Hi, my name is Cody Wallace and I am a student at Cal Poly
San Luis Obispo.
I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles (specifically the City
of Fullerton) where my dad works for aerospace companies and my mom is a special
educations pre-school teacher. I mention this because somehow life has directed
me to a path of where I am studying Agricultural and Environmental Plant
Sciences with a concentration in Public Horticulture and a minor in Botany. If
you are reading this, I am assuming you know a little bit about who I am. But
for those of you who do not, and obviously those who do, let me tell you a
brief summary of what I believe in.
I believe in plants. Plants give us food, shelter, and most
importantly they give us air. And for those of us who are just a little more
plant crazy, one can even say they give us a companion. Besides water, plants
provide us with 4 of the 5 essentials of life. I would say they’re pretty
important. But I think plants are more than that. I think plants have more to
offer than what the average citizen might learn in the classroom. I believe
they are the answer to most of the issues we have in society and yet they
maintain the current role of “the green thing over there”. While this may be
correct, there is so much more to a plant than people understand. The term
biophilia is used to express mankind’s affinity towards nature. It is in our
DNA to love and be amazed by the natural world around us. Think about it, where
do you go to get away from the stresses of work and life? People go to nature.
People go camping or to the beach or for a stroll in the park. Try going for a
jog in the middle of a city versus a nature trail. Even the simplest flower can
spark a smile and bring someone to a state of relaxation. But nowadays, we are
so lost in technology and our everyday tasks that we forget about the quiet
things around us. There are even case studies on the psychological effects plants
have on us. One of my favorites is told by Joe Haslett in the Interior Plants
course where an office building was subjected to the absence of plants, and
another office enjoyed their luxury. The conclusion revealed significantly less
sick days were observed in the office abundant with plants. Little things like
this just blow my mind. I have posted a great article on this by Bjorn Grinde
and Grete Grindal Patil below this post if you are interested in reading more
about the effects plants have on us. But think about what we could do with this
type of information. With all that said, I believe if we inject plants into the
lives of our citizens and communities, we can make the world a better place.
Less stress, less crimes, more drive for a better, greener future. That is what
I believe in.
When I first came to Cal Poly, I had a difficult time
deciding going into horticulture or environmental law. I want to make the world
a better place and help restore order to Mother Nature and the world we
inhabit. I chose horticulture because I figured plants make me happy and I’m
good at horticulture. And if plants make me happy, I will enjoy my work and hopefully
make an impact on the world in my own way. I figured everybody has their own
cape to wear, and this is the right cape for me save the world with. As I continue
to learn, I grow closer and closer to becoming a botanical garden director,
where I will be able to bring people and plants together. That’s the goal. That’s
the dream. And I am just getting started in the great journey to achieve such
ambitions.
In a future post, I will explain a little more about my
background and how I came to where I am today. When will this future post be? I
don’t know. Currently, I am writing this page on my bed in a guest cottage
located just outside the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town, South
Africa. I have been privileged with the opportunity to spend my summer here
learning from the best (in my opinion). I have almost completed my first week
here and I can barely contain all the information being thrown my way. It is
going to be an exciting few months and I’m looking forward to sharing my
experience and new found knowledge with the world. Look forward to reading
about the plants and/or projects I interact with while I’m here and back at
home!
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