Green Dream
There's been a bit of buzz 'round about my folks recently about the green movement, and what that means to them. This post is only kind of about that. This post is about my green dream.
First, some historical context, through my lens. A long time ago, man lived roughly in harmony with nature. Aside from overhunting, and perhaps a few other things, there wasn't a lot that people did, or could do, that could suppress or damage the natural order of things. And, most likely without exception, the natural order corrected anything that went too far astray, perhaps forcefully. As time progressed, humankind and human culture have built a greater and greater ability to mold, destroy, control, suppress, bound, and rescue nature. For a time that manifest in relatively gentle ways, with humans carving out places for themselves which were less wild and more civilized. In the recent century, we went further than ever, with giant cities, dams, bridges, and immense earth changing processes.
I see it this way: we are leaving the time of great works to prove our might, and entering a time of significantly greater power, but also greater subtlety. We are considering the ramifications of our actions. We are looking before we leap. We are more capable and more wary.
And so, going forward in the future, this is my dream: ecopoesis, Viridians, Bright Greens. A realm of understanding where environmentalism is not about man versus nature, or suppressing ourselves to save nature, but instead about an interweaving of nature and technology, of wild and civilized, a renewal of the wild within the culture.
Some examples: Rooftop wilderness, gardens, parks, and green spaces. Our cities are, compared with the wilderness, devoid of life. We could change that. If every roof had trees, bushes, gardens, places for the birds and the bees to live, then our cities would be that much greener. I look out over the city now and I see that buildings are not often designed to be looked upon from above. Heating and air conditioning units dot harsh desert landscapes less fertile than the Black Rock by design. It is time to rethink that design. I want to see vines growing up skyscrapers. I want to see trees interwoven into bridges, columns, pillars. I want to see gazebos grown and crafted carefully through horticultural skills, instead of merely built. I want to see permeable terrain, like bricks or porous pavers, instead of sidewalk. I want to see the city accept the wild back into the fold. Not every creature will come back, but some will.
There are places where I want control over the environment. I don't like animals in my home. I don't like bugs in the hospital. But on the roof of the hospital? I live near a creek and a river, so even though I am downtown, I still see frogs, birds, caterpillars, and myriad life. The greenery is going away as we control more and more of our cities, and that control is exclusive of nature.
I refuse to sacrifice our technological advancements. I think that is a false answer. I am no Luddite. I want instead to embrace the technological advances that will allow us to save the world while making it better for us. There are still tradeoffs. I want them to go away. I want our lives to be aligned with the life of our world, instead of compromising. The beauty of the city in my dreams is immense. I invite you to see it, and to ask me more about it.
First, some historical context, through my lens. A long time ago, man lived roughly in harmony with nature. Aside from overhunting, and perhaps a few other things, there wasn't a lot that people did, or could do, that could suppress or damage the natural order of things. And, most likely without exception, the natural order corrected anything that went too far astray, perhaps forcefully. As time progressed, humankind and human culture have built a greater and greater ability to mold, destroy, control, suppress, bound, and rescue nature. For a time that manifest in relatively gentle ways, with humans carving out places for themselves which were less wild and more civilized. In the recent century, we went further than ever, with giant cities, dams, bridges, and immense earth changing processes.
I see it this way: we are leaving the time of great works to prove our might, and entering a time of significantly greater power, but also greater subtlety. We are considering the ramifications of our actions. We are looking before we leap. We are more capable and more wary.
And so, going forward in the future, this is my dream: ecopoesis, Viridians, Bright Greens. A realm of understanding where environmentalism is not about man versus nature, or suppressing ourselves to save nature, but instead about an interweaving of nature and technology, of wild and civilized, a renewal of the wild within the culture.
Some examples: Rooftop wilderness, gardens, parks, and green spaces. Our cities are, compared with the wilderness, devoid of life. We could change that. If every roof had trees, bushes, gardens, places for the birds and the bees to live, then our cities would be that much greener. I look out over the city now and I see that buildings are not often designed to be looked upon from above. Heating and air conditioning units dot harsh desert landscapes less fertile than the Black Rock by design. It is time to rethink that design. I want to see vines growing up skyscrapers. I want to see trees interwoven into bridges, columns, pillars. I want to see gazebos grown and crafted carefully through horticultural skills, instead of merely built. I want to see permeable terrain, like bricks or porous pavers, instead of sidewalk. I want to see the city accept the wild back into the fold. Not every creature will come back, but some will.
There are places where I want control over the environment. I don't like animals in my home. I don't like bugs in the hospital. But on the roof of the hospital? I live near a creek and a river, so even though I am downtown, I still see frogs, birds, caterpillars, and myriad life. The greenery is going away as we control more and more of our cities, and that control is exclusive of nature.
I refuse to sacrifice our technological advancements. I think that is a false answer. I am no Luddite. I want instead to embrace the technological advances that will allow us to save the world while making it better for us. There are still tradeoffs. I want them to go away. I want our lives to be aligned with the life of our world, instead of compromising. The beauty of the city in my dreams is immense. I invite you to see it, and to ask me more about it.