Through modern science, man attempts to flex his dominion over nature. Bioengineering of agricultural products and domestication of plant material is our current solution to the creation of “healthy” pest-free vegetation and landscapes. But to what extent can science be pushed to continuously produce plants able to survive unsustainable levels of constantly evolving nuances, and their displacement from natural ecosystems into high density urbanism.
Rising oil and commodity prices, global warming, and population growth all contribute to a problem us more affluent Americans are sure as of yet to be affected: food shortage. 50% of the world's population living in urban areas has forced us to rethink current practices of food production and delivery. Not only are production problems a concern, but environmental impacts. Modern farming is the largest consumer of both land and water as well as a primary source of water pollution. One burgeoning trend adopted by a growing number of cities is Urban Agriculture.
Necessity is the mother of invention. During WWI and WWII the necessity for food due to shortages from the war effort compelled the Department of Agriculture to promote "Victory Gardens", asking American citizens to use their backyards, rooftops, and empty lots to be converted to self-sustaining community gardens in an attempt to resolve the food shortage problem. Indeed it did as up to 20 million Americans participated, growing 40% of consumed produce.
One of the latest trends in the landscape world is the “Edible Lawn”. Not a new concept, people have actually grown food in any portions of there yard for centuries, but purely out of necessity. Now as the “green” movement spreads into the corners of even the laggard’s radar, edible front lawns are sporadically popping up in neighborhoods throughout the country.
At first glance I love the concept. I’m a want-a-be naturalist so anytime I see people living off the land it inspires me do the same. There are several reasons for the re-emergence of the trend, everyone and there brother going green, nothing wrong with that, raising food prices spawning theories of an approaching global food shortage, which will make growing our own food a necessity, and simply many jumping on a new trend.
And in this lies the problem. No matter how much I like the idea I fear this particular aspect of sustainable landscape might have come too soon, and has exposed itself to trendiness. You might ask, “Well, what’s wrong with that, as long as it’s positive”? I would say nothing, only trends have a way of imploding on themselves due to those joining don’t always understand the true reason for doing so, and without true conviction in what it is their doing, will take an alternate or easier route, further distancing themselves from the true purpose for growing one’s own food source.
I also have a bad habit of becoming a devil’s advocate, even on issues in which I believe in just to spur conversation. So, I hope I’m wrong and the trend grows in to something greater. This takes me to another thought, the growing revolt against lawns. Again, as one who loves the natural wild, I've looked at perfectly manicured lawn in disgust thinking, “how dare they.”
But after playing a bi-annual 40+ over round of golf on a pristine golf course, I had to ask myself, why do we love this? Because I did, the rolling clean cut hills of green, stripped of every single weed was calming and peaceful. Turf grass is not native to the US, brought over from England in the late 18th century by those wishing to replicate that same rolling country hillside feel to the states. So was it this psychological effect that has made Americans lawn obsessed?
One could argue a number of reasons. Naturally grocery stores make a full yard of crops a possible unnecessary chore. Or, could it be a lack of creativity or desire to define one’s inhabited space, and the simplest thing to do is lay down some Kentucky Blue?
I guess this whole lawn/no lawn/edible lawn issue has me analyzing our current residential landscape about how we got here and where we’re going. Being in the Landscape Architecture field, there’s nothing I’d love more then to see a vast interest of harmonizing one’s individual landscape with natural surroundings. I think to get there we need to acknowledge that we’re here, we have unavoidable impacts, and to educate ourselves on what landscape design can do to minimize those impacts.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and experiences.
The other day I found The Lord of The Rings on basic cable, and I thought it would make a nice background noise, and provide an occasional distraction from my attempt to handle some long neglected Saturday chores. Something did in fact quickly distract me. During a scene placed in “The Shire” it occurred to me, we could learn much from the Hobbits in regard to sustainability.
A harmonious design with nature, the Hobbit’s Shire is constructed with as little impact on the lush green rolling hillsides as possible. In fact, it almost takes a second look to see that the that houses actually exist.
Based on my brief research on Hobbits (watching the movie) I didn’t appear that electricity existed. But if it did, their energy costs would be greatly minimized by their sustainable concepts. Built into the hillsides, the grass covered cottages would provide warmth in the winter and cooling in the summer. The roads and paths were kept to a minimum width using only porous paving material such as stone or simply dirt, absorbing rainwater therefore requiring no need for a storm water system.
Because trucks and petrol were not an option, the Hobbitians (?) would have to rely on building materials from local sources, their food, raised and grown within close proximity of town. No utilities, cars, or industrial pollution would mean clean water systems, and with little to no rain water run off, an endless supply for the water cycle.
There is in fact a community I found as inspired by the Hobbits gentle and earth friendly approach to housing development. Although not quite as thorough, “The Shire” in Bend, Oregon is a sustainable housing community inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s infamous imaginary village. The homes come in a variety of English Country Village Architecture, all offering green building products such as Lifebreath HVAC systems, radiant floors, SIPS roof panels, as well as working with Energy Star and Earth Advantage Building Programs, which provide leading edge technology for energy and technology.
So hats off to Frodo and the boys, real or not, as humans we can learn from the Hobbits.
Thanks for reading,
save to del.icio.us