It’s heading toward Fall, changes are happening. A cry for help comes through the wind, “save our planet!” An environmental project of saving our planet speaks to me; Denise Devynck has an entire eco-system constructed in her front yard. The birds flock as I enter into the cool breeze of life and vegetation. It’s a new cycle; the harvest season of native plants draws near, it was time for nature to heal.
“Nature does what it needs to sustain itself and it’s perfect. Man was given choices though: to either learn how it works and cultivate with it or try and shape it the way he thinks it should be. But it doesn’t work like that. We can’t turn something that is already perfect into something that isn’t,” her logic subsided.
Denise has a special garden growing in her front yard, let’s just say her yard looks different than her neighbors. The difference is that her garden produces natural resources like blueberries, blackberries, and a type of native Utah goji berry which takes years to bring about naturally. The garden attracts natural life: lively birds, curious garden snakes, and a few volunteers that help with the physical components that come with sustaining the garden.
There’s a water system that gathers rain-water from the roof of the house and supplies a water tank that distributes water into trenches we dug out from the dark soil. The decomposed and living soil gets covered by mulch (wood chips), which break down over time. Along the path are large bed-mounds covered with straw. The straw provides absorption and water retention for all the trees and plants that are rooted in these mounds.
There’s a purpose behind each plant, what takes part in a larger eco-system depends on the naturally occurring compounds. Everything works together in harmony; cross-fertilizing occurs through the soil with the help of wild honey-bees pollinating. Hydrogen production happens through specific plants that are planted on purpose. This comes with years of scientific research and study of permaculture.
This type of harvest comes with a new moon, a new cycle, and a new way of life. To imagine a world with clean air, readily available food, and benefiting the planet by “re-introducing,” native plants to their natural environment is something out of a fairy-tale novel. But it does exist, and there are people like Denise, who dedicate their lives to saving this planet while teaching others how to do it themselves.
When was the last time we stopped to look around and feel our part in nature?
