It was a long and ambitious campaign but people power – and common sense – finally won through.
The forces behind Eat My View, which collected more than 100,000 signatures, and other similar campaigns must have been rubbing their eyes at the sight of Michelle Obama armed with a shovel on the White House lawn.
She had come to turn the sill on an organic garden; their dream was becoming a reality.
The White House is giving over a sizeable chunk – 1100 square feet in fact – to plant 55 different vegetables, fruit, berries and herbs year round (in keeping with the seasons, of course).
Most of its produce will cater for the White House and visiting dignitaries but some will also be donated to a soup kitchen down the road.
Launching the project, Mrs Obama said she wanted her daughters to eat healthy food and be reminded of where food comes from.
It’s a message the supporters of Eat My View, including prominent activists Michael Pollan and Alice Waters, have been pushing for years. Everyone needs to look at the source of their food and eat as locally as possible. And who better to lead from the front than the new president and his family?
