Earth day is upon us...

Well, today is the 39th Earth Day.

I find it a bit perplexing that as members of the world-wide ecological community, we require a single day to be set aside to celebrate the planet we live on.

And honestly, with what we have done to this planet I not sure we should be celebrating, but instead begging forgiveness and seeking penance.

So before anyone gets into a tizzy regarding whether or not global warming really exists; or whether or not owning 4 cars in a 2 driver household really contributes to sprawl; or whether or not the trickle-down theory is really the most democratic economic system; or whether or not our development choices have really led to an alarmingly high child obesity rate; or whether or not our use of coal-burning power plants in the Ohio valley has really poisoned every body of freshwater in the Northeast with mercury; or whether or not developing nations really allow rampant deforestation in the name of hyper-capitalism masked as progress; or whether or not our hyper-capitalist driven land-use choices have really destroyed important wetland ecosystems whose function is to protect low-lying areas from flooding; or whether or not our government has really allowed hyper-capitalist auto manufacturers to convince us that an efficient, low-emissions internal combustion engine is not feasible; or whether or not our nation really has the largest privately funded rail network in the world yet we can't seem to implement a reliable high-speed rail network; or whether or not in our democratic and just society that our health care system is really ranked 38th in the world just ahead of Slovenia and Cuba; or whether or not we really allow hyper-capitalists to bulldoze the mountains of West Virginia in search of cheap coal; or whether or not we really celebrate the automobile so much that when a developer actually installs sidewalks or a trail system they want a commendation from the Sierra Club; or whether or not allowing National Home Builders to mass grade, change designated land-uses and leverage their projects based solely on speculation informed by reports that their own lobbyists generate has really contributed to the crash of the housing market; or whether or not hyper-capitalist driven greed has really fueled the subprime lending market in which housewives-turned-mortgage brokers fleece unsuspecting, uninformed homebuyers into products that they could never afford; or whether or not the lack of congressional oversight is really the true culprit behind many of the misdealings of the financial crisis; or whether or not relying on the guise of religion and freedom is really a just means to slaughter innocent people with roadside bombs, dirty bombs, hazardous chemicals, conventional weapons, plutonium-enriched shells or any other means of destruction; or whether or not globalization has really led to the exportation of American-style hyper-capitalism resulting in the further socio-economic stratification of developing nations; or whether or not our coastal development choices have really placed cities, towns and residents in danger of catastrophic weather events; or whether or not saving 10-cents a month on your electricity bill really means you are living a sustainable lifestyle; or whether or not greenwashing your development project with a certified "green" checklist is really a step in the right direction for facilitating a system-wide paradigm shift; or whether or not protesting taxes when nation's survival is at stake as opposed to protesting deficit spending to invade sovereign nations based on lies is really justifiable; or whether or not the United States really has over 1,300 endangered species of plants and animals yet we continue to plan to exploit wildlife refuges for hyper-capitalist gains; I would like to remind everyone of one thing.

Everything is connected to everything else.

If there is one phrase which should become part of the American lexicon, that is it.

The sooner we accept that our actions affect the larger eco-community and that in order for our species to survive we must change our habits, the sooner we can begin celebrating Earth Day everyday of the year.

The universe is wider than our views of it. -Henry David Thoreau

For every action...

Just as we have concluded our brief discussion of the influence which hyper-capitalism wields over the comprehensive planning process, we are reminded of the dedication needed to facilitate actual change. Disrupting hyper-capitalist driven federal land auctions has caused a bit of a stir in the profit-driven world, while environmentalists, conservationists, the stewards of the land, the National Geographic Society and Teddy Roosevelt are all applauding one activist's efforts.

The fact that it has taken two-years of litigation between the BLM and various other governmental agencies, environmental protection groups and conservation groups to even hold a federal land and drilling-rights auction, demonstrates the obvious need for a closer look oat our nation's energy consumption and ultimately our overall transportation planning efforts.

We could isolate and analyze these two topics, however that would prove to be counter-productive and violates Barry Commoner's main law of ecology that we have discussed in previous posts; that everything is connected to everything else.

This national dilemma is inclusive of more than the ecological issue; our actions and decisions (which, in this case, seem to be based solely on hyper-capitalist ideals) are most certainly causing long-term, residual effects on what remains of the undeveloped "natural" landscape of the United States.

These actions, which begin with the policy set forth by our elected officials, sets the tone for how our state and local governments (and ultimately us as consumers) plan and develop our nation; which for the past half-century, has been based upon our love of the automobile and our hyper-capitalist driven need to use our automobiles to consume everything from fossil fuels to the aesthetic qualities of our nation's natural beauty.

"We need an energy plan that encourages consumption." -George W. Bush

Patches, patches everywhere...

Over the past few weeks, there has been a fair amount of attention given to the concepts of backyard farming and "victory gardening". Undoubtedly, this focus has a direct correlation to the failure of the American hyper-capitalist system, the rise in unemployment and the normally unassociated costs of purchasing food from a commercial source.

In many urban communities, residents not only grow organic vegetables, but they raise "small flock" chickens, generally numbering less than 10 hens that produce an average of 2 eggs per day per hen. In addition to providing homeowners with fresh, locally produced eggs, the urban chicken proponents use the flocks as educational tools for children.

Recently, there has been significant attention given to the notion that a portion of the White House grounds should be used to grow organic crops, presumably in an effort to promote what has been called the "sustainable food movement".

Here is where the problem with these concepts lies (and I am sure that many people will accuse the author of merely obsessing over semantics while the overall concept is what is more important). Converting your lawn into a victory garden, raising your own chickens and cracking your own eggs is a fine way to save money, but it is not necessarily a sustainable practice.

Is it organic? Yes.

Does it reduce fossil fuel consumption? Yes.

Does it provide educational opportunities for young Americans? Yes.

Does it help support the local economy? No.

Does it address the needs of American farmers who have been run out of business by their government and now by their neighbors? No.

Do a few fragmented patches of organic gardens, chicken coops and rain barrels make for a fully sustainable local and global community? No.

The same phenomenon which threatens to obliterate forests throughout the world is now threatening to derail the entire sustainability movement; fragmentation. When a forest ecosystem is divided into patches, the inhabitants of the forest may find it more difficult to migrate through the ecosystem, thereby reducing their access to food and potential mates (note: this a fairly broad stroke introduction to the concept of complimentary and connected uses, which we will explore in great detail in the coming weeks).

Because of the lack of a comprehensive, complimentary and cohesive sustainable development regulatory structure, the efforts of those involved in the movement are inadvertently creating "patches" of organic and sustainable elements within their local (and eventually global) community.

A prime example which has been receiving a fair amount of national press is the redevelopment of New Orleans. As many of you know, Global Green has been constructing 8 LEEDs certified, "green" architecture homes in a ward of the city. As many of you may not know is that the city government and redevelopment authority do not have a comprehensive plan that allows for the creation of a truly sustainable city. In other words, the only sustainable project occurring in New Orleans are 8 homes built by Global Green and visited by Brad Pitt.

Let us recall the Brundtland definition of sustainable development; "...development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In layman's terms, we are putting the cart before the horse.

Without comprehensive planning, we are threatening to derail the purpose and potential of sustainable development and organic production methods.

Without comprehensive planning we, as a local and global community, are threatening to create communities which will become fragmented, thereby derailing our social and cultural development.

And when we fail to evolve and adapt as a society, we threaten our entire existence.

We are not going to be able to operate our Spaceship Earth successfully nor for much longer unless we see it as a whole spaceship and our fate as common. It has to be everybody or nobody. -R. Buckminster Fuller

Everything is connected to everything else…

The title for this post comes from Barry Commoner’s visionary work, The Closing Circle, in which he presents the four laws of Ecology. The first law is that “everything is connected to everything else”, which while this law was applied directly to the overall ecosphere, this law can certainly be applied to all of the actions and decisions (social, cultural, economic, political, etc…) that we as humans make on a daily basis. It is from this simple ecological theory from which I derive much of the theoretical base for my own ideas and concepts.

The goal of this blog (as well as my entire existence as a designer, writer, filmmaker and artist) is to help inform the way in which we design, construct, develop and co-exist on this planet. When the label of environmental activist is used to describe a person’s ideologies, numerous socio-ecological theories and criticisms tend to split environmental activism into two broad categories, Pollyannas and Cassandras. The former are generally characterized as professing that while there are environmental problems and concerns, exerting any influence on these processes through policies and paradigms shifts would interfere with the normal course of nature. The latter, however, are viewed as tree-hugging socialists who would rather live in a world where human progress is heavily regulated and impeded through policies which aim to curb the destruction of the environment being caused by human activities. Granted, these views have changed slightly in recent years, but these characterizations are usually the basis for influencing popular opinion in the minds of politicians and others.

As I have mentioned on numerous occasions (even in the subtitle of this blog!), is that landscape architects undertake an educational and professional mission which is tailored perfectly to design, develop and inform a world which balances the multitude of factors that affect the overall ecosphere while continuing with the progress and development of the entire human race. I understand that for many that seems like a daunting responsibility and is probably not one of the reasons they entered into the profession in the first place. Admittedly, when I began my own landscape architectural education, this world-saving mission was not my motivation. However, as I have experienced various aspects of the profession, crossed disciplines to become a well-rounded student of the world and read more and more; this quickly became one of the main reasons why I have such a deep admiration for the profession and for its potential.

With that in mind, I am planning to publish a series of entries on this blog which explain, albeit briefly, many of the theories and concepts that are thrown about on a regular basis in my posts. These theories and concepts include the hybridized economic theory of hyper-capitalism; a clear and concise definition of sustainability; the ideals and principles of environmental justice; and finally a theoretical construct which connects everything to everything else, sustainable development. Explaining much of the theoretical base for my own philosophical musings will help you to understand the importance of the issues which I have discussed and plan on discussing over the life of this blog.

Taking action...

An article in the Washington Post helps to illustrate the need for our diligence and activism. The expansion of highways and interstates has often found its way through wetlands, stream corridors, watersheds and various other ecologically sensitive areas. More often than not, proponents of these transportation projects ususally have a financial interest in the further development of the roadways. Transportation corridors, especially those associated with the Eisenhower Interstate System, have been driven by the hyper-capitalist need to consume more automobiles than necessary. Consider this alarming data gathered from the Bureau of Tansportation Statistics:

In 2007, Americans owned 136,568,083 passenger cars which cost an average of 52.2-cents per mile to operate. That 52.2-cents assumes an average of 15,000-miles per year. If we extrapolate the numbers, that's an annual cost of 1.07-TRILLION dollars spent per year on the cost of operating a passenger car.

Huh, that's quite a bit more than say, $700-Billion. And, as drivers we all know that 15,000-miles per year is unreasonable number in most sprawling areas of the United States.

If we continue to allow hyper-capitalist driven planning decisions to dominate the development of this nation, there are far-reaching consequences that will add to the already dismal state of transportation and development in our nation.