Quenching The California Drought
Taylor Autumn Greene
Midterm Paper
LSA Freshman
October 16th
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Quenching the California Drought
Abstract
Over the past couple years, the California drought has played a major
role in shaping the western U.S. in a negative way. The drought has greatly
effected the West Coast in several ways but yet California has remained at a
stand still when it comes to finding a long lasting resolution for the issue.
One key aspect that could majorly affect the climate but remains under the
radar is the agriculture industry and therefore, it must be compared to the
drought. Also, there are many natural solutions that could help alleviate the
drought over time and slowly bring the West Coast back to a homogenous
level. These solutions being, green roofs, plants and landscapes that
accommodate to dry climates, and also design schemes that affiliate with
the drought.
With excessive research, including visual research from the movie,
Cowspiracy, and also, Landscape Architecture Magazine, several methods
were found. Further more, background knowledge surrounding urban
landscapes and also academic research articles that address specific drought
resistant plants were utilized. These solutions allowed a significant amount of
extensive research and results to be found for further studies.
Overtime, these methods could potentially create a long term fix for
the state of California and minimize the complications that arise from the
drought. Landscape architects and environmental scientists can compare
research and work together to devise eco-friendly projects that create longterm solutions. These projects can then be used to aid dry climates that are
effected by droughts severely or also help with water control.
Keywords: Drought, Climate Change, Plants, Landscape, Agriculture, Green Roofs,
Architecture
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Quenching the California Drought
California has always remained a state with a climate that varies
temporarily and spatially. Therefore, precipitation levels are extremely
unpredictable and also limited in some cases. Over time, the amount of
water retained begins to decrease due to the lack of rain, misuse of proper
landscape design schemes and excessive agriculture which can eventually
lead to a dire risk of a dry climate or drought. This proves that climate
change has had a growing influence on the California drought.
A drought can be defined as, A period of dry weather, especially a long
one that is injurious to crops (Drought). The state of California has been in
a drought for a couple of years now and has yet to see extensive amounts of
progress. The California Department of Water Resources states, The
governor on January 17th, 2014, proclaimed a State of Emergency and
directed state officials to take all necessary actions to make water
immediately available (California Government). This is when the state of
California first took notice to the dry climate change and put an emergency
warning into action. People were told to help with the drought on a personal
level by reducing water use by limiting showers and other water consuming
household tasks. Although, in the West Coast heat, this was a hard request to
abide by.
Since the governors declaration for the drought first arose, there have
been several impacts that have derived from this. Some minor examples are
a decline in surface water runoff and also an increase in reliance on
groundwater. These impacts alone show how crucial water retainment is in
general as well as cases like Californias. One long-term impact, as described
by the California Water Science Center, is land subsidence, which is, A
gradual settling or sudden sinking of the Earths surface owing to subsurface
movement of earth materials (California USGS). Ultimately, this puts several
Californian ecosystems in grave danger. Wetlands are one ecosystem that
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Quenching the California Drought
could be greatly effected by this impact. Finally, the prime consequence that
originates from a severe drought are wildfires. Once ignited, it takes
substantial efforts to gain control of the fire and even then, is extremely
difficult to put an end to.
Even though a Coastal drought is a hugely problematic circumstance,
there are not only several obvious methods that can be used as a solvent
but also some unlooked upon methods exist as well. California has attempted
to make some efforts towards an overall solution to the almost three year
drought, although, those attempts have only turned up mostly minimal
results.
Therefore,
environmental
scientists,
landscape
architects,
agricultural enthusiasts and other similar fashioned careers, must step up to
the plate and create a more reliable and longer lasting resolution.
Agricultural farming, whether its plant or animal based, has many
contributions to the environment. However, many people seem to always
focus on the positive outcomes and tend to overlook the negative ones. The
most substantial reason for this being the large amount of income that this
industry provides for the United States. Although, behind closed doors, a
considerable amount of damage is being done not only to the environment,
but also to the well being of humanity.
Recently, a new movement of research has began where the primary
focus is the repercussions that arise from animal agriculture. Kip Andersen,
lead
filmmaker
of
the
groundbreaking
environmental
documentary,
Cowspiracy, is one of the few people that is daring enough to shed light on a
topic that others want to remain deep in the darkness. Andersen sets out on
a mission where he puts powerful environmental leaders to the test in hopes
to uncover the real truth behind animal
agriculture. However, Andersen
faces almost nothing but intentional refusal and even threats as he goes on
his path to unravel the facts. Andersen states, Some organizations were
incredibly resistant or outright refused to discuss the topic, while others
seemed completely oblivious to what animal agriculture is doing to our
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Quenching the California Drought
planet (Cowspiracy). In the film, Andersen spent most of his time during
interviews educating the leaders of the organizations on animal agriculture
when they should already have knowledge of the subject. The environmental
leaders desires to completely disregard animal agriculture as a whole along
with the animal abuse, the overwhelming amount of environmental harm,
and continuous non-recoverable destruction to our planet is truly repulsive
and beyond irresponsible.
To put things into a relatable perspective, the film compares the meat
industry to water use. It shows that in order to produce just one hamburger,
it takes 660 gallons of water which is equivalent to 2 months worth of
showers. A visual can be seen in the Cowspiracy facts chart that is provided
on page 6 of this paper. Therefore, a cut back on meat production in
California alone can allow millions of gallons of water to be saved and
potentially used for a drought solution. This then enables environmental
scientists and landscape architects to design eco-friendly gardens and focus
more on plant based agriculture. Plant production requires an extremely
lower amount of water compared to animal agriculture, thus California should
take this into consideration while creating solutions for the drought.
Also, climate change has greatly been effected by animal agriculture.
Meat producing animals emit more toxic gas than automobiles do which has
created a significant amount of air pollution. These statistics can also be
seen on the Cowspiracy
diagram on page 6. Air pollution has essentially
been a major contributor to the negative climate change that has effected
the entire world. The main reason why California has been facing the drought
for the past couple years all comes back to the climate change and the West
Coasts inability to adapt to it. All along, America just needed to reduce the
amount of land being used for animal agriculture and instead allow
landscape architects or plant agriculture producers to utilize this land for eco
beneficial projects that will not effect climate change in a negative way.
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Quenching the California Drought
Diagram that was
provided by the
Cowspiracy website:
Cowspiracy.com
If landscape
architects
allowed access to
the
California that was
no
land
longer
were
in
being
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Quenching the California Drought
used for animal agriculture, they could design areas that ultimately creates a
solution to fight against the drought. For instance, a park could be built that
contains drought resistant plants and trees that also incorporates methods
that retain surface water. The Landscape Architecture Magazine has explored
possible design schemes that can grow and prosper while being exposed to
severe droughts. The firms have even created projects in California that are
specifically aimed at conservation. These projects include a successful use of
plants that are accommodated to the dry climates and shows how they can
be utilized to allow drought affected areas to look prosperous and vigorous
once again.
A specific article found in, The Landscape Architecture Magazine, that
would be very beneficial for a landscape architect considering designing a
project in a dry climate to read would be, Run Dry by Bill Marken. Marken is
an honorary ASLA that has decided to acquire various information about the
many ways landscape architects have tackled the California drought through
personal interviews with experienced architects and firms. The first article
states, She took out 2,500 square feet of lawn and replaced it with a
flagstone patio and raised beds with sage, lavender, and other droughttolerant plants under drip irrigation (Marken, 2). Marken first interviews,
Nora Harlow, known as the author of, Plants and Landscapes for Summer
Dry Climates. Harlows main focus in her work is conservation which is a
necessary method when designing in severe climates such as a drought
affected one. It is absolutely crucial for a landscape architect to realize what
plans grow best in each climate type in order to keep a peaceful balance in
the ecosystem as well as to conserve plants so that death and wastefulness
doesnt occur.
Additionally, Marken interviewed Susan Van Atta, a landscape architect
that is highly experienced in drought restoration and runs her own firm. Van
Atta doesnt like to cut back on water usage because her design work isnt
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Quenching the California Drought
focused on the drought, although, she designs water conserving mechanisms
to preserve water that can be utilized in her designs. The article states that
in her recent design, She suggested a system of water-collecting cisterns
and graywater to protect the landscape during prolonged drought, and the
owners and contractor went for it (Marken, 8). Simple inventions like Van
Attas allow for water retainment to occur which is essential for areas that
face dry climate frequently. Also, Van Atta incorporates drought tolerant
green roofs in her design that collect water runoff as well.
Ideas such as Van Attas and Harlows should be considered all over the
world in order to shift the world into a more conservative atmosphere. Places
like California should especially consider these designs because every drop
of water that can be retained and reused, can potentially lead one step
closer to the end of a dry climate. This shows why landscape architects must
truly be open minded and be able to create out-of-the-box ideas when it
comes to their work.
Likewise, plants and landscape systems go hand and hand with
conservation mechanisms and are just as equally important in creating ecofriendly landscape designs. Landscape architects need to have an extensive
background of plant materials as well as ecosystems and various climates
when it comes to their work. In the state of Californias case, landscape
architects should truly recognize which plants are drought tolerant as well as
which surfaces and soils retain the most water.
Anna Fixsen, author of several academic landscape architecture
articles, provides a deeper look into what a landscape architect must face
while tackling the California drought. Fixsen interviews two California
landscape architects, Mia Lehrer and Walter Hood, that both surround their
work with conservation being their overall focal point. Lehrer, makes sure to
incorporate permeable surfaces and stormwater collecting irrigation systems
in her work in order to preserve every single drop of water. One idea that
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Quenching the California Drought
Lehrer promotes for architects to use in their work is, Imitating natural
drainage systems with mulch and soil, choosing plants that are regionally
appropriate, and making irrigation systems more efficient (Fixsen, 2). These
methods are integral and advantageous for any landscape architect to use in
their design process.
In addition, Hoods ideas coincide with Lehers but he also has his own
take on things. Hoods projects consist of using conservative alternatives
such as decomposed granite and also reuses existing plants in his new
projects. When it comes to the California drought, Hood wishes that
Californians would take more action and have a desire to help create a longterm solution. Hoods opinion on why people arent willing to help is a very
agreeable one: At some point, humans work best at the edge of disaster, so
we need to be taken to the edgeif you can get people to understand the
context and consequences, you can actually start to get people to change
(Fixsen, 2). People often only want to make an effort to be apart of change
when they have the motivation or reason to do so. As designers, landscape
architects often have to be more of a leader when it comes to change. They
must take action in helping to configure a plan or reason as to why others
should help join the movement in order to create a better outcome.
To this day, landscape architects face a variety of issues that will
potentially effect future years to come. Wether these issues relate to climate
change, energy, health, or active living, designers should take an ambitious
approach to creating long-term solutions that create a positive outcome for
everyone. For instance, green roofs will always remain a design mechanism
that have greatly impacted landscapes and conservation schemes all around
the world. Designs like this allow the landscape architecture career to
constantly evolve and become accustomed to new ideas that will shape the
future of design immensely. The biggest key to being a successful designer is
not allowing restrictions to overtake the creative aspect. The only way
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Quenching the California Drought
positive change can come about is when people arent scared of the risks
and truly do want to see the world become a better place. Landscape
architects, environmental scientists, artists, and other research affiliated
careers with creative backgrounds all have to face daily challenges that can
either allow them to grow and prosper or leave them questioning their
choices. They are the only ones that can choose what path they ultimately
take.
One day, there wont be any time left to make an attempt to change
the world. There is only one earth and that alone should empower people to
want to do everything they can to preserve it. Everyone must be willing to
take the risks and go out on a limb in order to truly achieve what they desire.
Remaining positive and ambitious is necessary for reaching a certain goal in
any career and therefore, people should not allow temporary restrictions to
stop them from carving their own path towards a better future. This mindset
is essential for creating a healthier world full of vitality and therefore, shows
why creativity is key for growing in life. When people allow themselves to be
completely open with change and new ideas, that is when great things can
arise from it.
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Quenching the California Drought
Bibliography
Cowspiracy, Kip Andersen & Keegan Kuhn, A.U.M. Films & First Spark Media,
2014
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
http://dictionary.reference.com/
browse/drought?s=t.
"Drought Impacts." Impacts of Drought. California Water Science Center.
Web. 19
Oct. 2015.
Fixsen, Anna. "California Landscape Architects' Strategies Hold Water."
Architectural
Record 203.5 (2015): 30. Vocational and Career
Collection. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.
Marken, Bill. Extras: Run Dry. Landscape Architecture Magazine. (September
2014):
http://ca.gov/drought/. California Government, September 22, 2015
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