CTA Mobile Garden: Say What?

Today I came across this article, "Mobile Garden Rail Car To Be Tacked on To Chicago Transit System," at Treehugger. I immediately recognized a green line train in the main picture ("green" line, how clever), but was baffled by the "garden car" rolling along behind it. The CTA has apparently approved a mobile garden rail car to add some green space to your commute. Whether a garden trailing behind you during your daily train ride can truly add green space to your life, however, is up for debate.

When I first saw this, I was angry, wondering who would pay for such an absurdity. I have already complained about the beautiful flat-screen televisions that popped up at a number of El stops after the CTA declared its insatiable debt. However, it appears that the CTA has told mobile garden (an organization that grew out of a UIC graduate course on sustainability) that they will have to raise the funds for the implementation and maintenance of the garden car themselves. However, I still feel that it's a waste of space and, even worse, energy to drag a garden car around behind the train. Tell me, why would you invest in such a thing? And how does this promote sustainability?

I think we'd be better off if someone invested in more rooftop gardens like the few scattered in the Lincoln Park/Lakeview area of town. Those gardens can provide insulation and food. What we have here is a useless plot of flowers whizzing around behind the CTA--um, what? So you'll actually look at the garden for about ten seconds as the train unloads and reloads at your stop (that is, if the train that happens to have the garden happens to roll past the platform at which you're waiting).

The choice of the green line is ironic (unless they only chose that line for the photo opp). Green line trains ride past the conservatory if you're headed west. I get more enjoyment out of riding past the conservatory than I ever would from a plot of flowers trailing the CTA. I get even greater enjoyment out of--gasp--walking through the conservatory, versus watching a preposterous mobile garden zip past me on the El platform. ( And oh the mockery other cities will rightfully impose upon us.)

The only real argument you've got for this one is art for art's sake (which hardly promotes sustainability). I think there are better ways to incorporate green space into city life.