Before We Lost the Lake: A Natural and Human History of Sumas

Before We Lost the Lake: A Natural and Human History of Sumas by Chad Reimer

Sumas lake was a variable lack in southern British Columbia. It would grow and shrink with the season. It had a large fishery and the wetlands provided for lush vegetation and wildlife. The Semá:th had lived in this area for many years and lived of the fish and waterfowl as well as plants. The lake also had less-desirable residence, such as strong mosquitos at times of the year. Eventually white farmers moved into the region. The lake was seen as a detriment to farming and hard to categorize as water or land. There were many plans to drain the lake. However, these were primarily set to be privately funded and they kept falling through. The railroad seemed the most likely to do it, but they couldn't justify the expense. Eventually it did fall on the government. The lake was drained and area could be farmed. This lead to ecological harm as well as put areas downstream at great risk for flooding. The Semá:th were also harmed. However, it did open a great deal of farmland and enabled both pasturing of animals as well as crops such as berries. Was it worth it? The book paints a great picture of the history of the region and provides a fairly objective look at the positive and negative aspects of the drainage project.

Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change

Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change by Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher

How can a garden best take advantage of the natural environment. Rather than have a number of isolated plants, a natural garden can have many interrelated plants that work together both spatially and temporally. Some plants grow at different times. Some grow well within the spaces between others. Natives can work together to overcome weeds. They can also take advantage of the "natural seed bank" to disperse and grow. It is best to use plants that are native the individual area that can thrive there. It is not a "do it and ignore it" garden. There is work needed to help coax the plants. The author recommends against pulling weeds and instead cutting them. (That way they need to re-spend effort, and don't disperse seeds.) Mulch, irrigation and fertilizer are also frowned upon. This book includes man pictures and has some great guidelines for natural meadows. However, an expert is probably still needed for implementation.

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoë Schlanger

Do plants have intelligence? Previously, we thought of humans as the only thinking beings. Today, we acknowledge some animal intelligence. What about plants? This book explores some ways in which plants show intelligence. Maybe they "see" light? They seem to alter their growth based on the light presence. There are also social behaviors seen with plants. They will work to support their kin, possibly at the expense of others. There are a plethora of examples that explore different types of plant intelligence. It is an intriguing, if fringe topic. However, many other areas of mainstream science were once fringe. There does seem to be some possibility. Alas, the delivery is quite muted and lacks the revolutionary enthusiasm.

The Ecological Design and Planning Reader

The Ecological Design and Planning Reader by Forster O. Ndubisi

This is a collection of essays on "Ecological Design." The general idea is sound. We should pay attention to the ecology and consider our development as just one part of the ecosystem. The implementation is where issues come. In one essay, it is mentioned that no place has fully implemented "smart growth". Instead, interested parties have just picked the pieces that interest them. Similar issues can be seen in other ecological developments. The Woodlands Texas is given as an example. Natural storm systems are in place with a large park area. This is an environmental win in one area. However, it also involved cutting down forest for large lot suburban development. Large roads criss cross the area, with many cul-de-sacs preventing alternate travel. Freeway travel is the primary way to and from the area. A large amount of land is used and will be difficult to return to natural conditions.

Problems occur in other areas of attempted ecological development. A golf course may maintain part of the original ecosystem. But it also requires a large amount of built up space. A subdivision may follow the contours of the land, but be car centric with huge lots. Is something ecological if it is just a playground for the rich? Once land is allocated for urban or suburban uses, it is almost impossible to get it back to a state of nature. Even "smart" development could be negative if it is not done in a scalable way. Our current political boundaries were set in the "foot and horse" travel era, and don't work well for the car era. It is too easy to jump to a different city or county to sidestep any building requirement.

The Once And Future World: Nature As It Was, As It Is, As It Could Be

The Once And Future World: Nature As It Was, As It Is, As It Could Be by J.B. MacKinnon

This book takes the ecological perspective to the earth's history and the impact of humans. Populations are constantly changing. Many of the "past ideals" that we may look at were anomalies caused be previous actions. The Native Americans had thriving civilizations. However, by the time Europeans recorded history, many were decimated by disease. The land that was encountered was one that had been altered by humans, and then partially reclaimed by nature. 

Humans have been impacting the environment since long before recorded history. Humans have even had the chance to be among the initial inhabitants of new locations (such as areas exposed by retreating ice.) Sometimes humans cause great shocks to the system. Lions were once more widespread. Extra large mammals have been eliminated in much of the world. Even in the last centuries, the presence of other predators has greatly decreased in areas with human populations.

Climate change, biodiversity and other key concerns often fail to take the big picture ecological approach. There is a focus on fossil fuel carbon emissions. However, there is a failure to look at the big picture. There are numerous stories of human intervention causing problems and necessitating further human intervention.  Often this has been a case of introducing species. Then other species may be needed help reduce he population. Then others and so on. Environmental manipulation to counter global warming can face similar consequences. We can't just isolate a single variable and hope the environment responds as we intend. We also need to consider the multiple levels of ecological response. 

Carbon taxes can be beneficial when they simply make energy more expensive. However, when the money is used to subsidize alternate energy sources, they are likely kicking the can down the road. This sources will have further ecological impact. They also encourage additional energy use without looking at ways to improve the overall ecology. There is likely not a simple solution to climate change.

The Vertical Farm

I read a recent article about an "internal" farm over in Europe and was hoping to find out more in this book. Unfortunately, all I got was a bit of Utopian Urban Justice. The author thinks that "vertical farms" will appear in blighted urban areas, providing abundant well-paying jobs, and driving up real estate values. Oh, and by the way, they will also help feed the world.

The vertical farms will also be architectural wonders (like the apple store on 5th avenue) and people will clamor for one in their neighborhood. They would provide high quality, tasty vegetables for the local neighborhood. The government would provide the seed money to get the research off the ground, but then they would magically appear. Since all pests are controlled, there will be no need for pesticides. They will save most of their water, and even be a depository for treated waste-water.

It is all find and dandy, except for a few major gaping holes:
1) Why would they chose to go in the middle of an urban area? These are in essence vegatable factories. The big suburban office parks seem like the logical locations. After all, those areas are cheaper, and provide for easier trucking.
2) Economies of scale. If a small 1-acre "21st-century greenhouse" can provide food for a neighborhood, why not make a huge monstrosity of a building? Then the produce can be trucked all around.
3) If these are all they are cracked up to be, entrepreneurs would be starting them up. Money is money. Oh they wont make money? Well, why bother? Since they are envisioned to be "totally organic" that should make it even easier to turn a profit.
4) Pest control is to be carried out by keeping the environment totally pure. But quality of the produce is to be enhanced by "stressing" them enough to produce enough taste and beneficial compounds. A few problems here. Can we really have a totally sterile environment? And do we want to? The issue of waste processing could also cause public concerns. "Outside" organic farmers could easily mount a smear campaign comparing "wholesome" outside produce to sterile produce grown with sewage.
5) Workers. Why are these expected to be nice jobs? Even if a vertical farm overcomes obstacles to create an urban farm, labor will be an issue. A conventional farm may get migrants working for a small fraction of what the urban workers would demand. The urban workers could more easily unionize and further drive up the labor cost. That's nice for them, but not so nice for the farm trying to compete with others. Could the system change? Sure. However, it will most likely be the established farms that finally decide the smaller transport costs and image can compensate for the extra urban labor costs.

As to the actual biological and chemical processes, this book doesn't have much to say. Waste can be treated. Water can saved. Solar power can be used to provide light to help "power" the plants. (Hmm, reductionism. Weren't we already supposed to have chemical vitamin compounds that eliminated the need for food?) The sterile environment and decontamination room keeps out pests. The devil is in the details. Unfortunately, the details are not this book's forte.