permaculture

[School Gardens for Change <schoolgardens4change@gmail.com>]

     *Please forward widely ... and PLEASE VOTE NOW at www.Change.org/Ideas!
*
 Playing to Win Universal School
Gardens<http://dcfoodforall.com/2010/03/playing-to-win-universal-school-gardens/>

<http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/object2/133/52/n323041926571_934.jpg>*One of
DC’s newest school garden teachers wants to enlist you in a national
movement to grow sustainable food gardens at every school in the country.
And all you have to do (right now) is CAST A VOTE  FOR CHANGE for Universal
School 
Gardens<http://www.change.org/ideas/view/good_food_for_all_kids_a_garden_at_every_school_2>
.*

by Ethan Genauer

Published March 1st, 2010 by *DC Food For All <http://dcfoodforall.com>* -
www.dcfoodforall.com

When I started volunteering this winter as a garden science teacher
with *Washington
Youth Garden <http://www.washingtonyouthgarden.org/>*, entering one
3rd-grade classroom every week to help instill knowledge and enthusiasm by
the children for the wonders of nature, I had no idea that this experience
would inspire me to initiate a *national call for Universal School
Gardens<http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/group.php?gid=323041926571&ref=mf>
*.

But when I witnessed the children’s smiles and eyes light up in the course
of planting seeds and watching them sprout into seedlings and grow, my
appreciation deepened for the many reasons why school gardens are *gaining
popularity<http://civileats.com/2010/01/19/school-gardens-across-the-nation/>
* and have an *excellent track
record<http://www.gardenabcs.com/Success_Stories.html>
* for enhancing the educational learning and natural curiosity of young
people. *“Every student should be free to enjoy the incomparable thrill of
tasting fresh healthy food that he or she had a direct hand in growing,”* I
thought, *“and every school in America should sprout a garden!”*

That’s why this March 2010, as spring fast approaches, I am asking you to
join me in expressing support for the mission of “*Good Food For All Kids: A
Garden at Every
School<http://www.change.org/ideas/view/good_food_for_all_kids_a_garden_at_every_school_2>
*.” Simply by casting your vote for the principle of Universal School
Gardens in the 2010 *Ideas for Change in America<http://www.change.org/ideas/>
* contest sponsored by *Change.org <http://www.change.org/>*, you can help
move this idea one important step closer from inspiration to reality.

After voting concludes on Friday, March 12th, the 10 most popular ideas will
then be transformed into national grassroots social change campaigns. The
staff at *Change.org <http://www.change.org/>* will reach out directly to
relevant decision-makers to engage them on the winning ideas, and they will
work with each winner to create a grassroots campaign and promote their idea
nationwide. Already, “*Good Food For All Kids: A Garden at Every
School<http://www.change.org/ideas/view/good_food_for_all_kids_a_garden_at_every_school_2>
*” was one of the top 3 ideas in the “Food and Agriculture” category in the
first round. Now, we are playing to win the final round!

Although my vision for Universal School Gardens is ambitious, I believe that
now is indeed the ideal moment for a new nationwide mobilization of
Americans dedicated to the common purpose of achieving this delicious dream.
We have extraordinary political momentum on our side. For example, the Obama
administration has stated its commitment to putting an *end to childhood
hunger by 2015 <http://www.frac.org/news/2015.htm>*, and First Lady Michelle
Obama recently launched her signature “*Let’s
Move<http://letsmove.gov/index.html>
*” initiative aiming to combat the nation’s crisis of childhood obesity
through strategies for* healthier
schools<http://letsmove.gov/schools/index.html>
* and *better children’s fitness <http://letsmove.gov/activity/index.html>*.
Establishing sustainable food gardens at schools across America should be a
key component of both of these efforts.

And we have a clear legacy of success to build on: Thousands of edible
gardens have already been established at schools in every U.S. state.
Educators have produced an abundance of* garden-focused curricular
standards<http://www.gardenabcs.com/>
* in all subjects, from science and math to English and art, as well as the
*empirical 
evidence<http://www.lavidalocavore.org/diary/3100/empirical-proof-school-gardens-work>
* to demonstrate why school gardens are a fantastic educational tool and
define best practices. A *wealth of school gardening websites and
resources<http://www.change.org/profile/view/694233>
* is available to provide practical instruction.

After experiencing one of the coldest and toughest winters in United States
history, with countless families struggling in the grip of a severe
prolonged economic recession that has caused a *rising tide of childhood
hunger<http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2009/11/hunger_in_america_recession_un.html>
*, this year many American children are anticipating spring with special
fervor. When the snow is all gone and flowers once again begin to bloom, why
not celebrate all across the country by planting a wave of new school
gardens?

Ultimately, committing to the realization of good food for all kids may be
one of the best ways that we can *rebuild local
economies<http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/sustainable-food/can-local-food-jumpstart-the-economy.html>
* while proving that investment in the health, nutrition and future of
America’s young people will no longer be sacrificed to the convenience of
serving them the *cheap, bland, uniform, unhealthy processed
foods<http://www.theslowcook.com/2010/01/19/tales-from-a-d-c-school-kitchen/>
* that have become the standard school menu. Only when each and every
student has the unhindered opportunity to access the daily nourishment of
healthy foods will we be able to honestly claim that no children are being
left behind.

It is no longer a secret that the diet of America’s youth needs to radically
improve. Hunger, bad nutrition and obesity among children are leading causes
of health risks and often contribute to poor classroom performance. A *study
by Feeding 
America<http://feedingamerica.org/SiteFiles/child-economy-study.pdf>
* (pdf) asserts that “food insecurity and hunger, together with other
correlates of poverty, can dramatically alter the architecture of children’s
brains, making it impossible for them to fulfill their potential.” By
planting a garden at every school in America, we will ensure that every
child has the opportunity to benefit from eating more fresh healthy foods.
Let’s make 2010 the year that the *idea of universal school
gardening<http://www.change.org/ideas/view/good_food_for_all_kids_a_garden_at_every_school_2>
* takes off as a force for positive change in U.S. education!

*Ethan Genauer is a volunteer with Washington Youth Garden, helping to bring
garden science into DC classrooms. Before moving to DC in 2009, he lived in
New Mexico for several years, where he worked with sustainable community
farms and led activities to increase youth engagement with sustainable food
systems. **In addition to seeking your vote for school gardens in the
contest at 
Change.org<http://www.change.org/ideas/view/good_food_for_all_kids_a_garden_at_every_school_2>,
Ethan is inviting folks to join the new “School Gardens Across America”
group at Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=323041926571&ref=mf>
.*