Look at this:
It’s disgusting.
You know what’s going to happen next, right?
Pests.
Raccoons. Foxes. Squirrels. Rats. Mayhem.
You know what I see?
Food.
Not for me, yet.
For my chickens.
They’re going to turn it into food I much prefer; eggs and meat.
And if they can’t eat 10 gallons of apples.
Compost.
And that compost will turn into other food that I can eat; kale, cucumbers and tomatoes.
At risk of offending over half the population of the United States, the fact that municipalities and businesses purposely avoid growing food in cities ranks as one of the most ridiculous things we’ve evolved to.
To Be So Fortunate
An innocent soul posted on a local (to me) city Facebook page not long ago about some project where people grow food bearing plants in public spaces. Then, the dude got totally stepped on.
“Why don’t you donate your land to grow crops for everyone?” screamed the talking heads behind the vail of the Internet.
“Keep that shit in an organic orchard!” “Not in my backyard!”
It. Blows. My. Mind.
I’m not going to change society; that would be a fool’s errand. It’ll change on its own when the time is right. I do want to point out the lunacy of it, however.
If we spent NO extra money on landscaping, and instead spent the money on plants that produced flowers AND FOOD then the people of the town would have access to ‘free’ food as it falls from the sky.
As we choose to see an abundance of free food as strictly a problem where the best solution is avoidance, let us at least acknowledge how wonderfully fortunate we are to be in a position where we can raise our nose at such a prospect.
The Problem Is The Solution
If we look at ourselves from a high enough perspective, the proverbial 30,000 foot view, we’ll see the wealthiest, most educated population on earth whose life expectancy has turned for no apparent reason other than health. Hearth disease, cancer; however it presents itself, broadly speaking, the reason is health.
The reason our health sucks is twofold, one of those folds is because of the food we eat, the other, in case you’re wondering, is because of the way we don’t use our body.
There is likely no better way to improve one’s health than to consume fresh fruits, vegetables and meat raised in an ethical way.
So if we surround ourselves with fresh fruit and vegetables, it’s not inconceivable that we’ll consume more. Which, invariably, will make us feel better (try it to see), which will make us want more. Which would be great, because we’re surrounded by it.
If you want to be healthy, and you want a healthy society, grow a lot of healthy food and make it as easy as possible to access. A great way to do that would be to grow food in public places.
Rewriting The Code
I feel like you can’t consciously debate the idea that if you want a healthy society, that society needs to have access to healthy food. The problem, then, is in how the society recognizes food. We have been deeply programmed to see food as a purchasable item wrapped in plastic available on a shelf. So, it will take a HUGE effort to rewrite that program, and with no marketing machine behind the effort, the reality is that it will be impossible.
But let’s just pretend you wanted to try.
A way to teach people about food is to capitalize on the social connections that already exist. So, if a municipality wanted to plant 25 apple trees instead of birch trees on the sidewalk, when the apples mature, they can share a post with the public about free food falling from the sky, everyone is invited to come out and have as much as they desire.
“Blueberries are ready at 1st and Main.”
“Peaches are coming in on Back Ave.”
“Goji berries are ripe behind the playground.”
Goji berries? What the heck are Goji berries? Oh, they’re one of the healthiest fruits on earth. Cool!
I would include a little plaque at each plant indicating what variety it is with a little barcode to go to a website that includes all the ways to utilize that food.
Over time, people would come to enjoy the fruit and they would just know when it’s time to pick the blueberries on Main St.
Can I just re-emphasize that this would cost no more than is already being spent?
And to all of you who are scared of the food on the ground, put the word out to chicken and hog owners. Or anyone who composts.
“Seconds on the ground at Sunny View field: Chickens, Hogs, Compost”
In so doing, teach people that it’s acceptable to raise chickens, and to compost food scraps.
It’ll Never Work. But This Might
Ok, so we agree that we’ll never change society to view this as a good idea. That’s ok. To get there we can start by encouraging businesses and people to do it.
When I was a wee lad playing soccer in Center Sandwich, one of the residents had an established apple tree that grew near the field. We were such badass rebels walking by, casually scoping out the fruit on that tree, grabbing an apple and running off down the street.
If you live near a sidewalk, plant a fruit tree and invite others to harvest the bounty.
What about all the money businesses spend on landscaping? Dunkin Donuts, 7-Eleven. Spend the same amount of money on plants that bear fruit and invite people to your establishment for free food when it’s ready.
“Come in for an iced tea while you’re enjoying these fresh raspberries.”
Imagine a college campus taking to this mindset. A business complex. If you want to promote a healthy work environment with healthy people, do something that actually matters. Grow healthy food to give away with the same money that you’re already spending.
Done Dreaming
Ok, back to reality.
If you like these ideas please consider joining my weekly newsletter where I expand on some ideas but focus primarily on providing encouragement for you to pursue a life of freedom.
Thanks for reading,
NHMan
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