-Toward Sustainable Communities (Roseland 52)
How much does it cost to eat a healthy diet?
To put things in perspective...
A McDouble from McDonald's Dollar Menu will cost you just $1+ tax, and provides you with 390 calories, 22g protein, 19 g fat (of which 10g is saturated fat), and 920 mg sodium.
How can we expect people who have limited incomes to pass up what seems like such a great deal (price-wise) on food? Time and again, studies show that when money is tight, cutting food costs is one of the first things that Americans do (see the NY Times article on this topic, "When Money is Tight, and Junk Food Beckons" ).
Community gardens are proving to be a viable source and alternative to cheap junk food, especially for those on a limited budget. Take for example Mother Hubbard's Cupboard in Bloomington, IN, a NGO that puts a twist on your normal food pantry set up by providing low-income clients with as much local, organic produce and wholesome foods as possible, much of which is grown in the community gardens that have been established around the city.
If community gardens can help provide high quality, healthy food for the poor AND reduce people's global environmental footprint, what are we waiting for? Let's get gardening!
A big fan of the community gardening push, such a great way to get good and affordable food into the hands of the community. In addition to community gardening I think it would be a great idea to do community composting. Just imagine, all those fruit and veggie scraps from the garden. Where do they probably go? Into the trash. But they don't have to! If community gardens also set up community composts then not only does that help the environment, but it makes gardening even cheaper. Just think - if people are coming to the garden all the time to take care of it and to gather produce, then just have them bring scraps from the last few days with them. Have a "current" pile (or bin) where the organic material can be thrown and occasionally have someone turn the pile (and probably add some leaves or something). Once the pile is "ready" the community farmers could use the compost to enhance their crops for free! How great, not just community gardening, but a way to keep the soil rich with nutrients so it can continue to produce crops year after year.
ReplyDeleteI think seem to think that community gardens aren't just helpful for the poor. When people become more connected with their food, they begin to understand the implications of their choices. So when they go to the grocery store they may question whether pesticides were used on the products, or if they were grown organically. Likewise, they may begin to think of the distance in which their food has traveled. Was it produced locally, within their homestate or outside the country?
ReplyDeleteThus my having the entire community participate in the growing of produce, they begin to understand how their decisions not only effect them but also the people around them.
I love community gardens! They are such a great idea. I agree about connecting people to their food. Doing so might also shift people towards buying other local goods. I also like the idea of having a garden where people in the community can rent small plots and garden. This is beneficial for people like me who live in an apartment and don't have space of their own to garden.
ReplyDeleteOn a bit of a different note than community gardens... Check out this article, "How Stuff Works: Organic Food Prices"
ReplyDeletehttp://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2012762181_webworks31.html
It gives some appreciation to the price of organic food. I worked at an organic farm one summer, and I speak from experience it is a ton of work. One of my favorite activities was actually picking the potato beetles off the potato plants and squishing them in between my fingers. Okay, it wasn't my favorite job but it did give me an appreciation for the labors to create organic food.
I have heard about Mother Hubbard's and think it is such an awesome idea. Not only is it healthier, but it supports local growers and the way it operates creates a real sense of ownership and community for the customers.
ReplyDeleteA random thought I have is in regard to gardens in really urban areas. Roseland talked about gardens in big cities fit onto rooftops and in parks and such. He also talked about the guerrilla gardening effort where people grow gardens including food in abandoned spaces. It all sounds great, but it makes me worry about the veggies soaking up the pollution in the air and any toxicity in the soil.
Love this post! I think one of the biggest problems that Mother Hubbard's faces is advertizing...if college students realized how cheaply (or freely) they could obtain delicious/nutritious food, it could be an even bigger boom! (unless it gets over-harvested, of course...common pool resource problem rears it's ugly head, again)
ReplyDelete@Katie : Totally dig it. Pretty cool, pretty short (20 min) documentary on guerrilla gardening: http://vimeo.com/17140652 and also DIY rooftop gardening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqARxCFdgOo
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteYes, that cheap juicy burger image has beckoned millions and millions to their blissful death. See or read: http://www.forksoverknives.com/
Nice contrast with Mother Hubbard's Cupboard.