Alice Waters, restaurateur and local-food crusader, has a secret she wants to share with all of us: Children can be taught to eat right. And her passion for fresh and healthy foods runs a straight course from her legendary California restaurant, Chez Panisse, to our nation's capital. In late June of this year, visitors to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., beheld a sight not usually associated with this historic meeting place- a thriving organic vegetable garden. The event taking place was the 10-day Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the Edible Schoolyard model garden was growing right there to shine a light on Alice's two favorite causes: supporting sustainable agriculture and improving the eating habits and health of school-age children. And just what is an edible schoolyard? Back in Berkeley, California, a 1-acre organic garden at the Martin Luther King Junior Middle School serves as an outdoor classroom to the school's nearly 1,000 students. There, the kids learn not only the standard curriculum of science, history, and geography but also stewardship of the land and the value of locally grown food. Students experience firsthand where our food comes from. By growing, harvesting, and preparing what they reap, they get a taste of real "fast food"- picked fresh and eaten just steps away from where it grew. The rewards of school gardens reach into every area of a child's life, and not the least of these rewards is the physical and mental well-being that you know comes from working in harmony with nature. Waters has a big vision for the Edible Schoolyard project: full participation by every student. Bringing her cause from the West Coast to the capital is part of Waters's fight to expose our legislators and educators on a national scale to a program that will well serve the entire country's school-age population. She met with officials from the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as senators and representatives who came down from Capitol Hill to enjoy lively conversation and a summer lunch at a picnic table set up at one end of the garden. While the Capitol Hill grown-ups dined on a garden-grown meal prepared in the outdoor kitchen by Waters's staff, children with their parents and grandparents or school groups roamed through the raised beds. Corn, tomatoes, onions, okra, and other vegetables stood at attention under the scrutiny of curious eyes, with some children sneaking a taste along the way of the cherry tomatoes or blueberries, stopping in wonderment at the tiny espaliered apple trees growing in one bed. Stately sunflowers and olive trees framed the bucolic scene, while under a sheltering gazebo visitors gathered to hear speakers such as Cathrine Sneed, founder and director of the Garden Project, a ground-breaking prison gardening program based in San Francisco. Despite the intense heat, spirited discussions and a nonstop exchange of information made Waters's case all the more urgent- people of every age and from every walk of life got excited about the value of school gardening. But a garden does not appear overnight, and this one needed some last-minute coaxing to appear as lush as possible during the 10 days of the Folklife Festival. Though seeds were started early in the Smithsonian's greenhouse, benign neglect and hot weather took a toll that had Waters calling for help by mobilizing the troops of devoted organic gardeners who are part of her nationwide network of friends and colleagues. Last-minute resources, both physical and financial, saved the day. Nurseries in the area lent trees, young gardeners from the Yale Sustainable Food Project arrived to work, and Waters's staff pitched in on all fronts. With the support of Rodale Inc. (OG's parent company), landscape designer Jon Carloftis traveled to D.C. for a week, bringing with him the decorative objects that added a personal touch to the garden, as well as the ability to coax every plant to shine. By the time opening day came, the garden was ready for its close-up. Everyone was warmly welcomed to the model garden by Kelsey Siegal, originally an AmeriCorps volunteer and now manager of the Edible Schoolyard back in California. Siegal oversees two to three classes a day of up to 30 students. The children rotate between the garden and the kitchen, spending double periods working as a group. They enjoy eating from the vine or working in the kitchen to prepare the day's harvest from beginning to end- "educating with the senses," as Alice Waters describes the process. What makes it work, Siegal believes, is the collaboration among the community, the school administration, the students, the teachers, and the garden educators that feed this natural learning environment. So what is next for the Edible Schoolyard? Waters looks to the state and federal governments as well as foundations for the support to back her program. She believes that we can address the present issues in our schools by creating a better environment and healthier children. These young stewards will take their newfound skills and knowledge into their adult lives, influencing others as the dreams of Alice Waters influenced them. Resources For more information about starting a garden at your neighborhood school: * kidsregen.org * edibleschoolyard.org * aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/kinder/consid.html * aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/kinder/steps.html * kidsgardening.com For more information on incorporating a garden program into your school's curriculum: * ecoliteracy.org (go to Rethinking School Lunch) * slowfoodusa.org (go to Education) * thelearninggarden.org How to Get Started 1. Form a garden committee. A group of parents must convince teachers and school board members the importance of having a garden. They must also convince teachers that this is a priority; a lasting, sustainable program; and a benefit to students. 2. Present the committee's proposal to the school board. Include the identification of a site on school grounds or nearby; a safety and maintenance plan; and well-defined roles for parents, teachers, administrators, volunteers, and students. 3. Broaden your appeal. Engage other parents and officials by showing them how the garden will improve their children's health and the health of the community. Look for local, state, and federal grants addressing childhood health and education issues. Seek out local partners through the business and social-services communities. 4. Call for volunteers. Service programs such as AmeriCorps are one source. Garden manager Kelsey Siegal started at the Edible Schoolyard as an AmeriCorps volunteer.
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