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Weed Laws Article on Landscaping (John Marshall Law Review) Page 14 of 27 of the Land Ethic through our yards - is spiritual. Diboll's argument is that insofar as we view ourselves as external and, therefore, not a part of Nature, we do not share the universal energy and soul of the "Great Spirit" whether the spirit be God, in the Judeo- Christian view, or some other metaphysical being. This disconnection from the life of the planet and universe deprives humankind of the security of belonging to the big picture. The resultant "insecurity" or lack of connection drives humankind to seek other forms of security, such as financial security, in an attempt to insulate ourselves from the chaos of everyday life. To achieve financial security, humankind despoils the Earth by converting natural resources into capital - an unnatural concept. In the process, humans have become unbalanced, and are willing to damage the very systems upon which they rely for sustenance. This devastation transcends economic models, from capitalism to communism to tribalism. It is not so much a problem of systems as it is a problem of spirit and culture. Ultimately, economics drives culture and religion. Humankind can no longer pursue a pattern of destroying the Earth; this is now uneconomical. No organism can survive in a medium of its own waste. Therefore, we must develop spiritual systems that reflect this new reality and reward better nature in non - economic terms, i.e., spiritual growth rather than monetary growth. Spiritual development will be a growth market of the future - that spirituality is the Land Ethic and is manifested by homeowners through natural landscaping.121 C. What Cities Have Done in Response to the Movement In response to the efforts of the Ottos, Stewarts, Allisons, and Hagars of the world, and consistent with the reasons set forth by Neil Diboll, not only are governments at all levels engaging in natural landscaping, but many municipalities are changing weed laws to allow their citizens to naturally landscape their yards free from the fear of prosecution. The level of freedom, however, varies. 1. The Madison "Permission "Law Madison, Wisconsin was the first major city to recognize the legitimacy of natural landscapes by enacting an ordinance validating them. As a result of its goundbreaking legislative efforts and because it is home to the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, Madison is considered the cradle of the prairie restoration movement. Although many cities have enacted ordinances modeled after the Madison Ordinance, upon close examination, the ordinance proves both good and bad. The Madison Ordinance requires the homeowner to file an application for a natural landscape and then obtain the approval of a majority of his neighbors.122 By expressly allowing natural landscapes, the ordinance represents a significant first step in the process of reversing the blight of truly environmentally harmful turf. The neighbor veto and the application and approval process, however, are unnecessary limitations on the right to naturally landscape one's yard. These requirements also lead to a process of ad hoc "permission" to plant native plants and grasses. Finally, http: / /www.epa.gov /glnpo /greenacres /weedlaws /JMLR.html 2/22/01