White House: Eat the View

Just in case there's some of y'all that haven't heard of this yet. I love the boldness. The pics make me smile. Nice, but with Obama's current trajectory, who knows?

http://www.eattheview.org/

regardless, this topic is bringing out all sorts of in-the-closet-would-be-victory-gardeners. My mom for instance (biological, not the recent amtrak activist) was recently heard saying. "People just don't know how to grow food anymore! We need food in every neighborhood! We need a block watch for people to organize themselves and take care of their needs!"

(if you knew my mom, you'd be equally blown away.)

Recent wise words at a food and justice conference in Seattle, from Sarita
Q: How will we tell people that local, sustainably grown food can feed us better than industrial ag? (or something like that)
A: Physical Tangible EDIBLE evidence!

I hadn't heard of this! too funny. wouldn't that be a superb statement to the country if they did it? maybe would help make self sufficiency a little more "trendy" considering the rock star status of obama. couldn't hurt.

I don't think they want self-sufficiency to be popular.  They've spent a lot of time and money in the last 100 years making us dependent on an very expensive government.

Obama seems to be just rhetoric --- I don't think his actions will indicate anything new in government.

Sue

I totally agree sue. it'll be the same song on a slightly different note. nobody wants to jeopardize their cushy made up job! it is a fun idea though.

What would be really great -- although it will never happen -- would be that the inmates at the White House could only eat food grown on the property.

Sue

it could happen


speaking of the president-to-be, hear this all permies: You know all those young folks, and others, first time to vote, to feel something, really excited to tears about getting this guy in office? Let's do all we can so that they don't get jaded when Obama inevitably disappoints them.

I am so bored of another group of jaded youth retreating to their hidey-holes and not giving a rats ass about the world outside.

I have a few things to say, and a few gardens to show them to, before apathy sets in. And though the phrase may be old to permaculturebella, well it's the first time I heard this permie motto. 'Don't petition, pass the peach'.

(though honestly, i'm a 'diversity of tactics' kind of gal. the above phrase has a nice ring to it)

I hadn't heard that motto! excellent. the older and wiser I get the more I realize the value of "passing the peach".  All the info and statistics in the world aren't as motivational as an experience that drives the point home.

Yeah that is so true.  Pass the Frost Peach in Western WA!  Young folks today are part of the entitlement generation.  We think we are entitled to getting our butts wiped.  And right now we have obama's face printed on our teepee.  I have a ton of friends who say "all my friends call me a hippie, I love it, yay Obama!"  Lets celebrate by getting a new tattoo of a friggin peace sign.  That did a lot for mama earth.  70 bucks that could have bought 3 peach trees! 

I will stop now.

Sometimes there are other ways to get your own way.  I'm near the end of Alcohol Can Be a Gas by David Blume (2007, International Institute for Ecological Agriculture), and he tells about how back in the '70s, he and some others looked into the regulations of beverage production.  They discovered that there was a section for a simplified license for 'experimental distilleries', which looked like a way for small distillers of alcohol to legally produce.  When several of them applied, they were brushed off. 

"So The Mother Earth News and other magazines wrote about alcohol, the immoral busts, and the experimental permit, and encouraged people to apply for the license.  Although no one knows the exact count for sure, best estimates are that over a quarter-million people sent in requests -- and there were only two BATF clerks assigned to process permits.

"When the experimental permit requests were answered, the applicants were told to post a $10,000 bond.  The permit, which required frequent renewal, didn't allow you to sell or give away your fuel and required poisoning the alcohol with chemicals that would actually damage your engine.  When people got this news back from BATF, most folks took their permit and bond applications and burned them under their stills.

"Spurred by public outcry, several members of Congress got into the act, insisting that the BATF cooperate with the budding fuel producers.  Several changes took place:  The government lowered the permit fee to #100 and then finally did away with it altogether.  The bond fee for small plants was dropped, and bonds on medium plants were made quite reasonable.

"It's also legal now to sell or give away your alcohol, as long as it's denatured.  The present denaturing formula requires two gallons of gasoline or diesel to be added to each 100 gallons of alcohol..."

In Chapter 26, he also outlines the steps you can take to convince your local planning commission to issue you a permits. 

He also tells of another distiller/farmer who dug a pond with his bulldozer and put his still on a floating platform made from joists and air-filled 55-gallon drums.  As a "boat", neither the building inspector nor the fire marshall had jurisdiction over his operation. 

Another suggestion was to attach your tank of alcohol on a couple of cheap axles and wheels, making a tank trailer, which puts your tank beyond the jurisdiction of the fire dept. and under that of the highway patrol, which can't do anything unless you take it onto a road, which you wouldn't be doing.

Think and connive.

Sue

ooooh I love conniving. those are great ideas. I wonder if it would fly if you set up a still on an indian reservation.

If you were Native, possibly.  But the rules that govern Native Sovereign Immunity (from prosecution) are rather specific.  I believe that if a special law for Natives says you are immune from certain things due to certain reasons, you CAN be prosecuted if what you're doing are on the list.  Murder, for instance:  Native Sovereign Immunity protects the tribe from being sued if they treat their non-Native employees like dirt, but if they murder one of them, that's against the law, even for them, and they can't hide behind NSI.

Sue

Only natives are allowed to spear fish salmon in western WA.  But any old feller can gig a frog.  Don't even need a hunting or fishing license.

it prob wouldn't work. my thoughts just go with the indian casinos around here. gambling is illegal but the tribes are exempt. sure alot of non tribal peoples gambling there! not quite the same though. 

Did you hear that this is happening?! It was in the NY Times yesterday: Michelle Obama is having fifth graders help her dig up the white house lawn for over 50 kinds of veggies and berries. Her goal is to educate kids, who will tell their families and then have growing healthy food spread to the communities.

Of course, it could be political pressure, and/or presidential policy wonks that have asked the first lady to step in and say this is her project, or maybe this is truly what she wants to do. In any case, it's a cool thing if you ask me!

Eat The View is celebrating and has thank you links. 

And here is the first shoveful of sod being removed: