Quote of the Day
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” –Greek proverb
This is a shaded walkway at Longwood Gardens. Pierre du Pont purchased this property in 1906 specifically to save the trees. The du Pont family had a long tradition of gardening, and Pierre would turn out to be one of its greatest gardeners. Du Pont had a love of trees and collected many different species of trees and plants on his property. If you ever have a chance to visit Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania I would highly recommend it.
Do you appreciate those who came before us like P.S. du Pont and Thomas Jefferson that had the forethought to plant and save trees for us to enjoy?
Filed under Quote | Comments (6)
Loading ...
It is great realizing the forethought that some people had. It seems to be a something that has been forgotten in our day and age, or ignored. It is sad to say that our society has become one of immediate gratification, and the idea of planning something for our descendants beyond our imagination, hence the problems we are having with global warming. . . But slowly, if in small groups we chose to tread lightly, and think of our children we may start to turn the tables.
I highly recommend reading about Frederick Law Olmsted, a good book for that is “A Clearing in the Distance”. There is another person that had the vision to plan gardens that would become what we see today, a generation or two later.
to Andres's comment
I agree Andres, we often don’t think about the consequences of our actions on ourselves and future generations. That’s why I try to save water, use less electric, and consume less. It probably won’t make much difference in my lifetime, but it will for my nieces & nephew.
This is also why I shop locally. I know if I focus on building a strong community it will benefit those who come later, big agri-business will not.
Thanks for the book recommendation. I’m currently reading “Going Local” which talks about this in relation to big business. I’ll be sure to add that book to my library list.
to Susy's comment
I surely do…there’s a place called Heart’s Content in NW PA that has never been logged. It’s incredible. I wish I could have seen the area pre-European settlers!
to warren's comment
I had noticed that you were reading “Going Local”, I’ll have to take a look at it, it sounds interesting. I definitely applaud your efforts, it’s people out there like you that inspire me to take those small steps even if one feels that it is only a drop in the bucket. And I definitely want to check out Heart’s Content in PA, I love seeing places like that when I get the chance.
to Andres's comment
Yes,yes yes! Too often I think its that people don’t think about or see the value in doing something that they personally won’t get the reward from. Long term vision can be hard day to day, and then when it seems *really* far (like a tree, as you say), it is even more abstract. But I wish that there could be more of it. Just like we invest/plan for the long term, say, for needs 20-30 years from now, it only makes sense to plan the same way for our world on a similar scale.
On another note, the “what I’m reading” is a great idea. How are you finding the “Going Local” and the “Flour Power”?
to Mangochild's comment
I agree with you Mangochild, it is difficult when you can’t see the long-term benefits. This comes into play in many areas of our life (including our budgets).
I get my books from the library. We have a small local library but they are part of a large network and we can order books from other larger libraries.
to Susy's comment