Today we’d like to introduce you to Rosalind Haselbeck.
Hi Rosalind, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I became interested in urban ecology when I was an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego. I was teaching courses in Genetics and Neurobiology to Bio majors and got the opportunity to teach a non major General Biology course that included Ecology. Suddenly my eyes were opened wide to urban issues such as stormwater runoff and the urban heat island effect — both due to loss of green spaces and planted areas to the built environment – including roads, sidewalks, driveways and patios. I became an environmental entrepreneur, initially focused on using green (planted) roofs to sequester carbon and provide evapotranspiration from plant material to cool neighborhoods. Our work included collecting rooftop rainwater to irrigate these rooftop gardens. But I soon realized that green roofs were not easy for widespread adaptation in Southern California due to the need to irrigate them in our climate, as well as the cost of supporting the extra weight. My work continued with stormwater mitigation with rainwater systems and I also added greywater systems to support urban plantings with less reliance on municipal water. But all along, I continued to look for a practical way to incorporate more planted areas in urban settings.
In 2023, I learned about the concept of a polyculture lawn or meadow from my friend and colleague, Pamela Berstler (of G3 Green Gardens Group, and Flower to the People). I launched the nonprofit, Dwelling On Carbon, at the end of 2023, to pursue the implementation of polyculture lawns. We use curated mixes of native plant seeds to provide pollinator habitats, beauty, water conservation, and carbon sequestration — with an emphasis on environmental justice so we can bring these tremendous benefits to the neighborhoods that need shade, cooling and beauty the most.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been relatively smooth in getting these projects started, but there are obstacles that make wider-spread implementation difficult. The biggest obstacle is people’s perceptions about landscaping — both in public places and in their own backyards. The approach we are taking is essentially to build ecosystems which will change over time in the ecological process known as “succession”. What this means is that the plants growing in these polyculture lawns will gradually change over time — from mostly annual plants to perennials and more grasses, and eventually to woodier species such as shrubs. Along with the changes above-ground, the soil microbiome shifts from bacterial dominance to fungal dominance.
The success of these landscapes requires that those who tend them see them as relatives in a reciprocal relationship — instead of viewing them as a status symbol or commodity. Another way of thinking about this is that we need to “Indigenize” our relationship with nature. As Robin Wall Kimmerer, Potawatomi Botanist expresses it: “The earth does not need us to dominate her. She needs us to listen, learn, and act as humble partners.”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The mission of Dwelling On Carbon is to develop innovative strategies to sequester carbon and conserve water in urban ecosystems to mitigate the climate crisis — and in the process, to connect people with nature through beauty and pollinator habitat. We specialize in developing custom native seed mixes with a diverse combination of functional plant families to restore degraded soils and provide resilience to drought, salinity, and pathogens/pests. Our work includes extensive soil testing to demonstrate positive change with these mixes and to document how much carbon sequestration is possible in our climate. We have developed protocols that are inexpensive and easy to implement with volunteers so we can do this work more widely. Our systems use less water and do not use any herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers — making them much healthier for people and their pets, as well as wild visitors such as birds, butterflies, and lizards.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
In addition to my work on carbon sequestration and pollinator habitat, I practice the martial art aikido. The lens that this training provides deepens my appreciation and understanding of the more than human world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dwellingoncarbon.org
- Instagram: @dwellingoncarbon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563070703862
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalind-haselbeck-9115899/
