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Turn the White House Lawn into an Edible Garden!

November 12, 2008 By: Anna7 Comments


This Lawn is Your Lawn from roger doiron on Vimeo.

The other day, I received an message on my personal Facebook page from Michelle, aka the Green Bean of Green Phone Booth, with  a copy of a video by Roger Doiron urging our new President (Eater in Chief) to consider turning the White House landscape into a working garden.  It is not that far fetched since many Presidents had White House Gardens until we made it easier to truck food from all over the world.  Please watch the short video above of Roger’s proposal.

Just to give you some background on Doiron, according to an interview by Mother Earth News, he has been involved in growing food in one way or another for thirty years. He is currently the Founding Director of Kitchen Gardeners International ,  which is “a nonprofit network of over 5,000 gardeners from 90 countries who are taking a hands-on approach to local foods systems development.”  In addition, he is a freelance food and garden writer as well as a photographer.

Why the First Lawn?

“The White House has had food gardens at many different points and was even home to a herd of sheep in 1917 when President Wilson brought them in to replace the power mowers. In February, I decided to put the idea back on the public agenda by posting it on the Web site OnDayOne.org where people are making different proposals for what the next president should do upon taking office,” he indicated during the interview.

See a short history of the White House Lawn as a garden:

He further states in his Mother Earth News interview as to why it is important to make the First Lawn a garden:

“I really believe in the symbolic power of the White House as “America’s House.” Productive home gardens made sense before, and they make sense again given the global challenges we’re against. Sure, there are other projects that could be showcased and perhaps should be showcased, but this is a good way to start because it’s an idea that a lot of people can embrace. Gardens aren’t red state or blue state, but cross over political, social and economic boundaries. They even help bridge countries and cultures. There are gardeners from the United Kingdom and Australia supporting the campaign with the hope that it will give them an opportunity to make the same case to their elected officials.”

Inspiring!  You bet.  How can we help? Listed on the Eat the View website,  are a number of ways we can make this lawn a garden reality whether it on the First Lawn or in your community:

“1) Identify a landscape near you that you think should be “edible-ized”. Residents of San Francisco are planting a Victory Garden in front of their town hall. The Governors of Maine and New York are already eating from gardens planted at their official residences. New school gardens are being dug across the country. What about your town, your local schools, and elected official’s residence?

2) Sign our “White House Food Garden Petition” which we will deliver to the President-elect along with a diverse collection of heirloom seed packets.

3) Buy a virtual parcel of the First Lawn and donate it back to the American people for the digging of a food garden.

4) Vote for the idea of a food garden on the White House lawn at the website OnDayOne.org.

5) Join this campaign and website. Use this site to share your stories of edible landscapes you’re creating, planning, or already eating.

6) Join our Facebook Cause.”

In addition, you can add a campaign widget to your website, social media, or blog supporting this endeavor.  Perhaps create a edible garden on your “White House” lawn like Michelle is doing.  (For us deer infested folks, perhaps in the back yard with a 8 foot fence unless you want to just feed the animals.)

I signed the petition and joined the Facebook Cause. My loyal readers, know I am already veggie gardening. (The trials and tribulations of the animal kingdom against my small helpless garden…the horror…)

Despite the list above, what is the most important thing you can do?  Dorion replies:

” But the biggest help your readers can offer is to eat their own view by eating homegrown and locally grown foods. The more people who do it, the more impact we have and the easier it becomes to make our case to our elected officials to make the political changes needed to help the local foods revolution grow and spread.”

For more information, see Michael Pollen’s article in the NY Times entitled “Farmer in Chief”  directed to our new president elect urging him to look at our present food policy. Mr. Pollen is the author, most recently, of “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.”

Hmm. Less carbon footprint, better tasting food, supporting a local economy.  Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Tell me your thoughts.

(PS Special thanks to Michelle for sending this video my way.  We share a new found gardening bond. Everyone, check out Green Phone Booth, which is a blog by a terrific group of women, where ordinary women become super heroes. Each one of the women are amazing writers and you will want to come back for more after reading just one of their posts.)

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About Anna

Anna Hackman is the editor of Green Talk, and owner of The Naked Botanical and a avid (okay obsessed) gardener. She also loves video and podcasting and hosts Green Talk TV and Green Talk Radio. Her most important role is being a mother of four boys.

Chat with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest , and Google+.

Comments

  1. 1

    Juandy Liem says

    November 13, 2008 at 3:21 am

    I think if the new elected President Obama really make this dream into realization, It will surely inspire the rest of the world.

    I think more countries will also follow his footsteps turning their “White Houses” into “Greener Houses”… 🙂

    Juandy Liems last blog post..Weza, Human Powered Electricity Generator

    Reply
  2. 2

    Kevin says

    November 13, 2008 at 8:15 am

    hahahaha, funny pics 😀 nice post…

    Kevins last blog post..Archipelago Candles for Christmas

    Reply
  3. 3

    Green Bean says

    November 14, 2008 at 12:11 am

    I love this post . . . of course!!

    Thank you, Anna, for the mention and for getting the word out. I embrace the Victory Garden movement. Not only does it put food on our plates but it does so in a way that reconnects us with the land, encourages biodiversity and techniques that improve rather than destory the topsoil and water, is relaxing and fun.

    I would love to see Obama bring the White House into the 21st century and let the world know that the US will take action, something that every citizen can do.

    Green Beans last blog post..A Model for Going Solar

    Reply
  4. 4

    Jesse says

    January 5, 2009 at 11:05 am

    Now this is a project I can support! This is the kind of “change” we are looking for.

    Reply
    • 5

      Green Talk says

      January 5, 2009 at 1:06 pm

      Jesse, as a gardener myself, I think this is a great idea! Anna

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. NYC Restoration Project Veggie Seed Giveaway | Green Talk™ says:
    June 19, 2009 at 3:46 pm

    […] Remember Eat the View, the campaign asking the Obamas to create a White House vegetable garden to feed the staff? Well, the campaign worked and Michelle Obama is busily creating an amazing organic garden at the White House.   Feel like a little dirt under your fingernails  or eating amazing home grown veggies?  If you live in New York City, the New York Restoration Project along with Amy Goldman will be hosting the Vegetable Starts Seed Giveaway in community gardens around the City. So what’s the dirt on the event? On Saturday May 30th from 1 – 4:00 PM in three community gardens in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, the Seed Savers Exchange will distribute over 2000 heirloom seeds to registered community gardeners and local residents, to make gardening more accessible to New York communities. Experts will be on site to answer any questions and provide gardening tips and tricks. The selection of vegetable seeds that will be available was determined through suggestions submitted by the community. From tomatoes and corn to parsley and oregano, all of the seeds being given away are organic, untreated and have not been genetically engineered, exceeding industry standards and bringing high quality produce into the homes of New York residents for free. Amy Goldman, writer, passionate gardener and advocate of heirloom fruits and vegetables, has generously provided a majority of the seeds for the event.” […]

    Reply
  2. Turn the White House Lawn into an Edible Garden! says:
    June 22, 2009 at 11:10 am

    […] until we made it easier to truck food from all over the world.  Please watch the short video above click for more var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl.&quot; : […]

    Reply

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