When the news broke that Michelle Obama was planning an organic garden for the White House to feed her family, the agricultural chemistry industry found the idea difficult to stomach.
The US pesticides industry has reacted to the news that Michelle Obama will have an organic garden at the White House. Bonnie McCarvel, Executive Director, Mid America CropLife Association, wrote to CropLife supporters: “Did you hear the news? The White House is planning to have an organic garden on the grounds to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the Obama’s [sic] and their guests. While a garden is a great idea, the thought of it being organic made Janet Braun, CropLife Ambassador Coordinator and I shudder.” McCarvel went on to write a letter to the First lady to explain about the benefits and in her mind the necessities of conventional farming, basically saying that it is not possible to raise a family on organically grown produce. Read the full letter here.
Fortunately there are lots of families out there proving that you can grow your own organically and harvest enough to feed a family. If you are interested in learning more, check out the Grow Your Own event this weekend at Garden Organic Ryton.
Melissa Corkhill is the editor of The Green Parent magazine, mother of two and author of the book Green Parenting
Get notified when new articles are published via RSS (what is RSS?). Grab the Green Parent RSS Feed
The Green Parent is the UK's leading green lifestyle and natural parenting magazine. A truly inspiring read, TGP is like nothing else on the newsstand, with insightful intelligent journalism covering topics from babywearing and attachment parenting to home-education and alternative medicine. Each issue features regular columns on Organic Gardening, Seasonal Food and Drink, Green Travel, Ethical Fashion and lots more. Read more about Green Parent »
Copyright © The Green Parent 2009 | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Site by Erskine Design
1 comment in response to this article
Go Michelle! Hope she doesn’t bow to pressure!
You must be logged in as a registered user to make comments. Login or Register