VICTORY… For Food Freedom

It is now legal to grow your own food anywhere in your yard within the City of Orlando.  We all managed to change our little part of the world for the better.  Congratulations everyone.  We did it.

Never mind the convoluted code writing, it would be very difficult for anyone to ever get a “vegetable” code violation again.  Our front yard garden is completely legal AS IS.

Thank you ALL.  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, FloridaSurvivalGardening.com, Orlando Center for Urban Permaculture, Front Porch Radio, all of the media, and so many more.

We also told the City of Orlando that we expect more than just accepting edible gardens out of a self proclaimed sustainable leader.  We hope to see the new Food Security programs and campaigns that we suggested by the time the new ordinance goes into effect in March 2014, all of which cost the city little to no money.  The world is watching to see if the City of Orlando is really a sustainable leader.  Be sure and let them know what you expect by keeping the pressure on.

We'd also like to take this opportunity to inform you of an undertaking one of our partners have just started ―the Institute for Justice's Food Freedom Initiative.  IJ seeks to improve state laws for food producers, consumers and entrepreneurs across the country. One of their first cases has our fellow Floridians in Miami Shores going through a similar battle for their front yard vegetable garden—they could certainly use your support!

The Patriot Garden campaign (including 6000+ petition) is still available to anyone who needs it—we’re not the only ones who have had to protect a front yard garden from the government.  We hope to continue the movement.  Most importantly, we will continue to help others grow their own food.   Please feel free to contact us for help.

Keep those Patriot Garden signs up and keep distributing the petitions for all the others.

We have only just begun.  Thank you again.

Namaste.

Jason and Jennifer Helvenston

Final Vote on Your Food.

Thank you all for attending the last meeting and the continued support.  Victory is near.  Please do not think that this is a slam dunk or that it is over.  They often change direction at the last minute.  We not only need to apply more pressure on the City to be a true leader in the food freedom movement but we need to show them a Victory Celebration.

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 about doing more to lead the Food Freedom Movement but hope to have a Victory Celebration after the final vote. 

-FINAL Reading and Vote will be 

Monday December 9th meeting that starts at 2pm

Orlando City Hall

400 S Orange Ave

Orlando, FL 32801When the City of Orlando starts to enforce the Ordinance in March 2014, we will be asking them to also announce leading programs/campaigns for Food Freedom.  We are in the international spotlight; and if the City is serious about sustainability then they should not miss this amazing opportunity to let the whole world know how they are going to lead the way.  

We will be asking them to drop restrictions and barriers on community gardens so that we can have more than 5.  We will be asking them to start an Urban Learning Farm.  We will ask them to start a community based social marketing campaign that celebrates and encourages sustainability and growing your own food.  We will ask them to create a Food Freedom Tour Map of the City showing where the participating Food Freedom businesses and homesteads are located.  We will ask them to create and find Food Freedom Grants so our community can lead the movement with incentives.

A final group demonstration would continue to show the City that we are serious so please come out with signs and vegetables for one last time.  Let the signs show your goals for your City.  This is your opportunity to tell the City of Orlando your ideas and have a say in your Food Freedom.

Afterwards we want to celebrate the rare Victory with all of those who have helped and now know that they can produce their own food in the City of Orlando.  We will be heading over to Orlando Brewing who brews all organic beers.  The City of Orlando is lucky to have a business that believes in organic ingredients so come out to help support Orlando Brewing too.

Victory Celebration at Orlando Brewing – 1301 Atlanta Ave, Orlando, FL 32806 (just over 1 mile from City Hall)

Hope to see all of you there.

Namaste.

Jason and Jennifer

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