Greener, Healthier Communities: United States Agriculture Department to demonstrate green infrastructure, organic farming in Washington, DC ‘outdoor museum’
Site of “People’s Garden” at US Department of Agriculture headquarters in Washington, DC
Vision for a ‘People’s Garden’
“One of the more thoughtful landscaping undertakings I have seen will be installed over the next fifteen years on, appropriately enough, the grounds of the US Department of Agriculture headquarters in Washington. The site is prominently placed on the National Mall just steps away from the Washington Monument and will draw visitors to an “outdoor museum” of green infrastructure and sustainable gardening practices,” writes Kaid Benfield in his blog on the Natural Resources Defense Council website.
Manifesto for Outdoor Sustainability
“The lengthy, detailed description of the “People’s Garden Site Improvements and Perimeter Security” embedded in the 29-page NCPC Executive Director’s Recommendation reads like a manifesto for outdoor sustainability,” states Kaid Benfield. He notes that practically every sentence in the Executive Director’s description indicates the purposeful nature of this ambitious project:
“In order to be named a People’s Garden, a site must meet three criteria: provide a benefit to the community, be a collaborative effort, and incorporate sustainable practices. These gardens are educational tools that connect people with their food supply and demonstrate sustainable land use practices . . .
“The concept of celebrating and abstracting patterns of urban agriculture as expressed in the historic realm, and reflecting the mission of USDA in a proud and legible manner, is the underlying principle which grounds the aesthetic arrangement of the project.”
“It is exciting to see proposals that begin to improve what is now largely a plain and scruffy, if heavily used, public space,” concludes Kaid Benfield.
To Learn More:
To download a PDF copy and read the complete article by Kaid Benfield, click on Agriculture Department to demonstrate green infrastructure, organic farming in DC ‘outdoor museum’