Lupo Fiasco It's here a food revolution

Author: Kate Lupo

On March 19th, environmentally conscious individuals across campus found a wonderful surprise on the front page of The New York Times: a headline that read "Obamas to Plant Organic Garden at the White House."

According to The New York Times, First Lady Michelle Obama has created the new White House organic garden to "educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern." Furthermore, the article stated Obama's point of view that "growing more food locally, and organically, can lead to more healthful eating and reduce reliance on huge industrial farms that use more oil for transportation and chemicals for fertilizer."

As Michelle Obama broke ground on the South Lawn - in her unusually stylish gardening outfit - women around America watched closely. In many ways, Obama is setting an example for her female supporters to follow.

And yet, the domestic organic garden should not and will not be a specifically "female domain." Though it is Obama's project, the entire Obama family, including the President, will be expected to pull weeds at the White House garden "whether they like it or not." By involving her own family, local school children and other community members of Washington, D.C., Obama has made it clear that the garden is meant to be a project for people of both genders and of all ethnicities, ages and races.

The planting of the White House organic garden sends a powerful political and environmental message that our country may be on the cusp of a "Food Revolution" - a revolution that conjures visions of locally grown food, sustainable communities, farmer's markets and engaged citizens (both male and female) working together for a common purpose.

Even before Michelle Obama made organic gardening sexy, our very own Middlebury College Organic Garden has been churning out fresh greens for years. The garden currently sells all of its produce to Atwater Dining Hall, though the locally grown greens only account for a small fraction of the vegetables students consume during the year.

When it comes down to membership, Dan Kane, a past summer intern at the organic garden and a leader of the club, says that the garden "has a core group of around 20-30 people who participate that is made up of mostly girls