Biosphere 2: how are you connected?

Back in the 1980's when I was in grade school I did an independent study report for my science class on Biosphere 2. I'm not sure how I even found out about it without Google and Wikipedia. I'm pretty sure my science teacher was a combination of useless and indifferent. But I thought it was super cool.

It was heart-warming and nostalgic to find this lecture by Jane Poynter, one of the biospherians who spent 2 years inside the closed system.


I particularly like the part near the end where she shows what happens when you stop raking your leaves: you allow natural topsoil-producing processes to work. I've always fought for this as an aesthetic and maintenance-saving method. Let the leaves fall and decompose naturally. You'll never need fertilizer, you won't have to mow, and there won't be any weeds. When will people learn to trust the natural processes that give us life? I think it starts where we feel connected to the biosphere.

Up from my roots

I am happy to announce that I am now an ISA Certified Arborist. Thanks to my "roots" in plant science and landscape architecture, it was a fairly painless procedure. Then again, it's easy to study for something if you love the subject matter.

As much as I already knew about trees, my perspective has been enhanced. For one, I had always underestimated how critical soil is. Not just the contents, but the structure of it. I also am thinking now in terms of the urban forest, not just each tree in isolation.

I'd like to share some tree-related goodness with you. I'm sure you'll find it useful.

• a quick pamphlet on tree roots and their interactions with pavement, sidewalks and pipes. It'll give you a new perspective on roots.

• an article published in Landscapes/Paysages a few months ago on soils and why they are so important (pdf). Landscapes/Paysages is the trade publication of the CSLA. The article is written in English on one side of the page and en Francais on the other side.

• I may have shared this before, but if you're a real tree geek, here's a simple animation showing how trees grow.

• you've got to love this video. At one point you'll see police walking buy and you'll think, "man, it's a good thing the cops are securing the area. That tree must weigh a ton!"
  

Bike and Pedestrian Friendly Construction

Here's a post in Toronto's Spacing Magazine about how pedestrians and cyclists are treated by construction closures compared to how it goes in The Netherlands.

Once again we see how far advanced our European cousins are when it comes to civility and urbanism.