Front lawn = world of opportunity

After World War II, when the soldiers came home and the economy stabilized and then boomed an interesting thing happened, the American dream was revamped to include a single family home with a pristine front lawn.  This lawn was used as a buffer from the street, a subject of pride in the lush grass, and a sign of wealth based on the size.  Although this trend started over 50 years ago it is still as strong today.

In areas of the southwest where water is scarce the public has become aware of xeriscaping.  They pull up their grass and irrigation systems to fill in the space with water wise plants and lots and lots of gravel.    This does solve the issue of having water guzzling grass from curb to threshold but it doesn't give a usable space.

Edible Estates is a concept started by Fritz Haeg in 2006.  He has proposed that the front yard be used as a productive garden using site specific plants.  The first project was installed in Salina, Kansas and was an innovative move.  Since then Haeg has been embraced by people in the Art, Landscape Architecture, Sustainability fields as well as Foodies and environmentalists.  It started out as an unknown project but now 16 yards and many countries later, Fritz is being bombarded with people offering up their yards to him.  The volunteers needed for these projects flood in are distributed over many days of installation.

Not only are the people who live in these homes benefiting from the lower water bill and year round fresh produce, but also a sense of community.  These front yard gardens are a talking stick that bring people together and give them the opportunity to educate and inform about the project and it's benefits.
Edible Estates has started a conversation and transformation.  People are taking this concept and running with it.  Even without Haeg's help or designs, homeowners are tearing up the grass and making a front yard that truly gives back to the resident and the community.