Horticulturists are environmentalists by definition. Whether we grow horticultural commodities, install such commodities into landscape, maintain such landscapes and associated trees, or design such landscapes, the vegetation that we work with affects the environment. Many of us should take our innately significant environmental responsibilities more seriously than we do.
We should also be realistic about our environmentalism. For example, there is no problem with designing a landscape that attracts butterflies for a client who enjoys butterflies in the garden. However, we should not promote butterfly gardening as something that benefits the environment and ecosystem by distracting insects from native flowers that rely on them for pollination.
I have never been one of ‘those’ extreme environmentalists. I do not want to save all vegetation. Some trees are too hazardous to those in the landscape below. Some exotic species are too aggressively invasive within a natural ecosystem, and therefore detrimental to the environment. Planting a proper tree where it will be an asset is fun; but too many trees obscure sunlight.
Fake environmentalism made good environmentalism look bad, and is contrary to it. Associated sustainability has become a cheap fad to capitalize on. Sustainably grown produce is pointless relative to the fuel necessary to transport what is grown in remote places, and all the plastic that it gets wrapped in. The volume of plastic needed to make sustainability possible is baffling.
Our compost is not the best, but it is adequately composted. Except for eggshells, the only recognizable bits are non-biodegradable plastics that mistakenly got mixed in, such as small bits of cellophane from the cafeteria kitchens. The most prominently abundant are these small stickers that were originally affixed to individual and mostly sustainably grown fruits and vegetables.
Are so many bits of non-biodegradable plastic so necessary to demonstrate sustainability and environmentalism?
Tony Tomeo 
IT’s amazing how much plastic finds its way into compost. I compost all my green and brown waste and only recently realized that tea bags are not biodegradable because they are made of plastic! I am more worried about the bee population so I try and grow as many plants that attract the bees as possible. As for everything else it’s like diets : eat what you enjoy but with moderation 🙂
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I purchase none of the produce from markets. It all comes from here. The plastic labels are from the cafeteria kitchens. All that produce is purchases. It seems to me that since it is all purchased in bulk, that there is no need to label each item individually.
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I love this! I too am quite the environmental advocate but I do remember that people need to be spoken to respectfully or all my advocacy is lost. I think that’s one thing we have lost today and it’s unfortunate.
Karla
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I do not speak to anyone about it. These tiny labels are not as much of a concern as the choices that I can make in my own lifestyle, without complaining to others about tiny labels. However, it seems to me that those who believe that they are environmentally aware should realize that these labels are not an asset to the environment. Packaging is even worse.
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We compost all our leaf litter and grass cutting sand veg garden waste on the estate where I work. We don’t suffer with plastics as you describe yet we still find bits of baler twine and bits of tennis balls!
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Bits of tennis balls?! Happy dogs work there?
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Spot on
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I didn’t think those little stickers had anything to do with environmentalism – I thought it was just to indicate the source of product. Though why they have to put a sticker on every single piece of fruit is beyond me.
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Exactly. They are not because of environmentalism, but are something that I would expect environmentalists to be offended by. Individual stickers facilitate efficiency at check out. They can be scanned by laser. Each item is outfitted with an individual sticker so that it can be purchased individually. If there is ever an avocado that lacks a label, it will surely be purchased alone! The produce used in the cafeteria kitchens is purchased wholesale though, in big boxes of more of the same. I really do not understand why they need stickers.
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Reblogged this on Tony Tomeo and commented:
Unfortunately or fortunately, environmentalism is part of my work.
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