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John Hume, the Chair of the Main Street Design Committee, has done a splendid job in collaboration with neighborhood volunteers both personal from local organizations [13 in all including the Takoma Park City Council and the Daisy Scouts/ with their parents (Hooray Daisies!].
Participants laid down 77 bags of mulchin Maryland and the District, planted over $700 worth of plants, plus many donated volunteer plants from Michele's bountiful garden. We collected over 50 bags of trash and recyclable plant material.
This is the best day yet and I must say the joint is smokin'!!!! There are new plants, the trees are growing and all in all, the Main Corridor of EACH of our three sections on Main Street look terrific. I wanted to say thanks to the community, our sponsors, and to everyone who helped make this Clean Up Day a success!
Don't let anybody tell you that an Arts & Sciences curriculum isn't valuable. While it is true that my shiny new degree didn't quite nail down my job applications for, among other things: termite exterminator, prison guard, rag salesman (Yes, somebody has to go out there to sell rags. Everything has to be sold by somebody.), it did prepare me for my eventual career path of asking people if they wanted butter on their popcorn. I could even do it in French. But, more importantly, it was in college that I was exposed to...Umwelt.
No, Umwelt is not a Scandinavian Death Metal band. Nor is it one of those Biblical diseases, like the Itch. I will illustrate Umwelt in the following riddle: To an ant, it is a vast ocean; to a sparrow, it is a drink of water; to a horse, it is a muddy footprint; what is it? Show of hands? Anybody? Does anybody read this stuff? Well, Grasshopper, the answer is: It's all three things. You see, Umwelt (German word. Rough translation: Environment. Pronounced "Oooom-Velt". Drag out that Oooo, Herr Professor.) can be defined as "subjective reality". The same situation can have completely different realities to different species, or different individuals. At different times, even. It all depends on what you're looking for. Where you're coming from. Where your head's at, man. You may not realize it, but we all wrestle with Umwelt every day. Does this belt make me look fat? Does my tie match my hair? See? I'm trying to put myself into the subjective reality of others. Trying to imagine their horror at my appearance. I'm trying to grasp their Umwelts. A lot of design is like that. You may think the manicured bushes and rolling ivy in front of your home represent traditionalism and good taste. A cop on the beat may think they're a good hiding place for suspicious activity. A rat may think it's Home Sweet Home. See? Back to traditionalism and good taste. For the rat, anyway. It's all because of that devil, Umwelt. And Umwelt really bites us in the Realm of Unintended Consequences. A shop owner might point proudly to his shelves and aisles, packed with a commercial cornucopia for his valued customers. His customer in the wheelchair, however, might only see a cruel obstacle course with blocked passageways. So, think, please. Measure twice to cut once. But, think three or four times, first. Think about the Umwelt.
A guy I used to work with took a Dale Carnegie course, to try to show Management how industrious he was. Didn't work too well. But he did teach me one of those Daleisms that really stuck with me: If you see Joe Jones through Joe Jones' eyes, then you will sell Joe Jones what Joe Jones buys (Say it aloud; it sounds better than it reads). There you have sound commercial advice about the Umwelt of Joe Jones. Whatever we make, whatever we do, whatever we sell, how does it fit into the reality of Joe Jones? And all them other Joneses out there. So, yeah, design is like that. Sure, I may know what I like. I happen to think I'm a genius at this design stuff. But, Joe Jones is ALL about design. All the Joneses are. So, it may be my design, but their Umwelts. And there's nothing but Umwelts out there, as far as the eye can see.
The key to good design, good commerce and good relations is a thorough understanding of the other guy's reality. By exercising our minds, we will build a better Main Street. Because Main Street Takoma is much more than a pretty spot on the map. Main Street Takoma is...Umwelt.
John Hume
Design Chair
Here on Earth Day, 2006, I'm thinking back to the seventies television that we had back on the first Earth Day. There were only three networks and maybe a grainy local station or two. Aluminum foil on the rabbit ear antenna. No reality shows. It was the Golden Age of the Public Service Announcement. Stations had to run these to keep their licenses. Still do, I think. Anyway, we learned great stuff: always buckle up, don't pick up Dad's smokes, don't play with blasting caps, don't make the Indian cry. That last one had had this great Indian dude, paddling his canoe on a polluted river, and then having trash thrown at him, and then the Indian starts to cry. The tagline was something like "People start pollution, people can stop it", but we'd just say "Don't make the Indian cry" (As an aside, I'm using the archaic term "Indian" because that's how we used to speak. The Indian was played by Iron Eyes Cody, and he was a genuine Native American. In that he was native to America. His parents came from Italy. They were Native Italians. Iron Eyes Cody was a great actor, and the best TV Indian since Frank DeKova). That commercial first aired in 1971, which was also the beginning of the annual Earth Day celebration. Obviously, it was memorable. But effective?
Gas is expensive, so I drive less and less. Remember that great line from Repo Man: "The more people drive, the stupider they become"? I can't afford to get much stupider. So, I walk a lot, especially in Old Takoma. We have a lot of trash, here. It's everywhere: bus stops, sidewalks, gutters, parks, you name it. Some of it is quite exotic, but most of it is just trifling put-it-in-the-can stuff. It would make Iron Eyes Cody cry. It should make you mad. It should make you want to pick it up. There are too many people who throw their trash from the car or leave their newspaper on the bench. They're not thinking. They're lost. Maybe they'll come back, but right now they're lost. It's sad. Think real hard about the type of community you would want to live in: Is your mental Main Street trashed? I doubt it. So let's get to work on the real one, and start thinking about what we're doing. Just think, and then pick up the other guy's trash. The guy who didn't think.
The Design Committee of Main Street Takoma is organizing a Clean Up Day on Saturday, May 6, from 9 AM to 1 PM. We'll be picking up other guys' trash. We'll be planting flowers and mulching beds, too. Two kinds of fun, no lines, no waiting. Everyone is invited, and we hope you can come. Gathering points will be 4th Street, NW (Triangle Park), Laurel Avenue, and Takoma Junction. Bring tools. There are some who have said that the city should pick up litter; that the state should plant flowers. What kind of thinking is that? The city and the state are busy. They do what they can. Please think about the Main Street that you want to have, and then help us fix it up a little. Don't make the Indian cry. Make him happy. Happy Earth Day, 1971 and 2006.
John Hume
Design Chair
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