2nd Meeting of 3

Thank you ALL, especially for sticking around for this past year.  Special thanks to Kitchen Gardeners International, Institute for Justice, MotherEarth News, TreeHugger, Coalition for Property Rights, Campaign for Liberty, Food Not Bombs, Food Not Lawns, Orlando Center for Urban Permaculture, Front Porch Radio,  all the media, and so many more.  Yes, it has been over a year since the City Code Enforcement told us to replace our vegetables with ground cover.

The Orlando City Council will be voting on a new City Landscape Ordinance that will include edible landscape.  We will be asking to speak at both meetings but hope to have a Victory Celebration after the final vote. 

-First Reading will be during the November 25th meeting that starts at 2pm

-FINAL Reading and Vote will be during the December 9th meeting that starts at 2pm

After many Task Force meetings and numerous stakeholders input, an acceptable ordinance has been created that allows our front yard vegetable garden while also promoting more sustainable landscapes.  We want to point out that there are still restrictions on our property rights.  They could have just said sustainable cities allow vegetable gardens and fall under other existing applicable safety laws (ie: line-of-sight, emergency access, building identification), nuisance laws (ie: noise, odor, lighting), and impact (ie: gases, drainage, invasives) laws.  Do you know all the laws in the U.S.A., Florida, Orange County, and Orlando?  No one does, because there are too many laws and we definitely do not need any restricting our food.

Also, we will make the point that we appreciate that we get to keep our sustainable vegetable garden but it will take a lot more to be the most sustainable City in Central Florida.  The City needs to make it easy to start a community garden so we can have more than 5 in the whole city, comparable to over 500 in the concrete jungle of New York City.  A true sustainable City Beautiful would have an Urban Learning Farm reflecting its agricultural heritage and not just show gardens.  The City needs to create a community based social marketing program that incentivizes, encourages, and rewards citizens’ sustainable efforts.

Since we have not been the only ones to have the government or an HOA try to eliminate front yard vegetables, we also want to announce that the complete Patriot Garden campaign is available to anyone who could use it.  We hope to continue the movement, support, and resources.  Most importantly, we will continue to help others grow their own food.   Please feel free to contact us for help.

We have only just begun.  Thank you again.

Namaste.

Jason and Jennifer

Good First Impression

Thank you to all of those who attended the 1st of 3 Orlando City Council Meetings to determine the fate of vegetable gardens in Orlando.   But thank you very much to those of you who stayed for the entire 3hrs to support our great speakers. 

Thank you to Coalition for Property Rights, Campaign for Liberty, Food Not Bombs, Food Not Lawns, Orlando Center for Urban Permaculture, and many other individuals for speaking.  All the points and issues were expressed very clearly and professionally.  Some excellent quotes from a united group.

With Peas Signs out front and Green shirts in the audience, we were quickly recognized by the Mayor and Commissioners.  Click 6 News

However, we only made a 1st Impression because no details or alternate proposals were presented so nothing has changed in regards to the fate of growing vegetables in the City of Orlando.   We need to keep the pressure and presence up, so please make sure more people show up at the next meeting.

Please write your Commissioner and the Mayor to ask them to form a Task Force of stakeholders and experts to create a proposal that represents the majority.   Without a Task Force, vegetable gardens lie in the hands of a few government leaders. 

Update

Friends and Supporters –

We have attached the new Vegetable Garden Proposal that the city announced 01/08/2013.  Most of our Patriot Garden must go and now they are regulating the back and side yards too.

We have until Tuesday 01/15/2013 at 8:30a to prepare a presentation for the Municipal Planning Board that is selected by Mayor Buddy Dyer.  They have given us little chance for success but we are going to still try.

Here are our major points.
1.  The government shouldn’t be telling us what we can or can’t do with the land we own as long as there are no quantifiable impacts.

2.  The Proposal is a conviction against edible annuals while all other annuals are unrestricted.

3.  The Proposal is a clear strategy against edible gardens by pushing them under the roof line of the building or in its shadow while at the same time requiring year round success.

4.  The Proposal is an assault against the financially less fortunate that cannot afford expensive fences and raised bed structures by pushing their edible gardens even further into the shadows of the building.

5.  The Proposal is discriminating against ALL edible plants by requiring higher standards and special definitions than any other plant in the City's Landscape Code.  By discriminating against the plants that we eat, you are discriminating against us.

6.  The Proposal is a discredit against sustainability.  The City's code will allow max. 60% environment crushing grass but only max. 25% edible annuals with no impacts. 

The best and fare solution for the City is the simplest.  Edible plants meet the same standards and requirements as all other plants.  An edible ground cover gets treated the same as any other ground cover, an edible annual gets treated the same as any other annual.  Each yard in the City of Orlando must be "kept and maintained" to the same levels as any other yard.  NO HIGHER STANDARDS FOR FOOD. 

Therefore, we are creating a formal Landscape Proposal for the MPB from us which states just that. 

We are asking all local supporters to attend the Municipal Planning Board meeting on Tuesday the 15^th at 8:30a in the City Council Chambers, Orlando City Hall.  Please gather in front of City Hall at 7:30am and wear a GREEN shirt.

Thank you so much for your continued support.  God Bless.

Jason and Jennifer Helvenston

Update

In order to reach out to supporters of our effort to preserve our Patriot Garden, as well as those who would like to plant one of their own, we’ve created the following website at: www.Patriot-Gardens.com.  Visitors to our site are encouraged to request a packet of seeds to start their own Patriot Gardens and become a part of our “Plant a Seed, Change the Law” campaign.

Update

After a petition, a week of media coverage, and a massive amount of support, the City of Orlando Chief Planner and Sustainability Director scheduled a meeting with us in our organic garden on November 16^th, 2012.

Consequently, our Patriot Garden and many existing front yard gardens will NOT be acceptable to the City of Orlando as is.  More than likely we will be required to screen our Patriot Garden from sight with an approved fence. 

FOOD should not be confused with aesthetic landscape.   Our Patriot Garden produces real value, not perceived value.  Our Patriot Garden grows a human necessity that contributes to our budget rather than an aesthetic grass yard that drains from it.

We cannot afford expensive aesthetic upgrades to our attractive Patriot Garden.  We will not be able to comply with Codes (not an HOA) based on vanity and conformity.  Furthermore, we will do everything possible to stop the City of Orlando from requiring fencing out neighbors and community from our front yard Patriot Garden.  Increasing the prohibitive costs and creating more impacts to the planet’s resources is not the goal of sustainability.

The City of Orlando needs to understand a complete Code change that ensures affordability to all residents is necessary.  The Patriot Garden is a key step to ensuring the City of Orlando progresses to become the “Greenest City in America.”  The greatest Freedom you can give someone is the Freedom to know they will not go hungry.

Thank you for your continued support.  God Bless. 

       Jason & Jennifer Helvenston