The Great White House Lawn Sale
Dear Kitchen Gardener,
I am writing to invite you to join me in a group internet action that will cost you but a small amount of time and money and that - if carried out by enough people - could help raise the stature of gardening and local foods in society while raising much needed funds for KGI's core activities and garden grants program.
So here's the deal: with one First Family moving out 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the next few months and a new one moving in, KGI is taking it upon itself to organize a little "lawn sale" on their behalf, but not type you might think.
We're selling the White House lawn itself on eBay in parcels of 1' x 1' at a fixed price of $10 each. Please allow me to explain. As a law-abiding nonprofit group, we of course can't really sell you the South Lawn any more than we can sell you the South Pole or the Brooklyn Bridge. We can't do it and we don't have to. The First Lawn already has an owner: the American people!
But, if you're like me, the White House's sprawling grassy landscape doesn't feel like it's yours. It doesn't look like it would look if you were Landscaper-in-Chief because it's missing a key element: an organic kitchen garden. It's had one before and, given the changing times, it should have one again. Hence the idea of a "lawn sale." What better way to give people a renewed sense of ownership and control over something than to give them a chance to buy it back?
We've checked with the listing experts at eBay and, although we can't sell and ship you a real piece of "First Turf", we can sell you a virtual one (regardless of your nationality) provided that you agree to donate it virtually back to the American people for the digging of a new food garden in 2009.
I'll be the first to admit that this is a weird idea, but it might be just weird enough to start a buzz. The more people who buy into the idea of turning part of the First Lawn back into a productive, edible landscape, the more attention it will attract to our "Eat the View" campaign (and petition) and the stronger it will become.
As we are a nonprofit organization, eBay waives its normal fees which means that all the proceeds from the sale help support Kitchen Gardeners International's diverse efforts to grow more gardens and gardeners worldwide. In the past year, we've helped groups in Africa, Asia, South America, and North America to either start or expand garden projects and have seen our network grow to over 7000 gardeners from 100 countries. Thousands of people use our free and advertising-free website every day to learn how to grow some of their own food and connect with others doing the same. With the world in the grips of intersecting food, fuel and environmental crises, our work and network have never been more important.
This is the one and only general funding appeal we are conducting this year, so please give what you can, even if it's just a symbolic contribution of $10 for a single 1' x 1' parcel. By participating, you're not only making a donation, but a statement and, if enough people join in, a real difference. Not bad for ten bucks.
We're starting the sale with 1/4 acre or roughly 10,000 ft2 because 10,000 is the maximum number of items that can be sold in a single eBay sale. Our hope is to "sell" and "donate" back a 1/2 acre worth of the White House lawn, an area which we feel would be large enough to supply fresh produce to the White House kitchen and local food pantries, the goal of the "Eat the View" campaign. That will still leave roughly 17.5 acres for the Rose Garden, jogging track, tennis court, swimming pool, flowers, trees, putting green, and, yes, even several acres of grassy lawn for rolling Easter eggs and landing the "First Helicopter."
To reach this ambitious goal, we're going to need your help in reaching out to others. So, please share this offbeat campaign with your friends and family by word-of-mouth, e-mail, and any websites, blogs, or social networks you maintain or use. You can embed and/or e-mail this widget:
Needless to say, a purchase of the First Lawn with proceeds going to a global gardening charity makes a unique gift! Donors/buyers will receive a weblink to a "certificate of ownership" that they can download and customize in a friend or loved one's name.
Thank you for supporting Kitchen Gardeners International and our "Eat the View" campaign. Together, we're growing a better food system!
Roger Doiron
Compost-Pile-Turner-in-Chief, Kitchen Gardeners International
Seed Sower, "Eat the View" campaign
PS: If you've never used eBay before, it's easy and safe. If you are concerned about paying for something online with a credit card, it's possible for you to select "pay by personal check" as one of the payment options.
PPS: If you'd like to make a donation to KGI and our lawn sale without passing through eBay at all, you can either do it online using the Google Checkout button below or by personal check using this form. We'll make sure that your purchase/donation gets converted into correct square footage and added to the total. Thanks.
