As strange as the title of this article sounds, there really is an association between the three things for me. A rather important one, I believe. Let me explain my thoughts on each and then try to make my point. To understand my perspective on homeowner’s associations, you need to know that I grew up on a farm. Not just any farm, but one secluded in rural Pennsylvania in a Pennsylvania German Mennonite community. This is an insular community that believes strongly in separatism and self-sufficiency. They live with the land and seasons. By the time I was a teenager, enough mainstream media had leaked in that I longed for modern big city life and so I moved to New York City to go to college and graduate school. There was no misunderstanding about the lifestyle in New York. You work, you buy things, you have minimal space and most of that is concrete. There is no living with the land -- you live on it. After some time, I became disenchanted with city life and wanted to return to nature. As luck would have it I made it to the Seattle area and ended up inheriting a suburban house through marriage– a planned community with a "home owner's association." I never had an experience in suburbia so please excuse my ignorance. After many months of culture shock and trying to find my own house because all the houses and streets looked alike, we got a bill in the mail for homeowner’s dues. I asked my husband what this was all about, and he explained the concept of a homeowner’s association. In my ignorance I was sure that this was unconstitutional and I could not be held to follow their rules, after all, I never knew about them let alone agreed them. Reality set in and I worked on coming to terms with this reality, though incredulous that there could be a watchdog association that would dictate such things as how I handle my trash, what types of plants I put in my yard, to what color I can paint my house. There are too many other little gems to even list. And, yes, you guessed it, even though my city, county and state laws allowed for the raising of chickens and other livestock on private property, including in the City of Seattle, my homeowners association did not allow it on my property in unincorporated King County.

Speaking of chickens, here are my thoughts. I grew up with chickens. We had a coop with about 15 to 20 chickens at any given time.  I have chickens again - bountiful fresh eggs and plump chicken in the freezer each year. The coop gets cleaned out and goes right into the garden, along with the manure from the other animals in the barn. Table scraps go to the chickens. It's a well-greased wheel. I’ve been pecked at and pooped on a lot in my life, so it wasn’t my life’s yearning to have chickens again. But, now with a family, I want my partner and kids to have the same benefits that I had, but, there’s homeowners thing. To me, the plight of the backyard chicken, endangered further by homeowner’s associations and many others like it, symbolizes our society’s departure from a simpler, holistic, self-sustaining way of life. All that from a chicken you ask? Lots of people don’t have chickens. People prefer to drive to the grocery store and buy eggs that have been refrigerated for who knows how long, and to buy their chicken meat with who knows what in it, already neatly packaged if not already cooked. I empathize with that. Modern life doesn’t allow us a lot of time to be cooking and caring for animals. I too go to the store to buy eggs and chicken sometimes.
But regularly go to the store to buy something that I could raise in my own yard (and a tiny yard) that would not only be organic, fresher, and healthier, but would also reduce waste and spending by eating my scraps and cuttings and providing me with compost? What is wrong here? Instead of having our own chicken, we as Americans buy from a large chain grocery store for 3-4 times as much as it would cost for me to have my own, and if I don’t scour for organic, I get hormones and antibiotics and food that is not fresh. I have even heard rumors that chickens are considered “dirty” animals, and I am wondering where that rumor came from, but now is not the time to digress further.

I can make the same argument for homegrown vegetables, fruits, or other types of livestock. My point here is not so much about chickens as it is about a way of life. Sustainable. Healthy. Healing. Environmentally sound. Holistic. Where has it gone? I would say that the backyard chicken is endangered. This and many other food, family and home staples have been replaced by the empire of high technology and instant gratification.

This brings me to the thread of fallen empires. Those who pay attention to history remember the advanced civilizations and empires that have fallen – ancient Egypt, The Mayan Empire, The Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and more. They reached a pinnacle and collapsed. There is a theory called “The Theory of De-Development”. It says that any empire/civilization or culture that loses sustainability will de-develop, or fall. Sustainability in this scenario means “when the economy is no longer sustainable/reproducible (Galtung).” Some factors thought to affect the fall of empires include development being conceived of as narrowly economic, causing the empire to be built on economic need rather than human need, extraction from nature, and disproportionate amounts of power and resources among people in the empire. One or a combination of these factors can lead to the fall of any empire. Current de-development theory supposes that the current US Empire is de-developing, and the “global market place,” with its emphasis on importation and exportation rather than using local resources wisely, will also fall. Another spin on the fall of the US Empire comes from Edward Wilson’s The Future of Life. In his book he argues that our biosphere will be destroyed if we do not restore the biodiversity of animals, insects and plants endangered or destroyed by humankind, and that by restoring it we will not only survive but prosper economically.

So what do the chickens, homeowner’s associations and the fall of empires have in common? For me, they symbolize the decline in living holistically, and how our culture and society are teetering on the edge of self-destruction. I live in a community where sustainable lifestyle is not allowed, let alone valued. We live in a country where military build up and national debt trumps social programs, education, sustainable farming and wildlife preservation and our government wants to cut down forests to prevent fires and drill for oil in the arctic. We live in a culture that is addicted to stimulation and instant gratification that comes from TV, video and high speed internet connections, and we buy manufactured goods from across the world with just a point and click while local businesses, craftsmen and farmer’s are disappearing. Is it any wonder my homeowner’s association won’t allow me to raise a hen ?

By no means am I against high tech used wisely, as I sit here on my computer with cable modem. My point and goal is about sustainability and holistic living. In the world of gardening, this is known as permaculture. Permaculture, as defined by Hemenway, is the set of principles and techniques for designing sustainable human settlements. The emphasis is less on the plants animals, buildings and organizations themselves and more on the interrelationships among them. The aim is to create ecologically sound and economically prosperous communities. Principles guiding permaculture include care for the earth, people, sharing the surplus, and muli-functionality of elements in the culture.

In the world of ecopsychology, this means that we must re-connect with the earth in a fundamental way in order to heal ourselves and the earth. One cannot happen without the other. According to Theodore Roszak, ecopsychology suggests that the way we use or abuse the planet reflect our own inner needs and desires, and may reflect our collective conscious, or “collective state of soul.” Ecopsychologist Chellis Glennining says that we have become disconnected from the earth and that this is the “original trauma” of humanity. This has resulted in techno-addiction, denial, dishonesty, control issues, thinking disorders, and disconnect from feelings. These and other ecopsychologists insist that our only way out is to restore earth-friendly habits, communities and souls through healing the earth and reconnecting with her, or our emphasis and dependency on money and technology will be our downfall.

But, why you ask? Perhaps you are willing to work an 8 to 10 hour day in an office, buy meat and produce at the grocery store and spend the money for organic. Isn’t that enough? Yes, you can support the earth and the economy working full time – not everyone need be a farmer. But consider these issues. Sustainability pertaining to the economy means a local economy. Pay attention to where your food and products come from. A fruit flown in from Chile actually cost about 400 times it’s actual cost in the supermarket when you consider the cost of fuel to refrigerate and transport it here. And, as we buy non-local items because of their deceptively cheap cost in the store, we are building that narrow economy that is more and more susceptible to falling. As we buy non-local goods, our local farmers and craftsman go out of business. They have less or no money and no longer spend money in the local economy, which may affect your job. Consider nutrition and taste. A locally grown recently picked fruit or vegetable just tastes better than one flown here from Chile unripe, and retains more of its nutritional value. Consider organic. You can see local farmer’s practices first hand. You can practice sustainable living habits even if you can’t grow food and livestock yourself.

So I suggest to all with homeowner’s associations or similar restrictions that discourages or does not allow the growing of one’s own food, afford everyone the possibility of keeping chickens or other livestock for sustainable living, allow the making and keeping of compost, and all other ways to create a sustainable lifestyle or permaculture, speak up. Educate your self. Be heard. Complain and campaign. Get out there and dig in the dirt. Reconnect with her. Grow your own tomatoes, corn or herbs. Ask your grocer to carry local, organic produce and foods of you can’t grow your own, or go to a local farm or farmer’s market. It’s a long road back but every step takes us forward. If you have never experienced living holistically, you are in for a life-changing experience!