One very comprehensive way to think about degrees of ecological self-sufficiency is this “three shades of green” system introduced to me by my friend Adam Brock. The green cred of a car company would be the “lite” shade of green. And I like to think about it as a gradient towards an ultra-balanced forest green — a permaculture homestead would be a good example. Moving on…
Out of my window, plastered on the side of the bus, I see an advert for this company and think to myself, “What a splendid idea!” — Being a constant dreamer for a better world, I bear a slight tendency to trust the “Save Money. Save Time. Save the Planet.” slogans pasted all over these ads. Alas, to my disappointment, it was nothing more than the standard greenwash. The give-away was their location: a giant warehouse in Gowanus where organic produce is trucked into the city, sorted into cardboard boxes, then trucked back out to the communities they came from. Suddenly, this utopian advert for “Urban Organic” was nothing more but a false promise, collaborating with the “enemy”…
Here, I found a great visual representation of the types of food systems we should watch out for when planning for sustainability.
The industrial cup of tea…
One of my favorite web-pieces about current challenges is “Story of Stuff” with Annie Leonard.
The permaculture cup of tea…
And if you’ve still got Wild Green Yonder in an open tab on your browser, check out his entry about City farming.
2 Comments
April 28, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Awesome blog – and thanks for the shout-out! I’d love to swing by the secret garden some time to see what you guys are up to.
- Adam
April 28, 2008 at 5:03 pm
A truly elegant illustration! We need a complete overhaul of the way we grow food and clothe ourselves. Let the whole world see it!