Ditch the Lawn, Grow a Garden!

Artist/architect wages war on 'antisocial' front yards
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 20, 2008 5:18 AM CDT
Ditch the Lawn, Grow a Garden!
"Growing food is one of the most basic acts of civilization. And yet, we've come so far away from that," says Haeg.   (Shutterstock)

A renegade architect/artist has declared war on an unlikely enemy: the suburban front lawn. To improve what he sees as an “actively antisocial space” which consumes resources and serves no definite purpose, Fritz Haeg is looking to transform lawns into food gardens, reports Men's Vogue. His first four repurposed lawns are the subject of a new book, Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn.

Haeg is also working on nine prototype garden designs which he hopes homeowners will use to trade in their grass for cucumbers. Ultimately, Haeg hopes people will find a measure of strength by embracing eco-efficient land use. "Private property is one of the few places where each individual has some control over the direction they want the world to go in," he said. "I'm interested in people rediscovering their sense of power." (More Fritz Haeg stories.)

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