Is the Horticultural Profession Ignorant of the World’s Problems?

Today I attended the PPA (Perennial Plant Association) MidAtlantic Regional Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland. This was a fine conference with interesting lectures given by everyone who presented. However, the takeaway for me was a sense that the discipline of horticulture is stuck in a ignorant vacuum of its glorious past and has not completely committed itself to the global issues of today, such as global warming, environmental destruction, endangered plant and animal species, habitat loss, invasive plant species, human overpopulation, and so on. Some might say, “What are you talking about? Horticulture does not have to be concerned about these global issues.”, and, “Horticulture has nothing to do with global warming and other big issues. That is for the government or nonprofits to solve.” Well folks, I am here to tell you that EVERY profession MUST be concerned with global issues, because each one of us must play a part in solving these issues or they will never be solved. That is right. We cannot continue to follow the normal course or the whole ship will lose its way. 

Horticulture is modeled today as it was 100, even 200 years ago, in that the plant industry finds or breeds new plants and nurseries market these new plants to the public for consumption. As I heard in the talks today, horticulture still seems too preoccupied with fulfilling the fantasies of the wealthy few of our society. As one of the speakers said in his talk, “The US has the lowest consumption of plants of the worlds’ western countries.” Horticulture is too far removed from most of the concerns of most people of the US. I think this is largely due to horticulture’s primary focus on this old business model and its inability to deal with the world’s more important issues that affect each of us every day. Do you really think most people care how beautiful a flower is when they have many life issues to deal with on a daily basis? Many would argue that horticulture and gardening is a welcome distraction from life’s worries. That may be true, but I think horticulture and gardening can play a large and significant role in some of the issues I outlined at the beginning of this article.

For instance, horticulture can play an important role in solving global warming. First, all of the industry players can do a full audit of their emissions and then strive to reduce these emissions. Second, nurseries need to be certified as USDA Organic. Right now, most plant nurseries are conventional, meaning they spray many chemicals on plants during production. It’s the industry’s dirty little secret. Most of those chemicals are derived from petroleum and many of them release chemicals into the air, water, and soil, most certainly increasing emissions. Third, nurseries make many deliveries with diesel trucks and ship their plants all over the US and the world. Here, biodiesel options, increased shipping efficiencies, and carbon offsetting need to be the norm.

There are other serious issues, such as environmental destruction, endangered plant and animal species, habitat loss, invasive plant species, human overpopulation, and so on. And here the profession of horticulture can play key roles too. The horticultural industry and professionals can align and work with environmental and social change groups to find solutions to many of these issues. (1)

Regarding environmental destruction and habitat loss; is it okay for nurseries, garden centers, and contractors to simply sell and install plants, and landscape designers to design gardens for new homeowners of houses that were built where a forest or other natural habitat used to be, knowing that they will usually just plant a few token plants as foundation plantings around their house and their properties will consist mostly of ecologically dead lawns? No, we can do better to educate and inform the public and take a leadership role in ensuring that natural habitats are protected, restored, and never destroyed.

Human overpopulation is an important topic for all of us to discuss openly in order to learn about it and eventually to take action in some way. If we don’t talk about it, society’s problems will get worse and our resources will become more finite. Do we want to leave that kind of a deprived world for our grandchildren? Certainly this issue affects everyone and therefore everyone, especially professionals, need to be talking about it. 

I feel invasive species in this country are often a direct result of the horticultural industry’s ignorance or greed. Many of the plants currently considered invasive pests were brought to this country by horticulturists or plant breeders purely for aesthetic enjoyment without much or any prior testing to determine what the level of invasiveness would be. This practice continues today with new plants being brought into the US without any testing or requirements for likelihood to invade. And, incredibly many plants defined as invasive pests by the federal government are still being sold by nurseries and garden centers and are commonly placed in planting designs by designers and installed by landscape contractors. From what I have seen, hardly any one of these professionals are giving a second thought about invasive plants. This needs to change if we want to leave the world better for our children. In many wild landscapes around our country you will find invasive plants to a massive degree, choking out our native plants which have largely disappeared.  And, credit must go to our forebears who cut down most of our forests and tilled most of the meadows, decimating many native plants. Today, when I hike in my local park, I don’t see many herbaceous plants in the forests. I mostly see invasives on the ground floor like Japanese honeysuckle, English ivy, barberry, garlic mustard, porcelainberry, Oriental bittersweet, burning bush, privet, and multiflora rose to name just a few. (2) The forest feels dead to me; there is virtually no life, no flowers, no sound, and no animals. I sense its sense of loss and sorrow.

Let’s hope a fresh new breath of consciousness will awaken and enlighten the horticultural industry to deal with society’s large issues. Simply talking about the merits of plants based on flower color or the attractiveness of variegated leaves, akin to the ostrich sticking his head in the ground, will not make our problems go away. I dream of the day that I attend a horticultural conference and the speakers are passionately talking about how they can help solve the big issues like global warming, environmental destruction, endangered plant and animal species, habitat loss, invasive plant species, human overpopulation, and so on. After all, we all have a stake in our planet’s health and only by working together can we thrive.

Article Sources:

Non-governmental organization types (1): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-governmental_organization

Invasive plants list (2): http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/weed/index.html

Ending Fossil Fuels Is Not Enough to Save the Planet!

 











I really liked the article in the Baltimore Sun Feb 6 titled, "Forecast calls for pain", by Mike Tidwell. I truly believe in phasing out the carbon fuels and relying more on renewable energy. Putting a price on carbon is a great way to force out fossil fuels; an idea I had heard about first from as a Green Economy or Green Tax idea. A Green Economy is based upon taxing the "sin" companies and giving benefits to the green companies.

Having lived and traveled extensively in Germany I know that the US is way behind in truly living green and sustainably. In Germany renewable energy is booming, many people commute via mass transit, trains are a viable option to go anywhere in Europe, bicycling is very popular, organic stores are everywhere, extensive pedestrian walking zones in their cities, public parks make cities beautiful, recycling everything is very common, and people don't consume as much. Us Americans drive our cars way too much, we consume way too much, we waste way too much, we eat too much fast food, we don't exercise enough, all leading to an unhealthy population and a failing planet. However, as a whole, western societies are way too consuming and wasteful.

However, I think while most people in the US believe that humans are causing global warming, and that our abundant consumption of fossil fuels is largely to blame for this, most people don't know how to change and may be afraid of change, especially if it means a lower standard of living. Perhaps, environmentalists need to talk more about what life will really be like living without fossil fuels, since I think few people can imagine what this really means.

Also, I believe I had read an article Mike Tidwell had written a few years ago, extolling the virtues of becoming vegetarian or vegan, since these diets lower a person's carbon footprint tremendously. There was no mention of this idea in this recent article.

And, what about the massive consumerist lifestyle that many people live here in the US, whose psychology of all consuming without thinking about the repercussions is also a major contributor to the planet's demise?

It would be great if environmental thinkers would write more about the other issues affecting the health of our world than just the evils of fossil fuels.

I really appreciate Mike Tidwell's and his group's, the Chespeake Climate Action Network, efforts to make positive changes for our planet. Keep up the great work!