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Area Man Claims Dog Feces Future Trend
NORTHSIDE
Ed Groat, when asked about New Polenta’s permaculture ethos, said feces was the wave of the future. “Yeah, dog [feces] is really the way to go,” he said on the front porch of his Hyde Park home. “You can use it for fuel, and it makes great compost,” he said, breaking apart a chunk of dried feces between his thumb and index finger.
Permaculture, a portmanteau of ‘permanent,’ and ‘agriculture,’ has firmly rooted itself in the soil of urban hipster neighborhoods. Including Northside.
“[Permaculture] began with agriculture, as a way to reintroduce agriculture to urban areas,” says Henrietta Camilari, a Northside masseuse, and avid permaculture advocate. “You could see it happen in peak oil Cuba,” said Camilari, referring to the economic crisis which befell Cuba after the dissolution of the Soviet Republic. Some reports point to the average Cuban losing approximately 30 pounds, as the costs of fuel all but shut down the transportation of foodstuffs from country to city.
Emergent from that event, Havana, Cuba’s capital and largest city, restructured itself as a nearly self sufficient agriculture center - growing around 70 percent of its food within city limits. Gardens formed in vacant lots and rooftops, supplemented with rabbits grown for meat, have become a part of life for Havana residents.
William Comparetto
© 2008