Some time ago Nate recommended that I read Collapse by Jared Diamond. I started the book while we were in Pittsburgh and I must say that I am impressed, and overwhelmed, so far. The first chapter of the book, covering the environmental, social, and economic difficulties of the state of Montana is incredibly interesting.
One part I thought was incredibly interesting was the complications associated with farming. Now, I have heard about pesticides and fertilizer run-offs polluting the water supply but Diamond also talks about weeds, salt content, crop types, and other factors that can greatly influence the fertility of the soil as well as the surrounding water supply and environment. I guess what I am trying to say is that I never thought about how complicated farming can be. Farming is not only about growing your crops and making sure the area you farm is well taken care of, but also involves minimizing the effects of farming on the surrounding environment.
I bring this up because Nat and I like to grow vegetables and spices in a small plot in our yard and I have been thinking about starting such a plot in our new house. When planning out what it would take to set up the plot my main concern was about what I could add to the clay-rich soil we have in our backyard to foment the growth of our crops. My thought process never took into account that tilling the soil, or planting certain crops, or even introducing certain crops could result into irreversible or damaging effects to our surrounding environment.
Furthermore, it made me realize that while I always thought that the study of the environment was complicated, I greatly underestimated how complicated environmental interactions really are. Forget global warming, how about we try to figure out how to not exterminate everything in our sights as we continue to build suburbs everywhere we can.
4 comments:
I almost started to write an entry on Diamond's book last week, but then I decided that I was taking on a more alarmist tone than I intended. I don't know that I've ever read a more important book in my life.
I think it's incredibly important stuff. What I like about him is that he's ever the pragmatist, which you don't always get from environmentalists.
Wow, I really want to read this book now, I love this stuff. I'll put it on my list for Christmas reading.
Another book I would *highly* recommend along the same lines, but from the perspective of the consumer of food products is the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan....it is an eye opening book that I think everyone should read.
We bought it Meagan, but haven't read it yet.
Post a Comment