Sustainability has many definitions and approaches. But I feel in order for the global world to be sustainable, we individually need to take steps in being sustainable. Sustainability as a whole cannot thrive without personal change. One important change is growing your own garden.
From freedomgardens.org,
Presently we are faced with a future that will be fraught with fuel scarcity, rising food cost and environmental implications. As the world encounters hard times – there will be need for practical and back to basics solutions.
Freedom Gardens is growing beyond victory garden a food security movement person to person, blog to blog, neighbor to neighbor. Whether you have a balcony garden, community garden or your own backyard garden this new online social networking community is where you can gather, grow and share.
Fuel prices keep increasing, which in turn causes food prices to increase resulting from higher transportation costs. With a weakened economy, eventually these costs with catch up with us and cause an increase in food security issues on a personal level.
Somehow along the way many of us have lost the connection with the land. Many of our grandparents or great-grandparents were farmers but we personally have no idea how to grow a tomato. Our generation (Generation Y and Z) is lost when it comes to how food is grown but this needs to change. We need to bring back the home gardens, bring back the freedom gardens.
Freedom gardens represent: a modern gardening era/movement resulting in efforts to become free of foreign oil, corporate controls, contamination, and food miles. (freedomgardens.org)
I personally started my own garden last year and it was a complete and utter failure. But I read you needed to give it at least two years, so again this summer a garden was planted. This time, it was a success. Tomatoes and zucchini are still growing. Next summer I plan to expand the garden and set up a community crop share (but not this complex), in hopes of getting a wider variety of produce for the same amount of work.
So I urge everyone to try and grow his or her own garden. Even if you live in an apartment, fresh herbs and tomatoes are easy to grow off of a balcony. Or if you live in Denver or another urban area there are community gardens you can get a plot in and start planting.
By taking this little step, you are making a big difference in your personal sustainability.
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