Monday, February 9, 2009

Let's plant a vegetable garden on the White House lawn

There is a growing call for President Obama to plant a vegetable garden on the White House Lawn. Eleanor Roosevelt did it. Thomas Jefferson did it. In fact, the majority of our presidents, from the founding of our country to the middle of the 1900s, did it. I think it's time for our current president to join the pack and do it, too. If you agree, please consider signing the petition at EatTheView.org. I did, and here's the comment I added:



I truly believe that building a vegetable garden on the White House lawn will spur more people to learn about growing their own food and actually do it. It's human nature to "follow the leader", as has already been demonstrated by you, President Obama. Because of your calm, reassuring, compassionate yet strong demeanor throughout your campaign and into the first days of your presidency, I have noticed a change in everyone I meet. We are nice again! For God's sake, I even had a nice chat with the phone worker when I called to pay my phone bill! It's wonderful! 
You are right that a lot of the change we need will be up to us to make. We're willing to do it. We just need you to continue what you've been doing in setting a good example for us to follow. If you build a vegetable garden on the White House lawn, we WILL follow your example. People all across the nation WILL grow their own food. This will have a tremendous impact on our economy and the environment. We'll save money, which we can spend elsewhere spurring the economy on. We'll save fuel from not having to have so much food trucked across the country. And there will be less emissions due to less of those trucks making less of those trips. 
But most of all, people will be healthier from the exercise and nutritious food. That will translate into happier people willing and ABLE to do more to pull ourselves out of this hole we're in. If we have a better outlook and feel better physically, we can do so much more to turn things around. 
Most of our despair is gone, President Obama, because of you. We wanted it to be gone and just needed someone to lead us to a place where we could hope again. You did that. And I am asking you to do it again ~ lead us again in providing for ourselves. Please, replicate what Slow Food Nation did in San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza, building a vegetable garden where one was 60 years ago. Please, put the vegetable garden back where it was for almost 150 years (read about it on this page: http://www.eattheview.org/page/history-1) ~ on the lawn of the Nation's House. Adams, Jefferson, even Eleanor Roosevelt did it. Please follow their lead so we can follow yours.

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