Is medical botany the answer to 'Silent Spring'?

In the book that is credited with triggering the American environmentalist movement in the 1970s, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) claimed that the widespread use of chemical pesticides and herbicides were having an irreparable effect on our natural environment and our health. The New York Times reports on Diana Beresford-Kroeger, a research scientist studying medical biochemistry and botany at the University of Ottawa school of medicine.

The article opens:

Diana Beresford-Kroeger pointed to a towering wafer ash tree near her home.

The tree is a chemical factory, she explained, and its products are part of a sophisticated survival strategy. The flowers contain terpene oils, which repel mammals that might feed on them. But the ash needs to attract pollinators, and so it has a powerful lactone fragrance that appeals to large butterflies and honeybees. The chemicals in the wafer ash, in turn, she said, provide chemical protection for the butterflies from birds, making them taste bitter.

Many similar unseen chemical relationships are going on in the world around us. “These are at the heart of connectivity in nature,” she said.

The main focus of the report is on the many uses of trees and the many effects they have on our health and environment. Ms. Beresford-Kroeger has a somewhat radical idea in how we can incorporate medical botany into our urban planning and sustainable development. Again, from the NYT:

She favors what she terms a bioplan, reforesting cities and rural areas with trees according to the medicinal, environmental, nutritional, pesticidal and herbicidal properties she claims for them, which she calls ecofunctions.

Wafer ash, for example, could be used in organic farming, she said, planted in hedgerows to attract butterflies away from crops. Black walnut and honey locusts could be planted along roads to absorb pollutants, she said.

This theory, if researched and implemented correctly could spell the end of the need for chemical pesticides and herbicides, if the same result could be achieved by creative foresting.

Ultimately, the article leaves the reader with the notion that we really know very little. "Dr. Wilson, at Harvard, said that more research into the role of trees in the ecosystem was imperative and that it was alarming how little was known. 'We need more research of this kind to use the things we have, such as trees, to their fullest,' he said." "We," of course, are urban westerners. Indigenous peoples, have incredible knowledge of their native botany and its medical uses.

This knowledge is not lost and we can learn it from others. The important research that Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger is incredibly important for the future of our food production and could be key in producing urban farming as a reality.

Millions of pounds of synthetic chemicals are dropped on our food supply, and therefore into our soil and water, to protect crops from bugs. These chemicals are not harmless. 'Bioplanning' provides an alternative to the wasteful and harmful practice that utilizes our natural ecosystems instead; cycles and processes 'built in' so that our planet functions in balance and order.

Check out the article, it's a good read!
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Vertical Farming--are 'living buildings' the future of the urban landscape?

What if our skylines were vibrant, lush living eco-systems? What if local produce meant a few blocks, rather than dozens of miles? What if our farms were protected from element, wind contamination and infestation, thereby securing absolutely chemical-free food? What if the urban landscape was transformed from twisted and riveted metals and steel into a green paradise?

If Dickson Despommier of Columbia University can get his Vertical Farm Project off the ground(literally) this vision might become reality. Click below to find out more about vertical farming and some tips on what you can do to make a difference.

According to a write-up recently published in the New York Times, the idea for vertical farming was created in 1999 and was born in discussion with his graduate students studying medical ecology. The facts from the Vertical Farm Project website are staggering:

By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?

For this concept to work, it would take a rethinking of the entire concept of the urban arena. It seems that Mr. Despommier's work has been noticed by important folks in important places, most notably Scott M. Stringer, the president of the borough of Manhattan. He likes the Vertical Farm Project so much, he has embraced it and wants to put it into action. According to the New York Times report,

"Mr. Stringer’s office is “sketching out what it would take to pilot a vertical farm,” and plans to pitch a feasibility study to the mayor’s office within the next couple of months, he said."

The article also references Jerry Kaufman, an urban planner at the University of Wisconsin, who queries, "Why does it have to be 30 stories? Why can't it be six stories?" And this question serves a great point. We need not wait for the city planners of Manhattan to build a multi-million dollar 'living building;' we can bring our own buildings to life by some simple home gardening. Climate change can be combated at home without buying a hybrid car or purchasing wind power. Start by taking some simple steps at home, like these listed below, toward a carbon-neutral climate.

• Use window boxes to grow small herbs and leaves instead of decorative flowers; hearty greens and lettuces can be gorgeous in addition to delicious!
  
• Lawns do not have to be grass; flowers and vegetables can make beautiful and useful additions that help the ecosystem, reduce toxins, purify the air and provide something useful and beautiful
• Flat roofs and patio/decks can be used to grow food in large pots
• Sandboxes, barrels and wagons make great vegetable, herb and flower beds; just fill with dirt and plant!
  
• Backyard and kitchen composting are helpful for the environment, useful for planting and gardening and even fun and educational for kids!

Keep posted here for more information about urban gardening, including an exclusive interview with a professional urban gardener with plenty of tips for your own gardening. In the mean time, it is important to acknowledge the important work that the Vertical Farm Project is doing. Thank you, Dickson Despommier, for making our cities more sustainable and more livable.

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