Dedicated to Debbie and Kurt Kananen, my parents for teaching me the Catholic idea of stewardship, to take care of all of God's creatures, and to protect our co-inhabitants of this great planet

The Idea of the Forest Man

The Forest Man is named Jadav Payeng. He lived on the Indian island of Majuli. This island was eroding more and more each year. Payeng decided that he was going to attempt to protect his island, and the many types of animals that call it home. In his forest, he protects animals such as deer, tigers, and elephants. He says that the government is always so greedy, and tries to take as many resources as possible. Thus, he says that he will plant this forest, only he will help it grow and if any government tries to get involved or cut it down, it is going to need to go through Payeng first.

He has been planting since the 19 seventies, and plans to continue planting until his death. While his forest is in the middle of the desert, under his watchful eye, his plants continue to grow. It is now larger than Central Park and is continuing to grow. He intends on planting coconut trees because they grow tall and straight, and if enough of them are planted, they should be able to hold the sand of his island together. These coconuts will also provide India with its own export and source of food (currently, India imports 99% of its food).

This idea would save his island and improve India's economy, and with Payeng's hard work and dedication to the environment , it a successful outcome is inevitable. If every person on the earth had the desire for environmental peace that he has, the world would be a lot healthier today

The Idea of a Country