Modern Farmer and Big Green Launch Million Gardens Movement to Mobilize Millions to Grow Food at Home
Philanthropists Frank Giustra and Kimbal Musk join forces to help fight hunger, support climate action, and increase resilience.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia and BOULDER, Colo., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Big Green and Modern Farmer today announced the launch of the Million Gardens Movement, a charitable food initiative, that will officially kick off on Plant a Seed Day, March 20th. Set in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Million Gardens Movement aspires to give everyone the opportunity to grow their own food, whether it is on a windowsill or in a backyard, to create a healthier, happier, more sustainable world.
According to a research study at Northwestern University, last year 1 in 4 families in the U.S. faced issues of food insecurity not knowing where their next healthy meal was coming from. Food philanthropist and Publisher of Modern Farmer, Frank Giustra has joined forces with food entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Big Green, Kimbal Musk to launch the movement to help fight hunger, support climate action, and increase resilience. They have committed their teams, networks, and personal resources to support the Million Gardens Movement so that every family in North America will have the opportunity to grow their own food. The pair are united in the belief that the small act of planting food has the power to benefit people, communities, and the world.
The website MillionGardensMovement.org is launching today with a suite of online lessons and activities for anyone wanting to join the movement and grow more veggies at home. It's for all levels of gardeners featuring a vast library of how-to garden advice and resources from Modern Farmer alongside nutrition and health programming from Big Green.
Musk and Giustra hope millions of people will join the movement to grow more at home and to give millions of "Little Green Gardens" to people who are cut off from the amazing health benefits of gardening often due to lack of space, funds, or know-how. Little Green Gardens are compact container gardens suitable for small growing spaces. They come with a customized growing plan and leverage the MillionGardensMovement.org suite of online lessons and activities to support the growing of culturally relevant at-home veggie gardens.
Starting this week, donations to the Million Gardens Movement will support the first distribution of 5,000 Little Green Gardens by Big Green to underserved families in cities across the United States. In Chicago, Conscious Alliance and the Greater Chicago Food Depository are joining the Million Gardens Movement by distributing Little Green Gardens and over 20,000 pounds of natural and organic food to Chicago Public School students and families across the city. By combining much-needed healthy food with an educational indoor growing experience and virtual programs, families will become part of the Million Gardens Movement to grow their own food to increase food sovereignty. Additional "Garden and Grocery" distributions will be happening this week at schools and various community hubs in Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Memphis. The goal is to give 1 million families home gardens this year so that they may start to grow their own food.
"We are building a community of people who love gardening – whether you tend an acre or have a lone pot on your fire escape, the Million Gardens Movement is creating a culture shift around gardening and the value of growing your own food," said Frank Giustra, Owner and Publisher of Modern Farmer. "We're breaking down barriers by showing how simple it is to grow fruits, herbs, and vegetables."
"Big Green and Modern Farmer started the Million Gardens Movement to make it simple for anyone to give a family a garden," said Kimbal Musk, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Big Green. "Planting a seed is an act of hope for a brighter tomorrow. Join us by giving a garden to a family today."
According to the Journal of Extension, the average home vegetable garden produces $677 worth of fruits and vegetables every year. Likewise, according to Johns Hopkins University, the United States could save more than 30,000 lives and $5 billion in medical spending each year if Americans ate just one more serving of fruits and vegetables a day.
To further the reach and strengthen the movement, Giustra and Musk have recruited some of the world's most recognized faces to join the Million Gardens Movement to inspire millions of people to grow their own food and to give gardens to those who would not otherwise have the opportunity. Grammy Award winning musician and actress Eve has voiced the launch campaign video. She is joined by actor and environmentalist Harrison Ford, TV and film actress Zooey Deschanel, Academy Award winning actress Salma Hayek, TV personality and 'Property Brother' star Jonathan Scott, singer and TV host Nicole Scherzinger, musician Aloe Blacc, supermodel and dietician Maye Musk, and internet sensations Josh Richards and Griffin Johnson. Collectively these influencers and many others are lending their name to the Million Gardens Movement to have an incredible impact on the health and happiness of current and future generations by inspiring people everywhere to garden more at home, school, and in their community.
To give a garden to a family in need or learn how to grow your own garden, visit milliongardensmovement.org.
About Big Green
Big Green is a national nonprofit dedicated to creating healthy places where kids can learn and grow. Through outdoor learning environments, gardens, and programming, Big Green forges connections between education and health and offers experiences that engage the whole child. Founded in 2011 by Kimbal Musk and Hugo Matheson to address diet-related health disparities, Big Green has since grown to work in nearly 650 schools in Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh, and supports students, teachers, and families through school-based, online, and at-home programming. For more information, please visit biggreen.org or follow them on Twitter and Instagram @BigGreen.
About Modern Farmer
Modern Farmer is an online magazine dedicated to food, how we grow it, how we eat, and how it affects our world, our community, and our lives. It is read by a large community of farmers, wannabe farmers, chefs, and passionate home cooks who are influencing the way we eat right now. Blending hands-in-dirt service, soulful inspiration, and whip-smart reporting, Modern Farmer understands that a tomato is never just a tomato – it's also a political, and deeply personal, statement about who we want to be and the world we hope to live in. For more information visit modernfarmer.com
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SOURCE Million Gardens Movement
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