Slow Food Nation and San Francisco Plant First Edible Garden
at City Hall in 65 Years
City Breaks Ground on July 1 for Slow
Food Nation Victory Garden
San
Francisco, CA (June 24, 2008); Beginning Tuesday, July
1, the lawn in front of San Francisco's City Hall will undergo
a transformation from grass carpet to edible garden, as dozens
of Bay Area organizations join together to plant the Slow Food
Nation Victory Garden. On Saturday, July 12, Mayor Gavin Newsom,
Slow Food Nation founder Alice Waters and more than 100 volunteers
will plant the first edible garden in the Cityâ??s Civic
Center since 1943.
The
Victory Garden project takes its name from 20th Century wartime
efforts to address food shortages by encouraging citizens to
plant gardens on public and private land. In the early 1940s,
Victory Gardens were a way for San Francisco residents to participate
in developing a secure source of domestic food during a time
of war, which was one of the most pressing issues of the day.
Victory Gardens sprouted in front yards and vacant lots, and
produced 40 percent of the nation's vegetables. San Francisco's
program became one of the best in the country; Golden Gate Park
alone had 250 garden plots.
"The
Slow Food Nation Victory Garden is one more way to showcase
the Cityâ??s tangible commitment to sustainability and,
as in the past, confront some of the most challenging issues
of our times," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "For many
urban residents, access to healthy and nutritious food is as
important now as it was during the Second World War."
Slow
Food Nation, the largest celebration of American food in history,
takes place in San Francisco over Labor Day weekend (August
29 to September 1, 2008). The Slow Food Nation Victory Garden
in the Civic Center will serve as a demonstration and education
centerpiece leading up to and following the Labor Day weekend
event, providing visitors the opportunity to learn about urban
food production. Bounty from the garden will be donated to those
with limited access to healthy, organic produce through a partnership
with local food banks and meal programs.
"San
Francisco Victory Gardens 08+ redefines "Victory"
in the context of modern urban sustainability. "Victory"
means growing food at home for increased local food security
and social equity," said John Bela, Victory Gardens 08+
Program Manager. "The Slow Food Nation Victory Garden demonstrates
the potential of building community around local food production,
and along with the Cityâ??s creation of a Food Policy
Framework, demonstrates the Cityâ??s growing commitment
to food system sustainability."
The
Slow Food Nation Victory Garden is designed and built by the
Garden for the Environmentâ??s Victory Garden 08+ Program,
CMG Landscape Architecture and City Slicker Farms, using seeds
donated from Seeds of Change and numerous individuals from around
the country. Other participating organizations include: The
Presidio Native Plant Nursery, Alemany Farms, Friends of the
Urban Forest, Ploughshares Nursery, Urban Permaculture Guild,
Coevolution Institute and many others.
The
garden is produced in partnership with Victory Gardens 08+,
developed by the Garden for the Environment and the City of
San Francisco's Department for the Environment. Their mission
is to respond to the social and ecological challenges that San
Franciscans and all urban residents face in creating more self
reliant, ecologically sound and socially just urban human habitats.
About
Slow Food Nation
Slow Food Nation is a subsidiary non-profit of Slow Food USA
and part of the international Slow Food movement. It was created
to organize the first-ever American collaborative gathering
to unite the growing sustainable food movement and introduce
thousands of people to food that is good, clean and fair through
enjoyable, accessible and educational activities. Slow Food
Nation is dedicated to creating a framework for deeper environmental
connection to our food and aims to inspire and empower Americans
to build a food system that is sustainable, healthy and delicious.
www.slowfoodnation.org