School gardens -- A great idea?

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

 

I volunteer as a school garden teacher ... and I believe that organic school

gardens are one of the best solutions to improve our youth's health,

education and future. I am excited to let you know about an amazing

opportunity this week for you to take action to increase the impact of

school gardens all across America.

 

That's why I'm urging you to *VOTE THIS WEEK ONLY* *to win a national

campaign for school gardens! *In the 2010 * " Ideas for Change in

America " *contest, the idea

* " Good Food For All Kids: A Garden at Every School " *is currently competing

to win.

*

PLEASE VOTE NOW* for " Good Food For All Kids: A Garden at Every School " in

the 2010 " Ideas for Change in America " contest.

 

*Go to http://change.org/ideas to vote for the idea of universal school

gardens at

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/good_food_for_all_kids_a_garden_at_every_school\

_2

*

 

There are only TWO days left to vote for a sustainable food future through

school gardens: Voting ends Friday, March 12th! The top 10 ideas are

winners, and after more than one week of voting, " *A Garden at Every School "

* has an excellent chance! In order to win, it's essential for *EVERYONE* to

*VOTE ONCE* in this poll and advise more people in your community to

participate in this vote.

 

Winning ideas will then be launched as national grassroots campaigns!

 

*Please vote today and pass along to your friends:

www.change.org/ideas/view/good_food_for_all_kids_a_garden_at_every_school_2<http\

://www.facebook.com/l/0ee63;www.change.org/ideas/view/good_food_for_all_kids_a_g\

arden_at_every_school_2>

(or a shorter link to pass on):

www.tinyurl.com/schoolgardens<http://www.facebook.com/l/0ee63;tinyurl.com/school\

gardens>

*

*

Please vote for this vision:* " By planting a garden at every school in

America, we will ensure that every young person has the opportunity to

benefit from eating more fresh healthy foods. A well-planned edible

schoolyard can supply a significant portion of a school's daily food needs.

By cultivating a garden together, children learn vital skills in team work,

problem solving, creative planning, and sustainable living. Garden-based

classes are a great way to complement classroom education in many subjects

including biology, botany, ecology, mathematics, nutrition, art, and

writing. Most importantly, gardening is fun for youth! School gardens can

dramatically enliven the learning process by giving students the ability to

connect in a very experiential and hands-on way with the incredible living

world unfolding all around them. The diet of America's youth needs to

improve. Hunger, bad nutrition and obesity among children are leading causes

of health risks and often contribute to poor classroom performance. For all

of these reasons and many more, let's support the vision for a garden

growing at every school in America! "

 

The originator of this idea for a garden at every school in America is Ethan

Genauer, a 30 year-old school gardening teacher in Washington, DC. The

mission of " School Gardens Across America " is to coalesce a national

" universal school gardening " movement that will plant a large number of new

school gardens across the United States in Spring 2010, leading to a garden

planted at every US school within this decade.

 

Thanks so much for your vote in the " Ideas for Change in America "

competition.

 

Please forward this on to any other folks who may be interested in

supporting the universal growth of school gardens.

 

Congratulations for participating in food democracy!

 

Sincerely,

Ethan Genauer