gardens

Minority women in New York’s South Bronx are turning three acres of “scruffy marginal land” into an herb and vegetable paradise. According to Treehugger.com, La Finca Del Sur, the “Farm of the South,” is an urban farmer cooperative with a goal of providing affordable, fresh produce to the community, while encouraging healthy living and educating the public about the environment and social equity. continue

Community and urban gardens are an important component of making sustainable communities. The National Community Gardening Week is an opportunity for your local government to show support by publicly promoting community gardens August 23 – 29.

According to the Department of Agriculture website, US Agriculture Secretary Vilsack declared August 23 – 29 National Community Gardening Week. “Community gardens provide numerous benefits including opportunities for local food production, resource conservation, and neighborhood beautification,” said Vilsack. “But they also promote family and community interaction and enhance opportunities to eat healthy, nutritious foods. Each of these benefits is something we can and should strive for.”
continue

Green the Grounds, subtitled Bringing Nature into the Public Realm, sprouted from an inquiry by First Lady Michelle Obama’s office to author Susan Harris about ideas she had put about for a kitchen garden at the White House. Susan offered to pull together some suggestions. Thirty-four experts were consulted and the result is the illustrated 19 page Greening the White House Grounds (pdf). It summarizes ideas and discussion on all facets of the project. One conclusion it would be hard to argue with is, “… the prettier and the more people-friendly, the better.”

Susan provides number of resources on how to think about such projects here. Being a prolific writer, blogger, garden maven, and networker, the new blog is a further outcome, aimed at greening executive mansions at all levels, those being governor’s mansions and mayoral abodes. The  idea is that examples at the top will inspire many others.

The mansions of New York and Maryland’s governors are presently featured. How’s your local executive manse? If there’s something to crow about, let Susan know.