Spoiler warning: It’s colonization!
in her article “American Obsession with Grass”, Krystal D’Costa explains that our lawn is the most grown crop in America. This is disappointing given that no one (at the community level) really benefits from pretty lawns. This is especially discouraging when you remember how many people remember. (54 million) The United States is dealing with food insecurity. Wouldn’t it be great if we could use it to care for our society while taking care of the land? How many low-income areas and food desert They are surrounded by wealthy neighbors full of grass, flower beds, and lawns with nothing but non-food-producing bushes.
Much of our land in America is used strictly for aesthetic purposes that are essentially elitist. In our culture, having the perfect lawn means having the money everyone wants (or needs): money. Everyone knows that to have a perfectly manicured lawn, you either have to pay someone to take care of the lawn or have the money, leisure time and physical ability to do it yourself. Think about it. A perfect lawn doesn’t really help us, so why value it so much?
I understand that in our society it is not always encouraged to question and think critically about cultural values. Because of this, we can spend most of our lives without asking important questions like “Why is there grass everywhere?” Grass grows naturally outside, so you might think it’s silly to ask. Yes? But what if we said that grass was just the result of the European settlers who colonized the native lands? It’s true. Perfectly manicured lawns did not exist in North America before the arrival of European settlers. turtle island. Before colonization, indigenous peoples lived in perfect harmony with the land by respecting and maintaining the earth’s natural biodiversity in order to sustain the earth’s ecosystems. Wealthy European settlers quickly ruined this harmony by importing lawns and other non-native plants and wildlife to recreate European gardens and lawns at home. These wealthy Europeans began clearing large amounts of natural forest to make room for lawns and farms. This has made grass, a non-native plant, the extremely invasive and harmful plant species we know today. Not only did this damage the land, but it also required maintenance of these lawns and farms. “Intense human labor” Of course, this was not something European aristocrats did. This will continue to create a culture of marginalized, low-income (usually people of color) who do lawn, garden, and field work for America’s wealthy (usually white) people. As a result, most of our perfect lawns are just symbols of inequality, elitism and colonization. And even if they aren’t blatantly classist or racist, they don’t do anything for the planet and her biodiversity.
I will not provide this information without some suggestions on what to do about it. The first thing we need to do is research biodiversity and how indigenous peoples live in harmony with our planet, and why we should pay attention to what they say. After all, despite only 5% of the world’s population, they are literally living single. Saving 80% of global biodiversity. Here are some tips to help you get started.
“Three reasons why we should all care about biodiversity”
“Indigenous knowledge can help address the biodiversity crisis”
“Aboriginal activist advocating nature-based solutions to climate change”
Next, if you’re someone who really cares about your perfect lawn, don’t be discouraged! Decolonization is an ongoing process for many of us. Here are a few tools that can help you move away from the need to have the perfect lawn and move closer to sustainable anti-colonial turf practices.
“Garden Advice from Indigenous Food Growers”
“7 Ideas You Can Learn By Transforming Your Lawn With Native Plants”
“Decolonize Conservation: Indigenous Peoples Are the Best Conservationists”