September 26, 2022
"For many Mormons in Utah... the concept of being a good steward is wrapped up in a pioneer nostalgia that favors an artificial, irrigated landscape..."
"... over the natural desert environment. This Mormon version of Manifest Destiny is at the heart of why Utahns suck up so much municipal water... more municipal water than any state in the country, except for Idaho. And why the state has long supported a heavily subsidized water pricing system and zoning laws that encourage, if not flat-out demand, a yard full of well-tended grass.
When trying to explain the near-religious devotion to irrigated landscapes, Mormons often quote a verse from the Old Testament (Isaiah 35:1-2) that inspired their 19th century pioneer ancestors who settled in Utah: 'The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.'... For Marlene and Emron, both professors at Brigham Young University who live in a historic, tree-lined neighborhood in Provo, 45 miles south of Salt Lake City, letting their lawn die was an expression of their faith. 'I want to be a better Christian steward of the place where I live,' says Marlene.
'Why not let the desert bloom as a desert?'"
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If you live in an arid state, you need water. Lots of it. Religion has nothing to do with it.
Oh brother. Grass is fantastic. It helps the area cool off at night instead of having a heat island. Municipal water isn't really an issue, is it? Most of the water issues in the West are due to crops. Perhaps, Utah and Idaho have more municipal water usage than other areas in the country because their families are larger. Our water system in Colorado based usage off of a five person family. We often exceeded their limits because we had more than 3 kids.
I bet Idaho and Utah have more gardens and larger gardens per Capita than other states too.
"For Mormons, a perfect lawn is a godly act."
1. Not true.
2. Therefore, a rather stupid statement.
No Mormon I know takes the blossom as a rose scripture to mean landscaping. It is about spiritual and moral regeneration, out of the desert of false and harmful worldviews and social norms.
Progressives: “why won’t you try going without water so that one day we might visit the desert and not find you there”.
However, it is true that the population along the Wasatch front is so large now that they'll want to cut back on each household's water use, particularly for yards. Reverting their yards to more native and desert plants will go a long way to accommodate the burgeoning population.
And I promise no one is quoting that verse in Isaiah when talking about their lawns. They're quoting Brigham Young who said in 1846, "We will till the desert till it blossoms like a rose. We will plant fields of grain, for that crop will give us substance of life and barter for our other necessities of life." Young might have been alluding to Isaiah, but that's not what the people remember.
Here in LA in our gated area, the water has been turned off in the public spaces. We’ll be looking like Tijuana very soon. For the inadequate supply of electricity, I can squarely blame the bug-eyed lefties. I’m not sure about the water.
In general though, the lefties throughly shit up our world. The governor just sign a bill giving state IDs to the illegal aliens.
- Krumhorn
The "Guardian" is very opposed to lawns, and anything else that looks good. England is one of the rainiest places around.
I xero-scaped before it was cool.
The assertions in this quote are very 'gorillas in the mist' like. The lawns are emulating lawns on the east-coast and midwest. It's cultural that way.
Quayle said it at 9:18
In 44 years in the church, I have never heard anyone talk about a perfect lawn as a "Godly Act".
Normally, most water is american west goes to agriculture. For some reason lots of water is used in Calf to grow rice. Why we need to grow rice, is never explained. People like Mitt Romney, who love open borders and mass immigration, want one or two million H-1bs to move to SLC and turn it into a 2nd Silicon Valley.
Of course 1 billion poeple could move to the USA, and Mitt's lawns (he has 10 houses) will still be watered, He can afford it.
"Mormon" is a nickname. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints prefer not to use it.
'We’ll be looking like Tijuana very soon.'
Our entire society will be like Tijuana, so it's apt...
Here in Arizona, one of the first things I did when moving here was get rid of the grass in the back yard. Party because I didn't want to water it, but mostly because I didn't want to mow it.
In retrospect, it (a watered area of grass) has an advantage of keeping scorpions out of the house, since they primarily come inside looking for moisture, and with a nice, wet patch of grass they just stay out there. So harumph.
Sounds like California is running out of water.
Time to bitch about Mormon lawns.
Last I checked, 80% of the water usage in Utah is for agriculture. I guess I could be wrong, but lawns aren't draining the Great Salt Lake. Which was disappointing to learn after I let my own lawn mostly die to conserve water.
I've been seeing stories about a new type of grass developed by scientists at Utah State University that requires about 1/3 the water of a typical lawn. If that checks out, I plan to replace my sod with that stuff. Even if the entire state does that, though, it won't solve our water shortages.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I cannot recall any sort of "religious imperative" to have nice landscaping. What religous push is there is to have a large garden and be more self-sufficient.
The "fanatical" member of the church would have lots of corn, tomatoes and zucchini instead of Kentucky bluegrass.
Next up for the Guardian: "The Israelis should let their desert bloom as a desert (That is, before the Iranians try to wipe it off the face of the earth.)"
Nowadays, one need not travel back in time 12000 years but only go to visit the youthful professors in Utah if interested in seeing evidence of the Younger Dry Ass.
There seems to be a left-lead push to stop taking car of front lawns. There's no-mow May, and then letting the grass die as a political act.
If they get tired of it, they'll quit. Anybody got anything important--which does not involve telling other people what to do?
Oh no. Apparently you people forget about what happened to the The Anasazi ("Ancient Ones"). I'm sure glad you people get to blame libtards for a megadrought climate cycle. Keep that victim persecution complex dialed to 11. And send money. Lots of money.
The quote from Isaiah isn't the only religious quote here. So is the one from Professor Marlene of BYU: "Why not let the desert bloom as a desert?" Spoken like a true prophet of the Church of Latter Day Orthodox Environmentalists.
Indeed. Take almost any resource issue (water, food, electricity generation, etc.) relating to human ingenuity for altering natural landscapes to provide abundance and comfort for humans in otherwise hostile environments, and the Latter Day Orthodox Environmentalists believe devoutly and virtuously that such efforts are sinful and must not only be ended but atoned for as well. Everything must be returned to pre-original-environmental-sin status. And thus "sustainable," for Gaia (even though not for humans).
Heretical question: Why? If we have learned ways to provide abundant water, food, electricity, etc. to so many people in so many different environments, why not continue to do so? Forgive.
Mormons are conscientious people. The issue is not that they are green, they are, but rather that they take pride in personal responsibility: babies, children, family, property, career, community, etc.
Industrial irrigation driven through immigration reform and luxury of life expectations are taxing runoff water resources. That said, the rocky mountains are alive with green thanks to excess snow accumulation and longevity. Like California, Utah will need to consider anthropogenic water resources to supplement natural reservoirs.
It's not the Mormons. It's the morons that are moving to red states from blue that have disturbed the natural balance.
Grass manipulates human beings to cultivate, feed, protect and groom them. Mormons blame God for this particular fetish.
Beautiful lawns are required in New England as well but no one credits the lord. Rather the Spirit of America.
We have a tiny lawn in back, which is rare in Tucson. The rabbits like it. It's mainly for the dog. He likes it.
"Sounds like California is running out of water.
Time to bitch about Mormon lawns."
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up- see Howard above.
If you want to know how to grow food in abundance in the desert, send your people to Israel to learn how.
There is an easy solution to water scarcity in Utah and the rest of the west.
Gather lots, and lots, and lots of leftists. Position them over the streams.
Then tell them Trump and the Republicans won every election this year.
The resulting leftist tears will provide flooding, most likely.
Blogger Temujin said...
If you want to know how to grow food in abundance in the desert, send your people to Israel to learn how.
Every time some libtard proposes more water restrictions, conservation and recycling of wastewater like Israel does you gluttonous Cucks whine cry and complain about low flow toilet and shower, drip irrigation, conservation pricing, etc. FYI, the US west of the Mississippi River is essentially desert requiring irrigation. The Feds make water very cheap for farmers and don't require conservation because of the cost and inconvenience. The great plains Ogallala aquifer is rapidly diminishing as is the Central Valley aquifer with no regulation of pumping. US industrial factory farming controls the Senate.
If you want progressive water management like the Israelites, you shouldn't vote for Republicans or establishment Democrats... Just the crazy progressive looney left will rain them in.
My HOA sends me a letter every May telling me my lawn needs mowed more often, and a letter every August telling me my lawn is dead and needs more water. Will they ever catch on that I mow only one time a year at ground level?
I've known plenty of Mormons throughout my life. Their lawns never stood out to me.
I agree with the posts about CA and their water issues. LA appears to have a lot more grass than does PHX. A couple years ago, there was some litigation over CA taking too much mater from the CO River. And CA lost. AZ probably now has the political power now to protect themselves from the avaricious appetite of CA for water. That leaves getting more water from the Upper Basin states. And of those, UT is probably the weakest politically. And the LDS have been a tempting target to the rest of the country for over a century and a half. Easy to vilify - after all, they used to engage in polygamy (over a century ago).
In any case, I have been expecting a war between the Lower Basin and Upper Basin states, for some time, utilizing the much greater political power of the Lower Basin states, started to extract more water from the CO River, at the expense of the Upper Basin states. Led, of course by CA. So far though, AZ seems to not to be buying in, maybe because of CA’s stealing of their water, and partly maybe of AZ’s superior attempts to conserve water.
And, for disclosure of my biases - have lived in CO, NV, UT, and now AZ. All of the CO Basin states except for CA.
If you want to know how to grow food in abundance in the desert, send your people to Israel to learn how.
Temujin, turns out Governor Spencer Cox is way ahead of you.
https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2022/9/23/23361990/opinion-how-to-save-great-salt-lake-dead-sea-israel
https://www.deseret.com/... opinion-how-to-save-great-salt-lake-dead-sea-israel
Mormons are well-educated, hard-working, and open to learning. Master stewards of their environment. Good for them.
If it wasn't for irrigation in the fertile crescent there would be no civilization. Back to hunter-gatherers for all and finally the greens would be happy.
Until they found something else to carp about.
“Beautiful lawns are required in New England as well but no one credits the lord. Rather the Spirit of America.”
Some of us were witness to New England’s version of American spirit back in the mid-70s. Better stick to clam chowdah, moron.
“And, for disclosure of my biases - have lived in CO, NV, UT, and now AZ. All of the CO Basin states except for CA.”
Do yourself a favor. Stop now and don’t go for the quinfecta.
Hey, Guardian: "Kardashians Among L.A.’s Worst Water Wasters, Using 333,000 Gallons Over County Limit in June" add them to a long list including Kevin Hart, Sylvester Stallone, Dwayne Wade and other world notables.
But no. The Mormons adherence to prayer, religion, faith, family - the quadfecta of despicable qualities to the Guardian - make them a better target. Besides...omigod...the Kardashians.
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