Ever the over-thinking type, I've been grappling with the idea of whether or not I should have created a more global-themed VG blog. After all, this site has already had visitors from Montenegro, South Africa, Chile, India, Australia and Canada (as well as most states). I'm certainly not at all opposed to international efforts to spur VGs as means to address food and fuel security issues. And I'm also well aware that we Americans actually picked up the VG notion in WWI from our Allies. Moreover, in comparison to much of the rest of the planet and with all due respect to folks here at home who struggle to eat, we Americans have it relatively well when it comes to food (quality is, of course, another issue).
And yet, right now, I think there are some very good reasons why we Americans should focus on the homefront for a bit.
For starters, it is in part our virulent consumerist mindset that has gotten us all into trouble in the first place. We Americans tend to regard food and fuel as limitless in abundance and pretty much all there for us to gobble up. Thankfully, that POV is being chipped away at, thanks to people like Al Gore, bipartisan commercials from Al Gore's We Can Solve It initiative and, most recently, an eye-opening CNN special (We Were Warned).That we have both Republicans and Democrats beginning to talk about climate issues in a mature, thoughtful fashion is such a huge step forward.
But we still have a long way to go here stateside. And certainly before we start lecturing the world about what they should do in the face of climate change and fuel and food shortages (and you just know that we will...heck, we probably already are...), I think it'd be smart for us to take a look at our own backyards and patios and how we spend our leisure time and see if we Americans can get a little creative. For the amount of time it takes to watch a B rate movie, we could buy and pot some tomatoes. For the amount of money that many of us toss at celeb-centric mags in our weekly shopping spree, we could purchase some pepper plants. Get the picture? We need to start redefining patriotism as less about war-mongering and flag pins and buying non-essential stuff and more about taking care of ourselves, much as our ancestors did. VGs can be a great place to start living with that kind of intention.
Besides, when it comes to inspiring people to follow our lead, it always seems that leading by example is first and foremost the most persuasive argument.
All that said...to our international gardening friends who visit here...you are always welcome to visit and post at RW&G. The site is American-centric...but the core spirit is to help us all be the change that we wish to see in the world.
For Further Exploration:
• Kitchen Gardeners International is the place to connect internationally on the web. It's a 501 (c)3 non-profit group based in Maine with all kinds of terrific resources. For more about KGI's important mission, click here. For an overview of their recent MSM/alt media mentions, see this page.
• Very nice recent post by scholar Rose Hayden-Smith that relates to my remarks above, I think. I discovered it after this post went up, but I really appreciate the way that she defines patriotism in relation to VGs:
Victory Gardens showcase patriotism in its truest sense, with each of us taking personal responsibility for doing our individual part to create a healthy, fair and affordable food system.
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