How many of you knew these words were from a song named Big Yellow Taxi. Or, that it was originally written and performed by Joni Mitchell? Does your memory of this song have Adam Duritz from the Counting Crows singing it featuring Vanessa Carlton? Or maybe you remember the sweet voice of Amy Grant singing her version. Well… the verse that always grabbed my attention was this one. 

They took all the trees and put ‘em in a tree museum
And then they charged all the people twenty-five bucks just to see ‘em
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot 

One of my favorite aspects of living in Nosara, Costa Rica is all the greenery. After all, this is the jungle and a rainforest region nonetheless.  While I appreciate beautifully designed architecture (especially ones designed by my architect friends), I don’t prefer tall skyscrapers, paved roads, and trees and flowers perfectly placed in pots and small pathways surrounded by concrete. 

For me, I love seeing nature do what it does best… live and breathe life!

I’m inspired by the builders here in Nosara, who will not just cut down a tree for a pretty view or because it’s convenient. Their way of thinking allows them to be more creative with their designs as they choose to fit homes and living space INTO nature, not on top of nature. And so, when a tree does need to be removed, two or more trees get planted. 

Now don’t get me wrong… I’m not a radical environmentalist who is continually screaming that we need to be more “green” – not that there’s anything wrong with that (to quote my friend, Jerry Seinfeld). But check this out. What if we used live trees as fence posts to line our roads instead of cutting down trees just to shape them, treat them with chemicals and then place them back in the ground… and in many cases with the addition of cement? 

Along the roads around Nosara and Nicoya, live trees are used as fence posts and I must admit, they make the scenery on the roads much nicer. Take a look at this picture that my daughter, Sage, took. 

Sooo… why is this a good idea? I knew you would ask because I think about this every time I drive down one of these roads. Here’s a short list of what came to my mind when I thought about using live trees as fence posts. 

• Trees prevent erosion; play a role in producing oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and moderate ground temperatures.
• It cost less to build live fences because the step to cut down the trees, treat them, shape them, and then put them back in the ground is completely eliminated.
• Live fence posts will not rot out and then need to be replaced; unlike a manufactured fence post, which would require cutting down more trees and more expense to replace them.
• Planting trees vs. cutting them down.
• Trees are homes for all types of creatures; so putting up live fence posts is like building new homes.
• Live fence posts are much prettier! 

In this case, I agree with Joni Mitchell. I’d like to reserve my museum visits to dinosaurs, mummies, and Night At The Museum, which was an incredibly funny movie, instead of paying twenty-five bucks to see a man-made display filled with “trees” NOT in their native environment. 

Buckminster Fuller said, “When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I only think about how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”

Pura Vida, 

John