Breaking Pavement for a People's Garden

On the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, new Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack "broke pavement" today for a People's Garden in a ceremony at the US Dept. of Agriculture in Washington, DC.

Vilsack breaking pavement for the garden. Watch the video.

The garden, part of 1,250 square feet of unnecessary paved surface, will add 612 square feet of garden space adjacent to the site of the USDA Farmer's Market. According to a USDA press release, it "will showcase conservation practices that all Americans can implement in their own backyards and green spaces. As a component of the garden, pollinator-friendly plantings will not only provide important habitat for bees and butterflies, but can serve as an educational opportunity to help people understand the vital role pollinators play in our food, forage and all agriculture."

He also announced "the goal of creating a community garden at each USDA facility worldwide. The USDA community garden project will include a wide variety of garden activities including Embassy window boxes, tree planting, and field office plots. The gardens will be designed to promote 'going green' concepts, including landscaping and building design to retain water and reduce runoff; roof gardens for energy efficiency; utilizing native plantings and using sound conservation practices."

Now if we can just get that organic vegetable garden planted on the White House lawn...