8/29/07
Today we walked around the Seattle P-Patches, the small community gardens that can be found all over the city. The other day we went to the university farm and learned about permaculture. I am amazed at the abundance of self-sustaining gardens that have sprung up all over the world in the most unlikely of places. Seeing all these gardens firsthand made me realize the drastic impact they will have in relinquishing our dependency on foreign oil. In both the Detroit Arcadia article by Rebecca Solnit and The Cuba Diet, by Bill Mckibben, the idea of full force community gardens came after a drastic social or political change. It is weird to think that the emergence of all these new gardens in such numbers is a statement of the times. One, which in a few years we will look back on and analyze. The notion that we, a technologically advanced civilization, are reverting back to the basics by using our hands to reap the benefits, is humbling. With time, maybe the world will be an all-around healthier place. Maybe obesity rates will drop as well as all the diseases that come with being overweight.
In a discussion regarding national cuisine, someone asked if we were bothered by the fact that America is known as the “fat” nation. America is all about efficiency, which in this day and age is synonymous with fast food. Let’s hope that this increasing interest in organic and local foods can symbolize a new era, a return to the outdoors and nature.