Nature gives us everything from the air we breath in to the comfort we enjoy day in and day out, starting from wood for the furniture we use to the clothes we wear. From time immemorial, the human race has depended on plants and trees for its civilization and further progress. The truth is, we have taken a lot from nature but have never given back anything worthy. Maybe its time we atleast preserve what is left over if not giving more. The world is increasingly talking about green/ eco-friendly living and the world is drifting towards adopting the green ways. But not at a pace competence with the fast growing technology which makes the effect of the whole drift not-so-fruitful.
The most recent interesting attempt is to build stuff out of living and growing things – plants and trees to be used by man kind as and where it is.
1.The Root Bridges:
Cherapunjee in the north east of India is the place that records maximum rainfall every year. The Khasis people of Cherapunjee, have managed to grow a bridge and not construct it. They sliced down beetel tree trunks, hollowed it and used it to create root guidance systems for the roots of the rubber tree. The roots grow as guided by the beetal tree trunk across the water stream and when it reaches the soil on the other side of the bank, it gets affixed into the soil.
Over time, the roots become even stronger and allows for secure crossing of the stream. It takes about 15 years to become usable but once done, they are strong enough to withstand 50 persons at a time. Some of these bridges are as long as 100 feet. Unlike the bridges constructed in the city, there is no chance of these root bridges collapsing unless the tree dies and decays, which is bound to take hundreds of years.
2. The chair that grew
John Krubsack, a prominent bank president and a naturalist, artistically grafted trees to make a growing chair in 1903. Apparently it took him eleven years to complete the sculpting of this chair. He asserts this work to be a very delicate and the life in each tree has to be diligently preserved, guarded against wind and rain to own a growing chair. Krusback refused to sell this unique piece of his property at any handsome cost. The chair was last seen at the Noritage furniture, a store owned by Krusback’s descendants after which its whereabouts have not been known. But if it still exists, it would be a good 100 years old.
3. The Chapel Oak:
An Oak tree in the farming village of Allouville-Bellefosse, France is said to be around 800 years old and is by far the oldest tree in France. This Oak tree was hollowed and a shrine for Virgin Mary was built inside the tree in 1669, Later, another chapel was added on the second floor of the tree. The locals claim that the tree had stood during the times of Charlemagne and witnessed the ravages and progression of time. During French Revolution the Oak Chapel was to be attacked by groups that defied the church. The locals intelligently renamed it “the temple of reason” and hence it still stands.
4. The Vine Bridges
The vine bridges are found across the river Iya in Japan. The West Iya is a hidden valley inhabited by bandits, warriors and refugees making a trip to Iya all the more adventurous. The bridge is made by intertwining the vines from either sides of the river when they reach the desired length and tying them up to planks of wood each placed 6-8 inches apart forming the base of the bridge. Most important aspect of the bridge is, it is living, growing and strong. The bridge is more than 140 meters long.
5. Espalier Art form
Espalier is an art form of sculpting trees and plants to grow in a way that gives artistic and aesthetic value to the environment as well as confers use. The art form was more popular in the medieval times, originated in Egypt. These art forms can be made into fence for the house and so on.
