On the website of the People’s Garden NYC, New York’s stately City Hall building is depicted with a brightly colored vegetable garden in front of it being worked by happy school children. When I first saw the picture, I thought it was real. It turns out the “photo” is an artist’s rendering, and the garden is only a fantasy, but it’s a dream that could become a reality, like the now famous organic vegetable garden on the White House lawn. If enough people sign the petition on the People’s Garden website asking Mayor Bloomberg to put in a public vegetable garden, it just might happen.
The idea of a produce garden at City Hall might seem silly at first, but the People’s Garden project is an effort to achieve something like what Michelle Obama has done in the nation’s capital, that is, create a teaching garden where children can learn about healthy eating and the source of fresh produce by growing it themselves. The First Lady has brought our national epidemic of childhood obesity, disease, and lack of affordable nutritious food for kids to the forefront. Many kids live in neighborhoods where fresh produce isn’t available, or they are so far removed from where food actually comes from that they honestly believe it originates at the supermarket, rather than growing out of the soil. It’s both sad and a bit scary that so many of us have lost our connection with one of life’s most fundamental building blocks-namely, where food comes from.
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Because we want all future generations of kids to start their life’s journey in good health, and to help them maintain it through proper eating habits, the idea of an urban garden in a high-profile setting like City Hall makes a lot of sense. In a time when poor nutrition and food scarcity are on the rise, the goal of helping kids to learn the connection between food and health seems worthwhile. Here are some reasons I think a public easy-to-access teaching garden for school children is an exciting idea:
- It would teach kids about the cycles of the seasons and how to grow their own food in a very direct, hands-on way, so that they understand which vegetables and fruits grow at what time of year; important knowledge in an era when transporting goods across the world and the country may become unrealistic with rising fuel costs
- By deepening their connection to the growing process, the garden would help to get kids more excited about eating fresh, healthy food, rather than the calorie- and chemical-laden chips and soda that are so cheap and widely available
- In the spirit of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to combat childhood obesity, a teaching garden would provide an excellent way for kids to improve their health through outdoor exercise, especially for those in schools where Physical Education has been eliminated due to budget cuts
- Many Americans, including New Yorkers, are going hungry, and the fresh produce from a public garden would be a small but important source of healthy, natural food for people in homeless shelters or otherwise in need
- A public garden would help to beautify the city
Some cities already have their own City Hall produce gardens, such as Milwaukee, Baltimore(see photo up top), and Portland, Ore. What do you think about putting a garden at City Hall, in New York or elsewhere?
To learn more about the People’s Garden NYC project, see their website
Rendering and photo from the People’s Garden NYC website.
03.03.10 @ 7:47 pm
so beautiful it refreshes me just looking at it. i hope a few years from now we all have our own hanging gardens in our fire escapes. lush greenness all over the city is what we NEED. to breathe in and eat and visually enjoy.
03.03.10 @ 7:48 pm
We should definitely go through with this. Not only would it feed the hungry but it would provide much needed green space to the Wall Street area. Daniel is doing a great job on this and I know as soon as it is created it will be a HUGE success.
03.03.10 @ 7:48 pm
not only do we need these types of gardens at public offices, we need them everywhere!!
03.03.10 @ 7:49 pm
What a great way for the Mayor to show his support for food security and sustainability in New York City! I hope the idea goes through, along with a commitment to making sure all New Yorkers have access to affordable, healthy food.
03.03.10 @ 7:53 pm
This is a great idea that’s just waiting to happen - and it CAN happen, just as the White House Organic Farm idea happened! teaching kids in a visible spot about good food and how it’s grown is something we all need to get involved with. Thank you for doing this!
03.03.10 @ 8:07 pm
I cannot help but smile at the idea of a fresh veggie garden in front of City Hall. What an incredible way to dig back to NYC’s roots of farming and gardening!
(its true: http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/parks_history/gardens/farm.html)
In a new era of focusing efforts on tackling childhood obesity, a vegetable garden is the perfect way to publicly show a commitment to creating a healthier New York. Encouraging children’s learning through hands-on gardening and developing partnerships with public school students can inspire a generation!!
Sign the petition urging Mayor Bloomberg to step forward and help the people plant a vegetable garden in front of City Hall, bringing New York City back to its healthy and homegrown roots. (not to mention make City Hall a little easier on the eyes, no?!)
03.03.10 @ 8:22 pm
I am a teacher from Brooklyn and I think this is a great idea. So do my students. Thanks Rachael Ray for getting the word out.
03.03.10 @ 9:26 pm
I agree that the rendering of a vegetable garden in front of city hall looks realistic–it seems like the most natural use of the space. Yes, it would require maintenance and funds, but it would be a great way for us all (young and old) to learn more about the source of food. This would also be a place for us to see interconnectedness in the community–the links between those planting and harvesting with those being nourished by the fruits of the labor. What a good symbol of unity!
03.03.10 @ 10:19 pm
Yes! Let’s make this happen.
03.03.10 @ 10:57 pm
Putting a produce garden at City Hall as well as other public locations throughout the City would go a long way towards helping New Yorkers understand that garden fresh food can be locally grown and enjoyed.
In many cities across America, public spaces such a library and school lawns are being converted to food gardens. Often, following the harvest of the crops, garden managers often use the AmpleHarvest.org site to find a local food pantry eager for the produce.
New York City can do the same.
03.03.10 @ 11:35 pm
Thanks for featuring this. It is really important work that can and will impact NYC tremendously!
03.04.10 @ 12:06 am
I think it’s a great idea. I’m a New Yorker, and I live near City Hall. Mayor Bloomberg could set a very good example by planting the garden, but that is just a start, we need to explore ways of turning empty lots and rooftops into gardens as well.
03.04.10 @ 8:41 am
Great article and I would love to see a community garden at City Hall in New York. Healthy, sustainable food is something we all need to survive and it would be great to see Mayor Bloomberg follow in the footsteps of the White House and be proactive in helping make this happen.
In a city surrounded by concrete, a community garden at City Hall would be a great resource to teach kids, provide food, create green space and emphasize the importance of a healthy, sustainable food supply. And Spring is right around the corner!
Sign the petition by following the link in the article above or check out the main website here:
http://www.peoplesgardennyc.org
03.04.10 @ 9:05 am
New Yorkers are so excited about this idea! The city has been growing greener and greener as people grow food in their local community gardens, on their rooftops, windows, and fire escapes. Why better way to show support for the mayor’s environmental initiatives? There are so many great reasons to grow a garden in front of City Hall.
03.04.10 @ 9:42 am
I commend People’s Garden NYC for taking on this daunting task. With political scandals swirling and politicians digging their heels in and avoiding controversial causes, People’s Garden needs all our help. A garden like this is such a more positive approach to the prevention of diseases like obesity and diabetes, especially in children, than the negative and fraught with socio-economic landmines approach of taxation of sugary drinks and caloric disclosure at fast food joints. Encouraging healthy eating through healthy means like this garden even promotes healthy body image and self-confidence by not tying food to negativity and punishment. Support People’s Garden NYC!
03.04.10 @ 1:24 pm
This is exactly what we need to see more of… with the sorry state of affairs in New York politics this is the type of action that benefits everyone and can give New Yorkers a true sense of pride. Good for People’s Garden NYC for working towards this noble goal!
03.04.10 @ 1:35 pm
I think this is one of the coolest concepts I have seen in a while. To give kids in an urban environment to have the chance to garden, plant, maintain, or just be exposed to a project like this would go a VERY long way. Not only would they learn about the environment, but their knowledge would carry on into the future, and they could share with friends/family, hopefully spawning other projects in the city. NYC is literally becoming greener, and it’s really cool to see it firsthand. GET THIS GOING!!!!
03.04.10 @ 1:50 pm
I think what’s really exciting about this project is the visibility and symbolism is promotes, in regards to healthy eating and community involvement. This really is a grassroots movement, even with the First Lady on its side. It takes each community and each individual to activily decide to choose local, simply grown, fresh foods over the (now) more accessible and cost-efficient options out there. NYC is such a face for this nation and world; lets give it something beautiful to look at!
03.04.10 @ 3:44 pm
I think this is so relevant, necessary and the timing could not be better for this project to materialize. Go Daniel - you make me proud to know you!
03.05.10 @ 4:48 pm
Great Story
04.09.10 @ 11:30 am
So while pricing out wood for my garden I was shocked with how much I was going to have to spend so My mind went on a jouney. I had an idea but would it would. Could I get things for free and spend less than $150.00 . Guess what I did. I called less swab and They will give me as many tires as I want. This replaces the wood and that cost. Free tires to plant my garden in. I will need to my gate , soil and as my friend who has lived on a farm for most of there lives can help get a full sprinkel sytem up and running for less than $50.00.. This just might work. I pick up tires today and next week. I will have a full garden running in two weeks..So here come my project thats long over due. Wish me luck
05.21.10 @ 3:19 pm
This is a great idea. I know where I live we have several community vegetable gardens and it really does help to bring people together. We can really appreciate what goes into making a garden prosper. Way to go New York.