March 14, 2011

Sleeping peacefully in our beds, dreaming, and enjoying whatever time we have left before we have to hit "snooze" on the alarm. Suddenly, we are awaken by a sleeping dragon and the Earth begins to shake. It's our worst nightmare, only to awaken and realize we are not sleeping...this is really happening!

For millions of people, an experience like this is only out of a movie. For millions more, this is what they encountered on March 11th, 2011.

Japan has experienced one of the most devastating earthquakes, ever. But even worse, the tsunami, as a result of the earthquake, destroyed a huge part of a beautiful country. Buildings are replaceable, as well as cars and other "man-made" objects. But what about the natural landscapes, the trees, the plants, and the wildlife? Something natural is not always easy to replace.

Natural and organic are hot topics in today's society. Are we going back to basics? Not when "mother nature" reminds us of her fury. Plants that take years to grow, trees that have lived for over hundreds of years- gone, and animals that once existed, could eventually disappear after just one natural disaster.

Kava comes from the root of a pepper plant grown in the South Pacific Islands.  This special plant can not be grown just anywhere. Like most exotic plants, a kava plant requires proper care and factors to grow adequately. Kava requires the proper soil to even grow which is why kava plants are grown specifically in islands such as Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and even Hawaii. A plant so indigenous to the South Pacific Islands, one can assume the dangers natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, pose to the existance of such a plant.

 In 2009,  a powerful earthquake shocked the island of Samoa, and later a tsunami cascaded the islands of both Samoa and Tonga. Kava plants are grown widely in these regions, so we were quite nervous to find out the damage done by this natural disaster.Especially since months earlier, an earthquake and tsunami struck the islands of Fiji, another kava rich island. Vast warnings were sent out to nearby islands, such as Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, for evacuation. People can evacuate, but natural plants can not. 

Fortunately, no major damage was done to any kava farms after these tsunamis, but we can only be thankful for these close calls! For many, kava is a natural "medication," but with natural disasters posing threats to our natural plants, where will all the kava go?

Kava, used as an alternative to alcohol, helps many people relax and reduce stress. Many people are prescribed pills and medications to help reduce stress and anxiety, but nature offers its treats in various ways. Some say kava is truly their "natural medication," however, we are no doctors! We just know that kava helps, and we can't have natural disasters wiping away our special plants! Kava plants can take more than seven years to grow. The recent catastrophic tsunami in Japan called out warnings to surrounding islands such as Vanuatu and Fiji for "aftershocks" and possibly more tsunamis. If all of our kava farms are wiped away, we'll be kava-less for atleast seven years.

Everyone looks for reasons behind certain events. One may ask, is this a sign that the world is ending? Well, no one can really prove such speculation, But we do know "natural and organic" will become extinct if natural disasters, things out of our control, keep occurring....c'est la vie!

(photo taken from http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/03/earthquake-in-japan/100022/ )

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-09-29-pacific-earthquake-tsunami_N.htm

http://www.ivillage.com/jimmy-kimmel-tweets-tsunami-updates-south-pacific/1-a-331441