SARAH 'CHALUPA' GARCIA

Like many, I come from a working class family with a history of working in meat processing plants and tanneries. Their struggle to survive was harder than mine. We lived in the city where my mother battled mental illness, and several other relatives faced both physical and mental health challenges. As with all illness, it is impossible to say whether the causes were genetic, environmental, or some combination of both.

I didn’t grow up around Nature, so I understand how easy it is to be disconnected from it. One morning on my way to work, I noticed several Yellow-billed Cuckoos dead on the sidewalk. At the time, I had no idea what kind of birds they were, but I took pictures to investigate later. What I began to learn after finding them may have been the first ‘glitch’ in what I thought reality was.

Nature isn’t just far away or something we see only on TV—it's all around us. We've simply paved over it and built on top of it. I also learned that my city is the most dangerous for migrating birds due to window collisions. This realization led me to look more closely at the environment around me, searching for natural habitats beyond the city and surrounding suburbs. I discovered that 75% of my state is farmland, yet paradoxically, urban areas may support more biodiversity than rural ones. I also learned that cities might be safer certain environmental risks—urban areas, for instance, may have lower exposure to pesticides and herbicides linked to cancer, while urban water sources may be less contaminated than those in rural areas, where runoff from livestock operations introduces bacteria, pathogens, and other pollutants.

Most farms here grow corn and soybeans. About 15% of the corn is exported, while the majority is for animal feed. Of the domestic corn, 40% is used for feed, another 40% for ethanol, and the remaining 20% for other food and industrial uses. Meanwhile, 90% of soybean crops go toward animal feed. In terms of livestock, 22% of farms raise beef cattle, about 1% have dairy cows, and 10% raise swine.

Learning these statistics reminded me of a quote I once read:

“Of all the mammals on Earth, 96% are livestock and humans, while only 4% are wild mammals. Livestock make up 60%, humans 36%,  and wild mammals just 4%. Similarly, 70% of birds are chickens and other poultry, leaving only 30% as wild birds.”

Reading this made me wonder: where are all the insects, birds, wildlife and the living systems that support life supposed to go? Human activities have driven climate change and accelerated the sixth mass extinction, yet far too many refuse to acknowledge our ecological overshoot. Personally I chose not to add to our species’ growing numbers—and for that, you’re welcome! 

“Chalupa” S.A. Garcia

Chicago, Illinois, USA