Reaction to Ecology of Eden Chapter 20

A blog on an assigned class reading 



            American Front Lawn are a failure of a garden. Lawns don’t act as a reminder of the garden of Eden and the beauty of extra-humans. Instead, lawns are a monocrop gas-guzzling chore. Lawn mowing had the potential to connect the lord of the estate to extra-humans. Instead of being a connective and contemplative experience, lawn mowing is a chore that most people just go through the motions of doing.

I find the criticism of lawn care’s monotony and waste fascinating as I’ve never mowed the lawn (I’m allergic to grass).  To me lawns just seem like a really plain (and itchy) version of a garden. Gardens are more manicured more meticulously, but less frequently than lawns. 


Even the Great Lawn on CNU’s campus seem suburban and boring. At least the Great lawn serves as a communal space for people to gather when the weather is nice. The problem, the care of this lawn goes unseen with trimming and painting at odd hours. Without seeing its maintenance and flaws, the lawn is no longer a full nature experience, it is too manicured. In our quest to manicure and control lawns, we have ruined their ecological potential and garden qualities. 

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