For years, a battle has been brewing between what’s natural and what’s manipulated by overzealous societal beliefs and standards. I’m referring to the varying caretaker practices of yards. There are those who care about natural ecosystems, and then there are those who care about maintaining manicured lawns.
WaPo has posted an insightful article on a property owner who is getting a lot of flack from her township, which is calling her maintained meadow a nuisance. It’s rather unbelievable (seeing the meadow) that anyone would have an issue with the way that it looks. But unfortunately we live in a society that tells us (mainly via TV) that it is the American way to mow, mow, mow, especially when it’s mainly for visual appearance and not for any other reason.
Maybe someday, if enough people step back and rethink what is inherently natural, instead of what the lawn and weed industry has laid before us, we will get back to surrounding ourselves with Mother Nature’s beauty, instead of the unnatural, water hungry lawns that have been fed to us for decades.
Check out the article in WaPo.
“Society needs to adjust its cultural norms on lawn aesthetics. For the health of the planet, and for our own health, we need to start letting nature dictate how we design our outdoor spaces. We need to reassess how much mowed space we really need. By the size of most people’s lawns in my area, you’d think they were hosting a weekly lacrosse match. But the only time I ever really see them on their lawns is when they are mowing them.” – WaPo