Bethany Davis, Director of Advocacy & Government Relations | April 2020

As we shelter in place nationwide, this is not the 50th Anniversary celebration of Earth Day that we at MegaFood, or any of us for that matter, anticipated. There will be no mass gatherings, no public rallies for a greener world.

But that doesn’t mean that we all can’t take action for the Earth. In fact, one of the most impactful things we can do for our planet is right in our own back yard or patio.

This year, we’ve partnered with our longtime friends at Green America, a national nonprofit group that works to create a green economy to bring Climate Victory Gardens to every town, city, and state in the US. Yours truly will be joining the thousands of people nationwide who are drawing down carbon to address climate change while growing healthy foods for their families. And MegaFood will be sharing my story the whole way through! I do not have a green thumb, but with the excellent resources that Green America provides for free … I am excited to give this a try! Who’s with me?

What are Climate Victory Gardens?

Climate Victory Gardens draw on the history of Victory Gardens in WWI and WWII. During WWII, over 20 million Americans planted Victory Garden that provided 40 percent of the produce for the country. Amazing, right?

We can do it again! We can come together as a nation to plant Climate Victory Gardens to make a big impact in the time of climate change and COVID-19.

What makes Climate Victory Gardening different from plain old gardening and the Victory Gardens of yesteryear? It’s the focus on soil health, and that is exactly why this matters to MegaFood so much. The farm-fresh food that pair with key vitamins and minerals in your supplements, like oranges, kale, cranberries, turmeric and ginger, all need healthy soil to remain nutrient-dense. It’s why we share a commitment with our farm partners for organic and regenerative agriculture for a more resilient future. When soil is healthy it absorbs carbon, trapping it in the earth where it belongs.

Climate Victory Gardeners follow these five practices:

1. Grow food – grow whatever veggies, fruits, and herbs you enjoy and are right for your climate
2. Cover soils – apply mulch, leave plant residues, plant cover crops, strategically allow weeds
3. Compost – turn your kitchen scraps into fertilizer
4. Ditch the chemicals – chemical fertilizers and pesticides are bad for the plant and bad for you
5. Encourage diversity – grow different plants to feed the soil and plant pollinator-friendly plants to help bees and butterflies

I know that MegaFood is proud to source ingredients grown with organic and regenerative practices like those above, and what’s good for your supplements is good for your garden as well!

So, follow our journey with Green America, and wish me luck as I prepare my victory garden too!

Here’s a pic of the only plant I have managed to keep alive in the last few years.

And here’s the plot of land my boys and I will be transforming!

Want to get started?

Use Green America’s toolkit to plant a garden this spring.

Have questions? Check out these Climate Victory Gardens FAQs.

Once you get started, make sure to add your garden to our growing map of gardens nationwide.

And join the Climate Victory Gardeners Facebook group where you’ll find a community of people gardening for the planet and their health.

Happy gardening!