WEBVTT 00:01.100 --> 00:03.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - I think as I become more in touch 00:03.733 --> 00:05.800 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% with this garden, I rediscover 00:07.000 --> 00:08.533 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% that there's something primal about that. 00:08.533 --> 00:11.133 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% It's like a reconnection to our roots as humans. 00:11.133 --> 00:13.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I know it sounds kind of weird to say, 00:13.533 --> 00:16.433 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% but it really does feel like something that's missing 00:16.433 --> 00:20.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% from modern life, which I'm really welcoming back. 00:20.333 --> 00:22.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - I'm Mansi Parikh. - I'm Aditya Prasad. 00:22.666 --> 00:25.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - We came to Austin about four years ago, 00:25.033 --> 00:29.700 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% and our dream was to buy a house 00:29.700 --> 00:32.866 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% with a big yard so our dog can roam free. 00:34.266 --> 00:38.233 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% She's a Manhattan dog, so she's never seen space or yard. 00:38.233 --> 00:40.333 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - We bought the house in 2020. 00:40.333 --> 00:43.833 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% In fact, we closed on it in March of 2020, 00:43.833 --> 00:46.533 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% the same week as lockdown started 00:46.533 --> 00:49.933 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and the very same week we discovered that she's pregnant. 00:49.933 --> 00:52.433 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Mansi] So this house was meant for our toddler. 00:52.433 --> 00:55.300 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - Her brother, Urvish, and she had decided, 00:55.300 --> 00:57.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% "Okay, maybe a food forest is the right way to go." 00:57.700 --> 01:00.366 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It's funny, for the first, I don't even know how long, 01:00.366 --> 01:02.033 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% I was not on board at all. 01:02.033 --> 01:04.233 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% When she says we were looking for a house with a big yard, 01:04.233 --> 01:07.833 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I was looking for a house with no yard because I thought, 01:07.833 --> 01:10.900 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% "I'm gonna be the one mowing the lawn, taking care of it." 01:10.900 --> 01:13.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I had never done anything with plants before this. 01:13.600 --> 01:15.100 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% It was about a year, actually, 01:15.100 --> 01:19.633 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% before we finally engaged a company to execute on it. 01:19.633 --> 01:21.366 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% - [Mansi] And little did he know 01:21.366 --> 01:23.666 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% that garden would save his life. 01:23.666 --> 01:25.333 align:left position:30% line:5% size:60% - Yeah, I mean. - In fact, 01:25.333 --> 01:30.300 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% the garden saved his soul from the chaos of having a baby 01:30.300 --> 01:32.200 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and just all the community- - She's so right about this. 01:32.200 --> 01:34.800 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% - Closing in and coming together. 01:34.800 --> 01:36.600 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% The garden was his solace. 01:36.600 --> 01:39.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - And so they planted something like 01:39.233 --> 01:42.300 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% 300 perennials and fruit trees. 01:42.300 --> 01:43.833 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Little did we know, 01:43.833 --> 01:45.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% even though there's mulch in between all of them, 01:45.533 --> 01:49.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to suppress the weeds, after a year or two, 01:49.033 --> 01:52.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Bermuda grass, other weeds start coming up. 01:52.033 --> 01:54.866 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% We didn't touch it at all, which also means, for example, 01:54.866 --> 01:57.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% we didn't adjust the watering schedule. 01:57.600 --> 02:00.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% So if you can imagine watering these plants as much 02:00.533 --> 02:03.300 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% through the dead of winter as they were being watered 02:03.300 --> 02:06.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% through the height of summer, that's pretty silly. 02:06.333 --> 02:08.266 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% January or February I realized, 02:08.266 --> 02:10.466 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% "Oh no, all the plants are dying." 02:10.466 --> 02:12.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And I thought, "Well, they're perennials. 02:12.600 --> 02:14.733 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% They'll come back from the roots in the spring." 02:14.733 --> 02:18.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% But come March, April, May, a lot of them didn't come back. 02:18.566 --> 02:20.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The roots had rotten on a lot of them 02:20.233 --> 02:22.800 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% because you're not supposed to water them through the winter 02:22.800 --> 02:26.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and there are different water needs by different plants, 02:26.333 --> 02:27.900 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% which I hadn't thought of. 02:27.900 --> 02:30.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And then also we have different soil types across the land. 02:30.766 --> 02:32.266 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It's much more rocky over here. 02:32.266 --> 02:33.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% There's much more clay over there 02:33.566 --> 02:36.000 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and a mix of other things all in between. 02:36.000 --> 02:38.133 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - The whole project basically folded. 02:38.133 --> 02:40.100 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - It went off the rails so hard. 02:40.100 --> 02:41.766 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - And then he took it on 02:41.766 --> 02:43.000 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% as his own. - I realized, 02:43.000 --> 02:44.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% "Okay, I need to save this thing." 02:44.100 --> 02:45.733 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And so over the last year, 02:45.733 --> 02:48.400 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we've been replacing things with better choices. 02:48.400 --> 02:49.666 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% So in the course of two weeks, 02:49.666 --> 02:51.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I don't know how many dozens of hours I spent 02:51.733 --> 02:54.100 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% just killing the Bermuda grass, 02:54.100 --> 02:56.733 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% preparing the ground and getting rid of the mulch, 02:56.733 --> 03:00.700 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% and then buying seeds, wildflower seeds. 03:00.700 --> 03:02.166 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% Laid them all out there. 03:02.166 --> 03:05.700 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% I mean, just untold, tens of thousands of seeds, 03:05.700 --> 03:08.200 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% and just crossed my fingers. 03:08.200 --> 03:11.866 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% And this spring, stuff started coming up. 03:11.866 --> 03:13.800 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% What you realize after a little while doing this 03:13.800 --> 03:17.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% is what I'm really looking for is native plants. 03:17.966 --> 03:20.400 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And this is again, obvious to anyone who's been gardening 03:20.400 --> 03:21.866 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% for any amount of time. 03:21.866 --> 03:25.466 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% But the reason that you want to pick native plants is 03:25.466 --> 03:28.000 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% that they're adapted to this environment. 03:28.000 --> 03:30.766 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% And those plants can more or less take care of themselves 03:30.766 --> 03:32.700 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% and they're gorgeous. 03:32.700 --> 03:34.766 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% So just knowing what to put where, 03:34.766 --> 03:36.900 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% it's a long learning process, 03:38.133 --> 03:39.633 align:left position:30% line:5% size:60% super worth it. 03:39.633 --> 03:43.800 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Wherever I go now, I'm aware of what plants are around me. 03:44.933 --> 03:47.300 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% Before, it was just a blur of green. 03:47.300 --> 03:48.600 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% It's like, "Oh, just a bunch of weeds. 03:48.600 --> 03:50.300 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% Oh, just a bunch of stuff, whatever it is." 03:50.300 --> 03:52.200 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% And now I go to a place and I say, 03:52.200 --> 03:54.300 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% "Oh, you know, this spiderwort, 03:54.300 --> 03:56.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% it's starting to colonize," and, you know, 03:56.133 --> 03:57.666 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% "There's a dayflower over here." 03:57.666 --> 04:00.200 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% And just getting a sense of which plants are helpful, 04:00.200 --> 04:01.733 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% which plants are harmful. 04:01.733 --> 04:03.233 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% We love it so much. 04:03.233 --> 04:05.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I mean, just to take a small example, a few weeks ago, 04:05.700 --> 04:07.766 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% this was nothing but bluebonnets 04:07.766 --> 04:09.700 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and now it's Indian blanket. 04:09.700 --> 04:12.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Watching those changes over the year is incredible. 04:12.566 --> 04:16.033 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% You come out to almost a whole new garden every season. 04:16.033 --> 04:18.900 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% - Our toddler, he's changing with, 04:18.900 --> 04:22.933 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% this is his first experience of a fully bloomed garden 04:22.933 --> 04:24.166 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and he's changing with it. 04:24.166 --> 04:27.900 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% He's learning the names of all of the flowers 04:27.900 --> 04:29.133 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% that are blooming. 04:29.133 --> 04:31.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% When we go out for walks on the street 04:31.566 --> 04:34.533 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% or around Austin, he can point at a flower and say, 04:34.533 --> 04:36.900 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% "Oh, that's winecup." 04:36.900 --> 04:39.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% When you look at the structure of this place, 04:39.500 --> 04:43.366 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% it's designed so that we can, at any point in the garden, 04:43.366 --> 04:45.066 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% we can sit down and relax 04:45.066 --> 04:49.633 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and take in the beauty of the space itself. 04:49.633 --> 04:51.400 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% For example, here, 04:51.400 --> 04:55.466 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we often have our breakfast here in the mornings 04:55.466 --> 04:58.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and our toddler will run out into the sandbox 04:58.100 --> 05:00.866 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and play before daycare starts. 05:00.866 --> 05:02.933 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - We had planted all these perennials 05:02.933 --> 05:07.000 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% that provide a habitat for pollinators, for birds, 05:07.000 --> 05:11.200 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% for butterflies, and we realized to complete it, 05:11.200 --> 05:14.933 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% we wanted to actually add the sound of flowing water. 05:14.933 --> 05:18.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - We're admiring this beautiful pond 05:18.666 --> 05:23.466 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% with the deity Nataraja, who's the incarnation of Shiva. 05:23.466 --> 05:27.366 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Literally represents Shiva dancing the universe 05:27.366 --> 05:29.633 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% into existence. - In each moment, 05:29.633 --> 05:31.666 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% that's his job. - Each moment. 05:31.666 --> 05:36.466 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And it reminds us of how impermanent and glorious 05:36.466 --> 05:40.200 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and beautiful the moment is that we're in 05:40.200 --> 05:41.966 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and being able to sit down 05:41.966 --> 05:44.766 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and take in our coffee 05:44.766 --> 05:48.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and take in this nature and enjoy the birds coming by. 05:48.966 --> 05:51.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It's like the perfect place to land 05:51.566 --> 05:53.166 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% after we wake up in the morning. 05:53.166 --> 05:55.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% The the other thing that I love about 05:55.100 --> 05:58.466 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% this fountain is how it sounds 05:58.466 --> 06:00.566 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% from our retreat room back here. 06:00.566 --> 06:02.166 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% - Yeah. - We have had 06:02.166 --> 06:05.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% so many retreats in there, hosted so many meditators, 06:05.100 --> 06:09.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% where we just open the window and hear the water 06:09.100 --> 06:12.933 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and feel that . . . 06:14.500 --> 06:16.800 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - Energy, it feels like life. - Energy, right. 06:16.800 --> 06:20.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - And it provides this beautiful sound 06:20.033 --> 06:23.200 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and also it provides water for creatures 06:23.200 --> 06:24.500 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% that come and visit. 06:24.500 --> 06:27.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - Butterflies and hummingbirds, it's just magical. 06:27.666 --> 06:30.800 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% I mean, they love the bee balm. 06:30.800 --> 06:32.466 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% They like the Turks cap 06:32.466 --> 06:34.300 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% and just that whole spread over here. 06:34.300 --> 06:36.233 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% So when I wake up in the morning, I can see them 06:36.233 --> 06:40.000 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% from my window and my son sees them when he wakes up. 06:40.000 --> 06:41.866 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% He's like, "Oh, I see a hummingbird," 06:41.866 --> 06:43.100 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% or, "I see butterflies." 06:43.100 --> 06:45.000 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And that's how he starts his day. 06:45.000 --> 06:46.700 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% It's really nice. 06:46.700 --> 06:49.800 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Since my toddler is so connected to this garden, 06:49.800 --> 06:54.800 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% we wanted to create a more immersive experience for him. 06:55.533 --> 06:57.733 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% And so Aditya here 06:57.733 --> 07:01.066 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% planted a bunch of wildflowers just outside of his playroom. 07:01.066 --> 07:03.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% While he's playing with his Legos and his toys, 07:03.733 --> 07:06.900 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% he can look out the window or look out the sliding doors 07:06.900 --> 07:10.166 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and see fragrant flowers. 07:10.166 --> 07:13.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And sometimes he walks out, he wants to draw in the chalk, 07:13.333 --> 07:17.000 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and he's drawing flowers that he sees in front of him. 07:17.000 --> 07:18.633 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% It's really special. 07:18.633 --> 07:21.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - You know, our ancestors really, 07:21.800 --> 07:25.900 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I mean, when we compare how we respond to a green area 07:25.900 --> 07:28.066 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% with how they did, I think it's a world apart. 07:28.066 --> 07:30.900 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% They would be able to identify every single plant back here, 07:30.900 --> 07:32.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and it mattered to them, because some would kill them, 07:32.700 --> 07:34.933 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% some would help them with, you know, 07:34.933 --> 07:37.200 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% some are herbal remedies, some are topical, 07:37.200 --> 07:39.600 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% some are foods. 07:39.600 --> 07:41.100 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% They had to know this stuff. 07:41.100 --> 07:43.366 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Everyone knows about climate change 07:43.366 --> 07:45.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and okay, there's different names for it. 07:45.100 --> 07:47.133 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% There's the biodiversity loss, 07:47.133 --> 07:48.600 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% the biosphere collapse. 07:48.600 --> 07:51.700 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% Everyone knows that something is happening on our planet 07:51.700 --> 07:53.666 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% and it's pretty serious. 07:53.666 --> 07:55.533 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And usually we jump directly 07:55.533 --> 07:58.600 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% to very narrow solutions 07:58.600 --> 07:59.533 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and ideas about it. 07:59.533 --> 08:01.466 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% "Oh, it's too much carbon. 08:01.466 --> 08:03.800 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% We're addicted to fossil fuels." 08:03.800 --> 08:06.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And all those things are true, and yet, 08:06.566 --> 08:09.466 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I think if you start digging into why, 08:09.466 --> 08:11.533 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% why is all of this happening? 08:11.533 --> 08:14.066 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% For myself, anyway, what I always come back to 08:14.066 --> 08:16.600 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% when I peel away all the layers, 08:16.600 --> 08:19.800 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% is we've lost the sense 08:19.800 --> 08:23.066 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of the majesty of our planet. 08:23.066 --> 08:25.900 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It nurtures us. It's our home. 08:25.900 --> 08:29.266 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It's what gives us food. It's what gives us life. 08:29.266 --> 08:33.300 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And we don't take very much time, or most of us, I think, 08:33.300 --> 08:36.833 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% don't take very much time to really appreciate her. 08:36.833 --> 08:38.566 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And it almost feels like, 08:38.566 --> 08:40.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and I know this sounds a bit hippie, 08:40.800 --> 08:44.466 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but if we have forgotten her, our mother, 08:44.466 --> 08:46.866 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% if we've chosen to ignore her, 08:46.866 --> 08:49.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% of course she's going to go away. 08:50.866 --> 08:52.900 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And I want to invite her back in, 08:52.900 --> 08:54.566 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% into our lives, into our hearts.