Tuesday, September 11, 2012

A BARBADOS OF THE MIND

           or sterile, wasteful land uses...



TODAY while traveling to visit the PPT office, the isle workers party to become a member, the scenery from the train platform brought memories of sterile, dead and empty ghost towns. The palms and dry grass to the right,  (a deja vu) bai di guay, a reminder of charming memories of one recent  landscape/garden review in that South American territory.

The spaceship looking building is memorable for a couple of reasons. One, it looks like an airport terminal, but it is a coliseum mostly for musical events.  Two, with room for 20,000 people it has no parking lot. 

In the back of the silly dry grass landscape installation, there is parking with space for only 240 vehicles.  For reasons hard to comprehend,  the grass and walking areas, occupy as much area as the parking, a total waste if you ask me. After all, cars are more relevant in this context than a stupid ugly installation with abused vegetation.

In front of the building there are some hedges, with usual plants not worthy of mentioning, unless you request it.  The picture shows algae, a consequence of anaerobic conditions, due to water accumulation or poor drainage.  This in turn kills the vegetation for lack of oxigen.

The water on the pavement is a common occurrence everywhere irrigation systems here are installed. The heads are not aligned creating a situation of water waste and hazards when pavements are smooth. 

Any way you look at this, total waste is the only result. Money, energy, resources in an useless installation for people, other flora and fauna. Besides the evident lack of aesthetics, that,  unless you live in Barbados, in which case, all  is fine and dandy.    

that is that

1 comment:

  1. Most studies are never fully satisfactory, whatever the subject. I guess if the underground, soil is in good condition, the top will be fine as well. Within today's soils is a great nutritional dilemma, as all the high trees which brought all the nutrients up with their deep roots, and spread them with the falling leaves in fall, are removed to make room for urban places or growing food. There are no trace minerals in the soil or not many anymore.
    On our grazing property, cattle, we had to add molybdenum and cobalt, calculated in minute amounts and distributed into the drinking water for the cattle. We saw quickly a great improvement in the coats of the Hereford. Other cattle owner came to check out what we did. they only kept Angus cattle because they did not show the scruffy fur as much as with the Hereford cattle. I think today's food which is commercially grown on huge fields without trees are missing most of the important trace minerals to keep people and animals healthy. (Sorry this just got a bit long!)

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