Our ambiguous but direct name, Plant Research Organization (PRO), highlights our desire to be professional, proficient, and productive in our pursuits.
This blog is a source of inspiration. Its goal is to stimulate thought surrounding the usefulness of plants, the beauty of plants, the identification of plants, the technology surrounding plant processing, and much more.
We believe the plants hold a key in the success of our physical well being. They are, in industrial terms, chemical factories. Whether it’s the fiber, seed, fruit, oil, or extract, plants find their way into our lives everyday. Their future is our future.
One of the most pressing use of plants is their innovative ways of suppressing bacterial, parasite, and fungal growth. Plant Research Organization believes that plants will be an indispensable tool in our arsenal against the introduction of resistant strains. For this, the diversity of phytochemicals produced by plants is our greatest strength.
We also believe plants are extremely dangerous and should be approached with caution. They are lifeforms fighting to survive and have many tools to poison, disfigure and kill their enemies. We should respect and fear them. We should study them before interacting with them intimately.
In addition to this, we believe that plant life and human life should coexist and that a concern for nature should not supersede the concern for human life. Plants, in conjunction with caring neighbors, are one of the greatest assets to the poor, the sick, and hungry.
The Power of Stories
Today we often hear about how we are ruining the world. We can’t deny our negative impacts on the environment, yet our knowledge puts things into perspective.
Consider how grasses have changed the world. Their chemical and physical composition makes them quick to burn, and inedible and damaging to herbivores. They altered our ecosystem by pressuring the selection of ungulates over the other herbivorous animals, which went extinct after their forests burned and climate cooled. Grasses have no complex mind, no consciousness capable of shame, and no method of communication complex enough to communicate amongst each other.
We humans are unique to this world. We are extremely special in a universe made mostly out of inorganic matter and inside a small planet of complex and amazing animals. Although we are causing changes to our climate, we are all gifted with ways to communicate this and to share our feelings. We also are capable of adapting together to the changes as they come, because we are a resilient species.
References
[] Strömberg, Caroline. “How did grasses alter Earth’s ecosystem?”. Jun 8, 2015. Burke Museum. Website. Accessed Jul 24, 2023. https://www.burkemuseum.org/news/how-did-grasses-alter-earths-ecosystem
[] PBS Eons. “How Plants Caused the First Mass Extinction”. May 12, 2020. YouTube. Video. Accessed Jul 24, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAkjETPM1s4
[] Sustainable Human. “The Untold Story Of Grasses | William Bond”. Feb 21, 2021. YouTube. Video. Accessed Jul 24, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAoVZoZpqro
[] GAUTAM MEDIA. “When did Grasses Evolve”. Aug 8, 2017. YouTube. Video. Accessed Jul 24, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GgGmcuTjms
[] Anderson Lab Wake Forest.”Savanna Mike: Grass-grazer co-evolution”. YouTube. Viedo. Accessed Jul 24, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCL0zZTJZzs
PRO - Plant Research Organization 