[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Scope or focus of newsgroup




Bill Robinson wrote:
>The intention of the newsgroup is for discussion and not for following
>a party line. The issue of dominating nature is not  cut and dry. My
> personal orientation is that the gardener is at his gardening best
>when he is working in co-operation with nature and that the most
>appropriate gardening techniques are those things that most closely 
>resemble the techniques of nature. I do think, however,  that it is not
>always self-evident as to just what gardening _with_ nature really
>means and that we don't always have a good handle on the best way 
>to solve garden problems. 

Hi Bill, I just finished reading the FAQ and your words (above) and
did not see an answer to my question.  My interest is in finding out
where we draw the line between ecological techniques and those that are
not ecological.  It sounds like there is more emphasis on organic
gardening than on ecosystems.  This isn't good or bad, but it is
helpful to identify what the differences are.

>I'm a strong believer, for example,  in the use of manures and composts
>both as a mulch and as a way to enrich my soil. I don' see this so much
>as a way to dominate nature, per se,  but rather as a way to benefit  the
>soil organisms and the general garden. I can accept, however, that others
>may think of this as inappropriate.

Yes, manures and compost are very important in the garden.  The issue
here is probably with how they are used and obtained.  If we import
manure from peru every year to grow bananas in our greenhouse then we
have created an organic ecosystem.  From looking at other posts I
assume this would be a possible topic for this list.  Unfortunately, if
we view this greenhouse from a world ecology view it doesn't look very
good.  The packaging and transporting of the manure created pollution
and utilized energy that might impact climate problems.  The diversity
and scope of the resulting ecosystem is very limited, not very
sustainable, and does not fit the local ecology.  Most lawns have
similar problems.

Of course, if you have a lawn and want to be more ecological then the
natural choice would be to use organic manures.  This is much better
than dumping chemicals indiscriminately.  The problem that occurs is
soon lawns are accepted as being ecological if one is using organic
manures.  I can think of lots of examples of very non-ecological
environments that started importing organic materials and began
calling themselves ecological.  Each time this happens the definition
of ecological shifts down a notch.  Where do we draw the line?

If the answer is: You can't draw a clear line or definition, then we
can expect the majority to shift the definition to follow their
interests.  If the answer is: we want to include as many people as
possible and get them to think organically, then we still need to hold
up a clearly defined goal so they can see which way to go.  This may
seem like a nit, but to someone just learning about these things (the
youth of the world) it becomes significant.

This line of reasoning leads to the question: Is it possible to deal
with the daily garden questions and still keep a longer term ecological
perspective?

jeff
-- 
kowens@teleport.COM  Public Access User --- Not affiliated with TECHbooks
Public Access UNIX and Internet at (503) 220-1016 (2400-14400, N81)



Follow-Ups: References: