tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9847167.post-55953064343609880392008-05-06T05:38:00.000-07:002008-05-06T07:18:34.253-07:00There are many things that I love the English for; <a href="http://www.wordsources.info/words-mod-sandwich.html">The Sandwich</a> being one of them and John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich.<br /><br /><a href="http://store.barrys-tea.com/articles/earl_grey_history.html">Or Earl Grey tea.</a> And we can thank Charles Grey (Second Earl), who was a British diplomat on a mission to China for this lovely blend. <br /><br />And of course I love the English for <br /><br /><a href="http://www.kevincharnas.com/uploaded_images/david-beckham's-underwear-705156.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.kevincharnas.com/uploaded_images/david-beckham's-underwear-705152.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />David Beckham and what he does with balls. He can <i>bend</i> them...Yeah.<br /><br />However, what I'm not quite that fond of that we've imported from the English <a href="http://www.american-lawns.com/history/history_lawn.html">have been our lawns.</a> It's not really that I dislike beautiful green lawns. It's that I dislike the amount of energy, water and chemicals that go into treating a present day American lawn.<br /><br />THAT, I not only dislike, I...I...STRONGLY dislike it! <br /><br />So, there. And why so STRONGLY do I dislike it you ask? Well: <a href="http://www.mindfully.org/Air/Lawn-Mower-Pollution.htm">Grass Cutting Beats Driving in Making Air Pollution</a> for one.<br /><br />And then, add in the amount of water and Chem-lawns to eradicate weeds and other "pests", and then weed-whackers and leaf blowers...It just strikes me as not only ridiculous, but destructive and toxic.<br /><br />Somewhere along the lines, I think that some people have forgotten that the "Environment" is not a separate entity from us. And it's truly more our home than the houses we construct and inhabit.<br /><br />Growing up, I often thought that we should just let ivy, or some other ground cover fill in the lawn. Or better yet, just plant more trees. <br /><br />We rarely really <i>used</i> our lawn. For Frisbee occasionally, or tossing the football. My family occasionally used to have a football game in the backyard on Thanksgiving Day. And I understand having a little bit of lawn for recreation.<br /><br />I don't understand polluting in order to do so, though.<br /><br />In the United Kingdom, they're one thing. And the climate there can certainly support them. But, when I see the amount of lawns out here in the West, where most of the climates are dry and desert-like, it's just ludicrous to me.<br /><br />Well, anyway, <br /><br /><a href="http://www.kevincharnas.com/uploaded_images/Fritz_Haeg-765239.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.kevincharnas.com/uploaded_images/Fritz_Haeg-765230.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.fritzhaeg.com/">Fritz Haeg</a> is a total badass because he's declared war on America's lawns. And he wants to replace them with "edible garden estates". Hence, his <a href="http://www.fritzhaeg.com/garden/initiatives/edibleestates/main.html">Edible Estates Gardenlab</a> project.<br /><br />And not only has it succeeded in people growing and enjoying their own organic food, it's bringing neighbors together in Salinas, Kansas, and Austin, Texas and Baltimore, Maryland and...It's creating <i>community</i>.<br /><br />And yes, it's <a href="http://www.mensvogue.com/design/articles/2008/04/haeg">"Greener Than Grass".</a><br /><br />Will and I look forward to the day when we have a house with a garden to grow our own food. We're in a condo for the moment and we have a patch of patio that measures about 2 feet by 2 feet and is just large enough for us to go out there to take a piss. It keeps the coyotes away. They like really small patios.<br /><br />So, we're looking forward to one day having a little more space to grow some vegetables and have some fruit trees.<br /><br />And I've already begun contemplating what type of scarecrow we might have.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kevincharnas.com/uploaded_images/festival1015-702408.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://www.kevincharnas.com/uploaded_images/festival1015-702404.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I think that something like this would work. No?<br /><br /><br />***<a href="http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/home/6-ingredients-for-a-green-clean-home-155345/">6 ingredients for a green, clean home</a>***Kevin Charnashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05548894554530312882noreply@blogger.com