Climate Corner: A new kind of victory garden

Aug 24, 2024

Randi Pokladnik

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

During World War II, citizens were encouraged to plant “victory gardens” to support the war effort. Historical references point out that many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and Great Britain, provided support for backyard gardeners. These gardens created a sense of empowerment among citizens and helped the war effort by relieving some of the stress on food supplies. Even First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden on the White House lawn.

Today, growing a garden allows us all to gain a different kind of victory; a victory against ultra processed foods, the plastics industry, climate change, and the petrochemical industry. Ultra processed foods (UPF) have been the focus of many studies in the past few years. A review of 45 studies shows “eating more ultra processed foods is linked to a higher risk of dying from any cause and has ties to 32 health conditions, including heart disease, mental health disorders, type 2 diabetes, and other problems.”

Chris Van Tulleken’s book “Ultra Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food” explains the dangers of a diet that is high in processed and chemical laden foods. Sadly, we have all fallen prey to the food industry that willingly offers us processed foods such as: chips and other snack foods, industrial breads and pastries, packaged sweets and candy, sugar-sweetened and diet sodas, instant noodles and soups, ready-to-eat meals and frozen dinners, and processed meats such as hot dogs and bologna. Eating minimally processed foods like fruits and vegetables right from your garden is a great option to UPF. Who can resist a fresh tomato sandwich or a summer squash sauteed in olive oil? Your backyard garden can become a path to health for your family.

You might have noticed the alarming amounts of plastics in grocery stores today. Many of the fresh veggies are suffocating in plastics. I cringe when I see a green pepper sitting on a Styrofoam dish and wrapped in plastic. A great benefit of having a garden outside your door is there are no plastics packaging materials. Another pitfall of prepackaged fruits and vegetables is that single-use plastic packaging often forces people to buy more than they need, and this results in food wastes. How many times have you thrown away apples from a large bag because you simply couldn’t use the bag up quickly? The single-use bags are not easily recycled and contain holes for aeration that makes them unsuitable for reuse.

A big plus of backyard garden veggies is the distance they don’t have to travel to reach your house. Your zucchini isn’t picked in California and shipped on a refrigerated truck across the country. Produce grown out-of-state has a heavy carbon footprint. Often it is shipped via planes, trucks and boats before arriving at your market and then you add to the carbon footprint as you drive that food home. It is estimated that over 20% of carbon emissions from food creation chains comes from shipping.

One of the best reasons to grow as many of your family’s veggies and fruits as possible is you can grow all produce organically without using any petrochemical-based pesticides. I was first made aware of the dangers of pesticides in my senior year of high school. I read “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson. This book was a game changer for me. It’s the reason I decided to get my bachelor’s degree in chemistry and to research organic farming for my master’s thesis.

Sadly, many farmers, including some home gardeners are ignoring the warnings of Ms. Carson. Pesticides are still being sprayed on food crops at alarming rates. A recent study published in the Biomedical Journal said, “there is a near-100% certainty that all of us have pesticides in our blood or urine right now. This is the inevitable outcome of using over 1 billion pounds of pesticides each year in the U.S. which is nearly a quarter of total pesticide use worldwide.” Another cause for alarm is the fact that studies now show many pesticides also contain the forever chemicals PFAS in their formulations. A study by the Environmental Working Group looked at pesticides used in Maine and found 55 carbon-fluorine based compounds (PFAS) were in over 14,000 pesticides tested. “Extensive research demonstrated that PFAS are harmful to human health even at minuscule concentrations,” said Olga V. Naidenko, Ph.D., EWG vice president for science investigations.

It is also worth noting that many of the commercial composts or potting soils sold can contain PFAS compounds. Some of these “soil amendments” are manufactured from biosolids that originate from waste water treatment plants. To avoid PFAS, you can make your own compost pile from food wastes and untreated grass clippings.

Our family has never used pesticides. It is great to be able to eat a tomato right off the plant. Our son, who was a botany major in college, was in the garden at two years old. He has his own garden and has handed down his love of plants to his youngest daughter Isabel who too has a green thumb. A backyard garden is just a win-win for your family and the planet.

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Randi Pokladnik, Ph.D., of Uhrichsville, is a retired research chemist who volunteers with Mid Ohio Valley Climate Action. She has a doctorate degree in environmental studies and is certified in hazardous materials regulations.