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Organic Gardens vs. Chem-Fed Lawns |
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By Enrique Gili - IPS/IFEJ*
Grass
lawns in the United States cover nearly three times more area than
any irrigated crop, and consume billions of liters of water per
week, say environmentalists.
SAN DIEGO, United States, Mar 26 (IPS/IFEJ)
- Activists are on the march here to create a homegrown organic
food movement, encouraging gardeners to tear up their lawns for
healthier, more natural alternatives.
In doing so, they're advocating the re-greening of the urban landscape
for the sake of food security and social justice.
About 400 people attended a recent conference titled "Cultivating
Justice" under the aegis of "Food Not Lawns", a grassroots organization
that combines gardening with political action. On a sunny Saturday,
the guerilla gardening wing of the social justice movement broke
bread with foodies to network and share information with other like-minded
people who are concerned not just with what people eat, but how
they go about procuring food.
The participants belong a growing demographic of Californians dubbed
"cultural
creatives" who are focused on putting progressive ideals into action
not only through social change but by dedicating themselves to healing
the planet. Many believe the road to ecological restoration begins
with changing their own personal habits.
"People are hungry for information," said Kate Hughes, one of the
event organizers. With workshops on a wide range of topics, the
well-attended conference attracted a broad cross-section of San
Diego county residents, from back-to-the-land hippie types to young
campus activists who see a connection between U.S. oil dependence
and factory farming.
The San Diego chapter of Food Not Lawns is an offshoot of similar
groups based in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, a
region that is home to much of the organic foods movement gaining
popularity around the U.S.
Paul Maschka is a local gardening guru, having spent much of his
adult life working as a horticulturalist caring for and cultivating
thousands of varieties of plants for the San Diego Zoo. The self-styled
"dirt cheap gardener" is an enthusiastic proponent of locally raised
produce, and grows a wide variety of edible plants in his own backyard,
ranging from artichokes to sunflowers.
Maschka's lecture on organic gardening included a heavy dose of
social commentary. "Organic gardening techniques and methods are
not taught in Southern California," he said. To obtain first-hand
knowledge, he has sought guidance at demonstration gardens in Santa
Cruz and San Louis Obispo, where organic farming practices are far
more prevalent.
According to Maschka, the average lawn is a flat, featureless, artificially
maintained environment heavily dependent on synthetic chemicals.
The chemicals used in lawn
care also have a seedy history. Pesticides, for example, are little
more than nerve
agents derived from stockpiled toxins developed during World War
II, he says.
Lawns are holdovers dating from the Middle Ages when the French
aristocracy began converting otherwise productive fields into pleasure
grounds, he says. In gardening-mad England, later generations of
the bourgeoisie displayed their newfound wealth in similar fashion,
planting rose beds and establishing luxuriant green lawns.
This historical trend would have far-reaching repercussions for
middle-class home owners in the 21st century who are willing to
spend hundreds of dollars every year on the upkeep and maintenance
of their lawns. According to a 2002 economic impact study published
by the University of Florida, the lawn care and turf industry generated
a staggering 57 billion dollars annually and employed 800,000-plus
people.
Using satellite and aerial imagery, research scientists from the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration have calculated that
approximately 162,000 square kilometers of the United States is
covered in turf -- an area roughly three times larger than any irrigated
crop currently under cultivation. And lawns are thirsty, consuming
approximately 270 billion gallons of water a week in the United
States -- enough to irrigate 327,000 square kilometers of organic
vegetables.
For Maschka, lawns represent a paradox, having the outward appearance
of vitality
when in fact most of the microorganisms that support plant growth
have been killed off.
Lawns are fed something on the order of 10 times more pesticides
and herbicides than commercial crops, he adds.
"Things have got to change," agreed Issa Esperanza. The daughter
of missionary parents, she grew up running wild in Latin America,
climbing trees and harvesting her own fruits and vegetables. Upon
returning to the United States, she was shocked to discover the
lack of fresh produce. She now has come to rely upon her green-thumbed
friends and local farmers markets to obtain her greens.
That it doesn't have to be this way was a sentiment echoed throughout
the day. Chef Ron Oliver is a bona fide foodie. As chef de cuisine
at the Marine Room, one of San Diego's preeminent dining establishments,
his business is based on pleasing people. The restaurant relies
heavily on locally grown produce and the organic output of the 40-acre
Blue Sky Ranch, where food and New Age mysticism go hand in hand.
"We're lucky," Oliver said. At Blue Sky, full-time residents and
volunteers consider themselves to be caretakers of the land. Fruits
and vegetables are grown according
to the season and without the use of synthetic chemicals for the
benefit of the Blue Sky community and paying clients.
Oliver says he had own "whole foods" epiphany when his own children
reached school age. School lunch programs follow strict federal
guidelines based on caloric intake rather than nutritional value,
he says. He decided to participate in the conference to enlist the
support of other like-minded people in the hope of building a kitchen
garden for the Chula Vista elementary school, where his kids aged
eight and 10 attend.
"If anything, gardening will teach them patience," he says.
Oliver sees a close connection between the ideals of Jeffersonian
democracy and nutrition. He believes people vote with their forks,
and if given the opportunity, they would prefer organic. "We're
empowering the companies damaging the planet," he lamented.
* This story is part of a series of features
on sustainable development by IPS - Inter Press Service and IFEJ
- International Federation of Environmental Journalists. |
