Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Enlist

Friends, check out the link to Richard Reynolds' Guerrilla Gardening website (at the right). It's an interesting site and an exciting proposition for us! Consider enlisting as a guerrilla gardener; later, we can tell him about what we're doing. Given the government and court sanctioned destruction of Appalachia (ask me about the latest set-backs to the case against MTR in class) and the deep budget cuts in the state of Tennessee that are having an adverse effect on the taken-for-granted aspects of life on MTSU's campus (such as grounds-keeping, maintenance of all things green and growing), becoming a guerrilla gardener not only offers you the opportunity to do something fun and educational but also something that is of immediate value to the local community. Somebody's got to take up the slack! Let's not let our campus wither up and die like the economy seems to be doing. By becoming guerrilla gardeners, we can contribute to the overall health and beauty of our community in a time when health and beauty don't seem to be a priority. If it's true that MTSU is going to be "hotter, colder, and dirtier" due to budget shortfalls and cost-cutting measures, then we can "fight the filth with forks and flowers."
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2 comments:

  1. ChristinaFebruary 17, 2009 at 1:34 PM

    Wouldn't we have to have a written OK from the groundskeeper or property owner before we could do anything to the grounds?

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  2. WesFebruary 18, 2009 at 10:26 AM

    Great question, Christina, with several divergent answers. First, no, we wouldn't need permission. Subverting ownership, I think, is a central part of guerrilla gardening. In it's purest form, it's a green-revolution, whereby those who are "dispossessed" of land actively assert themselves and their will to put privately (or publicly) owned land to more communal purposes--whether it's beautification or edification. Part of our impetus are the severe budget cuts that are having and will continue to have adverse effects on basic functions around campus (such as grounds-keeping). We'll be part of the solution! The second answer is "yes." Some guerrilla gardeners will often inform the proper authorities about what they plan to do (or are doing). The problem with this is that the proper authorities often exercise their power and prohibit such activity. My thinking is...act first, inform and educate later. Once people see the harmlessness and good intentions of guerrilla gardening, it's harder to ban it outright.

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