Just wanted to write what great news the Election result is for Mr Obama,and all of America. Such a happy day! Of course, it's a long road ahead too, but at least there is hope for the health care policies that have been introduced, and for laws that will make America a fairer country for all. I was just having a think whether or not the Democrats policies have anything interesting in store for landscapes and gardens (anything blooming, new and bold). I had a quick look but the usual topics being covered were 'oil', renewable energy, 'gas' policies and such like. Now what do the topics all have in common - they are resources and they all come from the ground. This set me thinking about all things topical, including the recent Hurricane Sandy that TreeHugger blog is saying has broken all manner of climatic records.
What people forget is how important gardens are in the context of storms, heavy precipitation and hurricanes. Gardens provide permeable surfaces which help absorb stormwater which otherwise pools in our laneways and roads. Stormwater drains are limited by their capacity to accept these water flows, as we see with any flooding event.
So let's be bold about gardens, parks, and any other form of plantable surface, including rain gardens, verge gardens, community produce gardens, and roof gardens. They are all bound to help out in a serious storm by helping to absorb water overflows and divert the rain away from homes and public buildings. Also, gardens provide us with oxygen, clean out carbon dioxide, provide shade and mitigate the heat island effect - the benefits of gardens are endless. (I have spoken a lot about water sensitive urban design in my early posts and the benefits of gardens over built up areas).
Rainwater Fact: According to a site The Groundwater Foundation (a U.S site), compared with a conventional lawn, rain gardens allow for 30 per cent more water to soak in to the ground.
http://www.groundwater.org/ta/raingardens.html
And finally, watch this video which might have had some influence on why Mitt Romney didn't win the election:
http://grist.org/politics/the-most-brutal-ad-youll-see-this-election/
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