. Clinics are Monday, 3:30 to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, 9 to 10:30 a.m. They are offering a special next week: buy three sessions and get a fourth session free. Give Nick a call if you’re interested at 508-693-2303. Junior clinic rates are $15 per session for members and $20 per session for nonmembers. Come out and learn about the program. The kids will love it!
Tuesday, August 11, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Oak Bluffs library: Come out and listen to Lou Berger read his wonderful book, The Elephant Wish, which is written for a first through third-grade audience. Mr. Berger is a former head writer for Sesame Street and developed the PBS program, Between the Lions. Later he will talk to the children about the book, how to write children’s books, and will answer questions. It’s geared towards kids ages 6 to 12.
Wednesday, August 12, the Camp Ground Cottage Tour happens from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will feature the interiors of several Camp Ground cottages on West Clinton avenue and the Cottage Museum. Cost is $25. Tickets will be sold until 2 p.m.
Thursday, August 13, 4 p.m. the Tabernacle hosts a Steve Songs concert. This is a PBS Kids favorite, featuring original and children’s favorite songs.
And save Friday, August 21, 11:30 a.m. when Alpha Kappa Alpha sorors and friends on the Vineyard will host their Annual AKAs on the Vineyard Luncheon at Deon’s Restaurant, 53 Circuit avenue in Oak Bluffs. Cost is $55 per person. Proceeds will be given to the Oak Bluffs library. Find out more from Thelma Baxter, 508-693-7828, or Sheila Harley-Washington, 202-491-4914.
Don’t forget to open your gifts.
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