Target: United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Goal: Start a campaign to grow victory gardens throughout the country.
American turf lawns are a massive waste of resources that result in ecological dead zones. In an era defined by forest fires, insect apocalypse, and dying rivers, we can’t afford to keep dumping trillions of gallons of water, billions of gallons of gasoline, and millions of pounds of fertilizer into unproductive, uniform, and unnatural manicured grass. At the same time, homelessness is visibly on the rise in major cities, with thousands spending the majority of their time looking for a safe place to take shelter or roaming the streets in search of food.
Fortunately, we can work on both problems at the same time, and we don’t even need to reinvent the wheel to do it. During World War 2, the Department of Agriculture mobilized the American people to transform their lawns into “victory gardens” that grew about a third of all of the vegetables produced in the United States. Our lawns are a sleeping giant, and with concerted effort, our suburbs could become a breadbasket for the whole country, providing an extra level of national security, revitalizing our ecosystems, and easily supporting neighbors in need.
The Victory Garden Initiative in Milwaukee has installed thousands of vegetable gardens throughout the city which it uses in turn to feed thousands of people. These results are incredible and ought to be implemented on a national scale, just like the original victory garden movement.
Sign this petition to support an initiative which would improve food security and stave off climate change while building up local communities with a renewed appreciation for our relationship to nature and the food we eat.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Tom Vilsack,
Thank you for your hard work and vision while working in the Department of Agriculture, as you’ve aimed towards an America built on local food, equitable communities, and greater security. You have demonstrated through your leadership of multiple food banks that you care deeply about hunger in this country.
We are in an increasingly precarious situation in regards to a surge in climate catastrophe and homelessness. There is a historic solution that can help alleviate the pain of both of these problems. The National Victory Garden campaign during World War 2 was one of the most astounding successes of the USDA in its entire history, with the tonnage of fruits and vegetables grown in home and community plots rivaling commercial fruit and vegetable production at its height.
Just as in World War 2, we face an existential threat to our country. Turf lawns are an ecological disaster, yet also a sleeping giant that could emerge as a breadbasket for the entire nation. Once more we must inspire our people with a campaign to grow victory gardens throughout the nation, this time to protect ourselves from the ravages of drought, supply chain disruption, and ecological collapse. We need a new victory garden campaign.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: US War Food Administration
Grass lawns should be BANNED EVERYWHERE NOW. They serve no useful purpose, are a drain on dwindling water supplies, their maintenance requirements include both fertilizers and toxic chemicals that leach into the land and water, harming or killing countless living beings. Use the land for good, to grow needed food.