Food Not Lawns

"Food not Lawns" is a great movement aimed at turning the world into an edible neighborhood to promote sustainability. While I am not personally affiliated with this organization I feel so strongly about this movement that I wanted to raise awareness to our wonderfully diverse city. 

Having the ability to grow your own food is something we should all aim to at the very least learn. It is a gift that we can give to our future generations as an extremely practical skillset. There is something to be said for being able to do things yourself. We are seeing less of the traditional “factory farms” and more of the small organic farmers which is fantastic for sustainability and our environmental footprint we are leaving behind.

Another facet of food not lawns ideology that is beneficial to our environment is the elimination of chemical herbicides and synthetic fertilizers. We are often unaware of just how much danger they pose to us, our pets, as well as the environment. We are taking valuable land space that we could be utilizing to help sustain our demand for food, into chemically manicured lawns purely for looks.

There are so many beautiful ideas of how to create aesthetically pleasing gardens and I encourage you all to take a moment to think about how this could benefit not only your family, but our community. If you lack a green thumb I encourage you to take part in a community garden. There are so many wonderful resources at the tip of our fingers whether it be Facebook gardening groups, community gardens in your local neighborhood, or maybe even get out and connect with a neighbor!

For more information on the “Food not Lawns” movement visit their site at http://www.foodnotlawns.com.

Autumn Mauer is a long time Lakewood resident with a passion for our beautiful little city. Invest globally, borrow locally.