Re: Lawns

From:          Self <pick>
To:            sue_haffner@csufresno.edu
Subject:       Re: Lawns
Date:          Sat, 23 Jan 1999 06:57:30

Dear Sue

You said it in the last sentence; the biggest wasters are not 
home-owners but industry, and not just the obvious ones like the big 
casinos. What about all the big factories which simply dilute their 
pollution until it is 'weak' enough solution (ie mixture) for them to 
be allowed legally to dump it in a river or out to sea or into the 
sewer system, rather than pay money to improve pollution mamangement 
through technology and have safe disposal on site? Squillions of 
gallons of water every day AND MOST OFTEN AT SUBSIDISED 'INDUSTRIAL' 
RATES FAR, FAR BELOW THE COST OF PRODUCTION AND MUCH, MUCH CHEAPER 
THAN DOMESTIC WATER RATES. And then there is all the water lost 
through 'economically rational' maintenance of the lines of supply. 
Underground leaks that go unrepaired for years sometimes because the 
water utilities are more interested in announcing ever higher profits 
tha they are in anything else (other than executive salary increases 
based on improved 'efficiencies' ie cost saving) How many squillions 
of gallons of fresh water are consumed everyday by factories lavish 
use of water as a cheap cleaning method? US Consumer Protection laws 
also encourage (force) producers everywhere to use massive amounts of 
 fresh water to wash/ cleanse vegetables, meats etc to US Export/ 
Import Quality. Has anyone in the US ever looked at other methods of 
achieving satisfactory levels of cleanliness? I think not. Water is 
the cheapest, short term answer. And are the US standards too high 
anyway - there is some research I've read about which suggests that 
US addiction to super-cleanliness is causing people to have a 
deficient 'flora' of anti-bodies in their stomachs and digestive 
system that renders them susceptible to more frequent invasions by 
every day organisms that cause tummy upsets etc. In other words you 
may be making yourselves less healthy by being obsessed with 
being sterile clean!

Having put my ideas out to grass I'll retire

trevor n

By all means have only as much lawn as a family might USE for 
recreation ie a play area for dogs and kids, or a sitting out area 
maybe. But never accept all the 'blame'
-----------------
Trevor Nottle
Garden Writer, Historian,     
Lecturer and Comsultant 
       
    'Walnut Hill'                          
     5 Walker St       
     Crafers SA 5152 
     AUSTRALIA

Phone: +618 83394210
Fax:   +618 83394210
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