It took devastating weather storms to make a town in Greenboro NC to decide to 'redo' the city as a complete Green Makeover.
I was thinking this morning about Lawns, as we start to near Spring and think about dusting off the lawn mowers to get ready to create those perfectly manicured squares of green surrounding our homes. I remember as a kid we would play in the lawn but on any summer day as I drive down my street I rarely see children or families doing anything in their lawns. Despite this, we are out there every weekend mowing and trimming, sometimes competing with the neighbors for that perfect look. It's thankless task with the only reward being your own personal satisfaction. Often at the environment's expense as we throw around chemicals just to reach that perfect shade of green.
There are a number of sites out their challenging Obama to convert the White House front lawn into vegetable gardens. What a reduction of water use that would be, especially for that region's perfect soil.
This morning I wondered, what if my entire street converted as much of their lawns as possible into edible gardening areas? One street in a community could easily start a local movement. How much money would the residence save on vegetables over a couple of years? It would be easy to have different homes split up their crops to form a crop share amongst the other neighbors and even surplus yields being donated, canned, dried or even sold for some profit.
In 1943, Americans planted 20.5 million Victory Gardens, and the harvest accounted for nearly one-third of all the vegetables consumed in the country that year.
Twenty-five million U.S. households planted vegetable and fruit gardens in 2007, according to Bruce Butterfield of the National Gardener's Association, and that number is expected to increase by several million this year.
In fact, the average American garden has proven to be a surprisingly accurate social and economic barometer. The upsurge in fuel prices in 1975 spawned a similar gardening boom, with nearly 49% of the population growing some sort of produce. Then, as the prosperity of the '90s trickled down to American yards, the pendulum swung back toward aesthetics over sustenance.
Lets face it, as Americans we are reactive, and at a time like this maybe it's an individual step we could make in this Nationally growing 'Go Green' movement. I enjoy living in the suburbs and have little desire to own a farm but in my ideal World there is a grey area in between Rural and Urban living where I fit in. I think we have not only lost a sense of community but a sense of personal responsibility. Oh some days I do wish we could go back to when life seemed a little more simple. I'm 100% in favor of our modern conveniences but sometimes I wish this roller coaster we are on would slow down just enough to enjoy the view a little.
I wonder if I could make this challenge locally.