I think it's encouraging when I hear about people planting gardens in odd spots. I think they are great for the community and we really need to expose our children to the Real World of our planet's ecosystems.
Even the rich are doing it. An article in today's Times talks about a prep school in Delaware that has started a garden. The students do the work, they use the food in the cafeteria and include it in the science curriculum.
Call me crazy, but I think every school in America should do this and that includes the high schools. It can be part of vocational training (gardening, farming, cooking, etc.), science (soil science, food science, biology, ecosystems...). I would even go so far as to suggest working in the garden should be a requirement. This can be flexible, obviously, for disabled students, but nearly everyone should be able to do something. There's also the benefit of getting the kids outdoors. We never get too old to need that.
Think of the fun: the kids plant some seeds, grow a plant, harvest it, cook it and eat it. When they go home and see the box of Hamburger Helper, don't you imagine they're going to start asking Mom and Dad why they can't eat Real Food? Like they do at school?
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