Mayor Bloomberg it is time for a garden in front of City Hall!

http://www.PeoplesGardenNYC.org 

Sign the Petition to let Mayor Bloomberg know that it's time for a vegetable garden at City Hall!

Sign this petition to have a garden outside City Hall in NYC!

February 19, 2010, 10:30 AM
Plans for Real Growth at City Hall By KIM SEVERSON, NYTimes

A garden on the White House lawn is one thing, but organic vegetables growing outside New York’s City Hall? That could be a much tougher sell.

Still, the people behind a new effort are undaunted.

“The hope is that a vegetable garden can be planted in front of City Hall in time for a nice tomato harvest this summer,” said Daniel Bowman Simon, who is organizing a petition drive to hand over to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

The petition says: “This garden will represent New Yorkers’ commitment to education, public service, healthy eating, and environmental stewardship. This garden will be tended by NYC public school students, in collaboration with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and our region’s talented gardeners and farmers. The harvest will be donated to a nearby food pantry to feed the hungry.”

It might seem that Mr. Simon is just another sustainable food fan with a dream, but he has a track record. Almost as soon as Barack Obama was elected president, Mr. Simon began a petition to have an organic garden planted on the White House lawn. About 15,000 people signed it, including several well-known chefs.

Of course, the first lady planted a garden for lots of reasons, but the petition probably didn’t hurt the cause. And now Mr. Simon, a graduate of New York University who is working on a masters in urban planning, believes he can lead a similar effort in his hometown.

“New York City likes to be ahead of the curve, but following the first lady’s good example would suit New York just fine,” he said. And he says he thinks it fits in nicely with Mrs. Obama’s recent anti-obesity campaign called Let’s Move.

Several other cities, including Baltimore; Milwaukee; and Portland, Ore., have put various kinds of vegetables gardens in front of their city halls. In New York, the idea is to plant raised beds in the paved area right in front of City Hall that is kept empty largely for security purposes. The area is between the City Council parking lot and the western steps of City Hall.

“We’re just asking that a tiny little slice of concrete be turned into a bountiful, beautiful symbol of what is right in this city and the world,” Mr. Simon said.

The timing might actually be good, in terms of political support.

The Manhattan borough president, Scott M. Stringer, just released “FoodNYC: A Blueprint for a Sustainable Food System.” The report, developed from a gathering of experts in agriculture, nutrition and environmental sciences held in December, was put together with the help of the nonprofit organization Just Food.

It lists a wide range of goals, from reducing plastic bottles and food waste to mandating a food curriculum for public schoolchildren and offering meatless Mondays in school cafeterias.

The document also makes a case for improving local food systems and supporting urban agriculture. And what could be more local and more urban than a garden at New York City Hall?

The White House needs Happy Chickens #HCWH10

http://301.to/hhb

Please feel free to pass along this petition to all of your friends [:^

CLICK HERE to sign the petition

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Open Letter to The White House Garden

Dear President Obama, Mrs. Obama, Sasha, Malia, White House Executive Chef Comerford and Kass,

I am so happy that you have a White House Garden and White House bees. It is really inspiring. One thing though. You are missing something. Happy chickens. I believe that adding a small chicken coop to the White House Garden would provide you and your chefs with tasty, nutritious eggs and I am sure all of you would love the hens. Aside from super tasty eggs, the hens could help "weed" and fertilize your garden and hoop houses. I let a few of my hens into the garden and they like to eat the weeds and it is really fun to listen to them march around the garden while I am working. Actually they are all really hysterical. I have one hen Paprika who is The Boss. I do whatever she says. They all have very diverse, interesting and different personalities. I have some shy chickens, some bossy and some very outgoing.

For the White House Garden I would recommend about a dozen hens. If all goes well most days you'd go out to the coop and have a dozen eggs! Collecting the eggs is awesome, I actually think it is sort of like treasure hunting. Somehow, despite the fact that I have had hens for 4 years now, I still find collecting the eggs really exciting. A few of my hens lay blue eggs. Yup, blue. They are called Americaunas (also Arucaunas). Obviously there are many interesting breeds to consider for the White House Garden. I would also choose one heritage breed hen and focus on that one breed - Orpingtons. While I didn't do that myself when starting out, I have learned that this is a good thing to do. If you do have your good egg laying hens you could then spice up your flock with a few fancies. This is what I have done in the past and it has worked out well because I still get very tasty eggs but whenever people come to see my birds there jaws always drop with amazement and are naturally more interested in chickens. There are many great fancy breeds such as Polishes, Hamburgs, Cochins, Sultans, Sumatras, Silkies, Modern Games and many more. Those are better when acquired after the farmer has had chickens. Heritage breeds are all reflected in The Standard of Perfection, the American Poultry Association's book of pure breeds, they are breeds that have been around forever. In fact, there are many Heritage breeds that are actually very rare, so it is worthwhile to try and help these breeds.

There are many details about keeping chickens that we can discuss later - the coop, the food, perching, dust bathing, health. There are many people who know a lot more than I do so we can ask them for some advice too. I wish I knew everything, but I don't. What I do know is that eggs from happy chickens will make you happy, the chefs happy, your garden happy, and honestly me too. 

There is a bit of confusion currently whether chickens are legal in DC, however, officials in the mayor's office say there is currently no law prohibiting raising chickens within city limits if residents follow guidelines on proper animal care and shelter. Washington D.C. Section 902 of the Animal Control Code requires hens to be 50 ft. from any residence.

Thank you for reading this letter, I sure hope you will consider this. It is bound to make the White House Organic Garden very happy.

Sincerely,
Orren Fox
@happychickens

The White House Hoop House - from Civil Eats

"This winter, the First Lady can take it one step further. Eating from the garden doesn’t only have to be limited to March-October. Michelle Obama is in a perfect position to show us that local food is possible outside of the summer months, no matter where you live. She can bring the country’s attention to the creative ways that people like Eliot Coleman and Will Allen manage to grow food in all four seasons."

Originally published at Slow Food USA

What's with The WHO Farm? (MTV)

The Whofarm.org - AWESOME

"TheWhoFarmMobile is two school buses fused together with an organic edible garden on the roof. It was originally designed by Stefan Sagmeister and Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s, built by Tom Kennedy, and named Topsy Turvy. TheWhoFarm acquired the bus, ripped off the roof and planted an organic edible garden. TheWhoFarmMobile traveled across the big country to visit schools, farms, food pantries, farmers’ markets, and festivals in 25 states and the District of Columbia in an effort to inform the nation of TheWhoFarm and our petition."