And about that White House lawn...Kitchen Gardeners say Eat the View

August 13, 2:51 PMGardening ExaminerRobin Ripley

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While the Democrats and Republicans are debating weighty issues over cocktails and bratwurst, I wonder how many will consider where the food they're woofing down is from? I don't mean which fancy restaurant. I mean how far away that food was trucked, shipped or flown to grace their bountiful tables.

At the Democratic National Convention there will probably be a few delegates who stop for a second or two to think about it since the Dems have made a high-profile effort to corral their grumbling caterers to actually think about where the food they're cooking is from. I have heard of no similar initiative on the part of the Republicans. (Correct me if I missed that news story, please.)

But after Senator Obama or Senator McCain or Senator Surprise Winner takes office, there is another weighty issue right outside the oval office window--the White House lawn.

There is an effort afoot to replace the expansive, green White House lawn with a more environmentally-friendly and useful landscape--an edible landscape. Cleverly enough, the campaign is called Eat the View.

Replacing the lawn with productive crops that can be used at the White House or donated to local shelters and community groups would set a positive example for the rest of Americans. Eat the View is another effort to encourage Americans to think about where our foods are from and to make informed decisions about food sources. Since many of the foods that are heaped on the shelves and cooling cases at our local grocery stores are grown in places far, far away--and often in other countries--it takes tremendous amounts of energy to transport them to our neighborhood stores.

Growing, processing and distributing foods closer to home is a part of the larger sustainability movement.  Even if all of your foods can't be obtained from local sources, locavores, people who embrace and practice the idea of eating local foods, say that you can increase the quantity of locally grown foods by growing your own or by patronizing farm stands and other local sources.

Eat the View is an initiative Kitchen Gardeners International, a non-profit network of more than 6,000 gardeners from 100 countries. Their goal is to inspire and teach more people to grow some of their own food. The campaign is designed to encourage people, governments and organizations to plant edible, healthy landscapes in high-profile places.

So what about it, Senator McCain? Senator Obama? Are you ready to Eat the View if you become president?

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To learn more about local foods, try one of these great books:

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, by Barbara Kingsolver, Richard A. Houser and Steven L. Hopp
• The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan
• Slow Food Revolution: A New Culture for Dining and Living, by Carlo Petrini, Gigi Padovani, Francesco Santovetti