Gene Baur's Bloggings

Power to the People

We are witnessing a nascent interest in green living as yesterday’s Earth Day celebrations and other activities attest. But, green living needs to be more than a slogan absent of real change. We should each seek to adjust our habits and lifestyles to lighten our load on the planet, and the single most impactful choice we make is how we decide to eat. Choosing a vegan lifestyle and supporting Farmer’s Markets, community gardens and other sustainable food systems can make a world of difference. 

Earlier this year, I was very happy to see Tom Vilsack, the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) break pavement near USDA headquarters in Washington, DC to establish “The People’s Garden.” On Earth Day, he expanded the effort “to promote healthy food, people and communities across the nation.” 

The USDA press release says: “In response to the overwhelming public support and hundreds of letters the 'People's Garden' concept has received, Secretary Vilsack challenged USDA facilities around the world to plant their own 'People's Gardens.' Let’s keep expressing our appreciation to USDA for setting a good example and promoting healthful plant-based eating with ‘The People’s Garden.’

Cracks in the Wall

Our entrenched industrialized farming system needs to be reformed, both through combating inhumane and harmful practices, and through promoting better alternatives.

I recently visited Michigan State University (M.S.U.), a Land Grant institution with a long agricultural history. It was established in the mid 19th century and helped inspire President Abraham Lincoln to create the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the 1860s. Michigan State has done a lot to promote industrialized animal agriculture in recent decades, but there is something else very positive beginning to happen on campus. Students and volunteers have created a popular ten acre organic farm at M.S.U.. They produce fresh greens all year round, even during the freezing Michigan winter! The organic farm provides food on campus and it runs a Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA) that has a long waiting list of customers hungry to invest.

From Michigan, I travelled to California and spent several days with my friends at the City of 10,000 Buddhas in Ukiah. Besides promoting compassionate plant-based eating, the group operates a veganic farm that grows food without using animal manure, bone meal, blood meal, or other slaughterhouse byproducts. (Click here for more on veganic farming.) The farms’ harvest supplies a vegetarian restaurant and a cafeteria on campus. Around Ukiah I also met people who are producing their own food, often growing fruits and vegetables to be shared and traded with neighbors. Finally, while in California, I learned that Maria Shriver (Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s wife) is following Michelle Obama’s example and planting a garden at the capitol to grow healthy plant foods.

These are all small things amid the massive field of factory farming abuses, but each step is very positive, and taken together they are helping to build serious momentum for the kind of change we need on farms across the U.S. As Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Each of us, every day, can take steps to be part of the solution through our food choices.