Get Fresh in Shorewood

By Gretchen Mead

Many of you have already know that the Milwaukee area is considered to be in the forefront of the nation-wide urban agriculture movement. Maybe you saw the movie Fresh, or perhaps you heard about the proposal for chickens, perhaps you have toured the internationally famous Growing Power facility.   Furthermore, many of you have begun to understand food issues, such as food security, the dangers of corn syrup, the benefits of organically grown food, the importance to the economy of buying from local farmers, dramatic decreases in childhood learning disabilities through gardening, and finally, the issue which triggered me to write this letter, the value in growing your own food.  

Over Memorial Weekend droves of Shorewood residents sacrificed their holiday leisure time to go from house to house putting in raised vegetable gardens for and with their fellow Shorewoodians.  The Village offered a proclamation to this cause and we were thrilled to have the support of our Trustees.  It seemed for a moment that there was an understanding of the importance of urban agriculture and how it relates to sustainability and our children’s futures.  

Recently, I’ve learned that the same Village Board that proudly handed me this proclamation, and shook my hand in congratulations and thanks, has decided to restrict front yard vegetable gardens due to some letters of complaint.  Some, it seems, are worried about property values going down because they don’t find vegetable gardens visually appealing.  I would like to respond to this issue first from my own personal experience and second from a view of national property values.

First, I can say the majority of people I have experienced do in fact find front yard vegetable gardens visually appealing.  I have an extensive raised bed vegetable and fruit garden in my front yard and nearly every time I am in it, people stop to tell me how beautiful and inspirational it is to them.  In fact, so many people told me how much they appreciate it, that I started a non-profit organization, solely for the purpose of helping others get started in their own yards.  Surely, if this many people love my yard, they’d be very happy, even encouraged to live next to me.  My neighbors like it so much, they have all started their own vegetable gardens.  We now, share veggies, build compost bins together, and spend time in our gardens together, while our children play. Sound a little like utopia?  Well, it kinda is.

This type of community, along with our excellent school systems (which now touts an award winning urban agriculture program, built entirely by Shorewood volunteers), is what will make people spend the extra two grand in taxes to live here versus a different municipality where they might have more space, or a fancier more modernized house.  

Now, if you don’t believe me, I’d like you to take a look at the greenest, most progressive cities in the country and take note:  the property values in progressive, green-minded municipalities are the only real estate markets in all of the country that aren’t wobbling under the pressure of our current economy – think Portland OR and Madison WI, these markets continue to grow.  

As these favored cities move towards a sustainable future, they are ensuring their citizens a safety net in uncertain times.  They are moving towards a new way of thinking.  This thinking includes, among other things building resilient communities, reducing carbon emissions, preserving natural resources, localizing economies, dramatically reducing dependence on foreign oil and…. AND… interwoven amidst all of these efforts, is, you guessed it, a local, sustainable, healthy, food system.

This local sustainable food system starts at home as we teach our children where there food comes from, how to cook and eat good food, and why it is important to slow down long enough to eat nutritious meals. This local, sustainable food system includes grow-it-yourself gardens, in the backyard, on the patio, on the roof, and yes, even in your front yard.  Proudly – in your front yard.  

 Did you know?

-Many people donate their extra produce to food pantries.

-Many think of growing their own food and composting organic matter into rich soil, as a civic and moral duty, to make the world a better place (think  “The Obamas”).

-Many people prefer to use their front yards for gardens so their children can play safely in the back yards.

- Many people only have enough sun for growing food in their front yards

- Many ornamentals are edibles and edibles are ornamentals.

- Many people cant afford to buy the healthy food that they would like and they must grow their own (YES, even in Shorewood).

If other engaged, forward thinking people learn that the Village Trustees have created legislation to stifle these individual rights and Progressive efforts, you can bet that fewer and fewer people are going to be willing to pay that extra tax burden to live here. The Village of Shorewood has a grand opportunity to make much of the efforts of its concerned, devoted and highly educated citizens. They can sit back and ride on the backs of our Progressive efforts as we organize to make Shorewood a resilient, green community.  They can add this movement to their newest marketing efforts to attract young, educated families to Shorewood. 

Urban agriculture is not a fad…it is not going away…it is the way of the future.  I am asking the Trustees to take the reigns on this one and support our efforts.  Don’t restrict Front Yard Vegetable Gardens, instead, take pictures of them and put them on our Village website. 

A subcommittee of the Village Board will be meeting soon, to discuss the restriction of front yard vegetable gardens.  Please write a letter to the trustees, letting them know that you support front yard gardens…together we can send a message.

presidentjohnson@villageofshorewood.org

trusteeanderson@villageofshorewood.org

trusteecummings@villageofshorewood.org

trusteeeckman@villageofshorewood.org

trusteehanewall@villageofshorewood.org

trusteehickey@villageofshorewood.org

trusteemaher@villageofshorewood.org

Be welcome to stop by to see what’s growing in my front yard.