White House, Green Garden
However you feel about the Obamas, there's something non-political to be proud of--they are planting the first food garden the White House has had since WWII. I LOVE the idea of people being more self-sufficient. It is a simple solution, and I hope, will inspire others to have their own Victory Gardens :)
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/washingtons-not-so-secret-garden/
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/03/20/us/20garden_grphic.html
A few quick stats for you:
--As of 2005, Americans ate more than 50% of their food away from home.
--The average distance a piece of food travels from farm to plate is 1500 miles
--Grocery stores have stock for between 3-7 days, not accounting for any heavy shopping due to an emergency.
--In case of emergency, most Americans have less than a week of food storage (pantry, freezer, etc) and grow none of their own food.
--Home food production has dropped steadily since the late 1800's, with less than five percent producing food for their own households
On the happy side, the National Gardening Association's (NGA) conducted a new survey, The Impact of Home and Community Gardening in America. It indicates food gardening in the United States is on the rise as 7 million more households plan to grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs or berries in 2009, up 19 percent from 2008.
Are you growing anything edible this year?
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/washingtons-not-so-secret-garden/
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/03/20/us/20garden_grphic.html
A few quick stats for you:
--As of 2005, Americans ate more than 50% of their food away from home.
--The average distance a piece of food travels from farm to plate is 1500 miles
--Grocery stores have stock for between 3-7 days, not accounting for any heavy shopping due to an emergency.
--In case of emergency, most Americans have less than a week of food storage (pantry, freezer, etc) and grow none of their own food.
--Home food production has dropped steadily since the late 1800's, with less than five percent producing food for their own households
On the happy side, the National Gardening Association's (NGA) conducted a new survey, The Impact of Home and Community Gardening in America. It indicates food gardening in the United States is on the rise as 7 million more households plan to grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs or berries in 2009, up 19 percent from 2008.
Are you growing anything edible this year?
You can watch this video on www.livejournal.com