Whatever Happened To The Victory Garden?

Are we at war?

I ask because no one seems to be acting like we are. I mean, sure, there are a lot of magnetic yellow ribbons and American flags out there. But they all seem to be attached to SUVs with only one occupant. Which is what keeps us meddling in the Middle East in the first place, right? During World War II, the whole nation jumped on board with the government’s exhortations to conserve resources. People planted Victory Gardens and collected scrap metal, shortened hems and (egad!) recycled. And that was called patriotism. Today it’s called wacko leftist propaganda. When did trying to consume less become a bad thing?

Whatever happened to the War Effort? Why did our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents have it so right back then? And why do we have it so wrong now? What happened to conservativism — not anti-spending, no-special-programs, social conservativism, but the act of living conservatively in deference to the fact that the nation is at war? I realize we’re not as desperate for supplies as we were in the 1940s. But just because we have more doesn’t mean we have to use more. Regardless of how we feel about the war, shouldn’t we all be able to agree that reducing our fossil fuel consumption can only be good for decreasing our dependence on foreign oil? And since most of what we eat is shipped from far away (particularly up here in the AK), reducing fossil fuel consumption means trying to eat more local foods — or growing more food ourselves.

Is the nation ready for a new Victory Garden movement? These people seem to think so, although their focus on a victory over global warming will turn off a lot of climate change skeptics. It’s all in how the message is packaged. The Victory Garden was once a symbol of national pride and cooperation. How do we bring that back? How do we convince people that vegetable gardens aren’t just for farmers and hippies?

Confession time. (Side Note: I know, I know. When is it not confession time for me?) I don’t always do everything I can to conserve resources. In fact, this very morning I forgot my coffee mug. Did that stop me from getting a soy latté? Sadly, no. I got it in a paper cup. And sometimes (okay, frequently) I forget to put my tote bags back in the car, and I go to the grocery store anyway, and I let them give me plastic bags. So I’m not perfect. (Side Note: But you knew that already.) And I am not the world’s greatest gardener, although I did manage to raise some peas and a whole lot of mint and basil last summer. I’m taking another crack at it this year, though, with renewed focus and extra security measures to make sure the dog doesn’t go tramping through the carrot seedlings. Fortunately, Anchorage has good farmers’ markets in the summer, so if my own gardening efforts don’t bear fruit (or beets), I can eat locally without starving.

Individually your chive pot or radish patch might not seem to make that much difference. But imagine what would happen if every household in America grew one kind of vegetable or herb this summer. Maybe it means one less pallet, one less shipment. It’s a starting point, anyway. Plus, gardening is good for the soul. And who knows? When fiscal conservativism and ecological conservationism collide in the Victory Garden, maybe it will be the starting point for finding more common ground.