Background

''Communities are dependent upon the import of food. In the event of an emergency or a natural disaster preventing this import, communities in BC would run out of food in an estimated 2 to 3 days (Community Nutritionists Council of BC, Making the Connection - Food Security and Public Health, 2004).

According to the Canadian Disaster Database, 39 disasters happened in BC between 1990 and 2005, including forest fires, floods, windstorms, chemical spills, snowstorms, and landslides. Any disaster has the potential of interrupting our food supply.

One means of addressing the issue of our dependency upon the import of food is for every lawn to include a garden. While not everyone is a gardener, even the most seasoned ''brown thumb'' can begin to grow their own food with relatively little effort. The objective of ''Every Lawn A Garden'' is to help persons increase their capacity for gardening so that everyone can reach the stage of growing some of their own food supply.

As our ability to garden increases, our dependency on imported food decreases. Gardening becomes a mechanism by which our individual and community food security and emergency preparedness increase. Gardening is thus positioned at the intersection of food security, emergency preparedness, and public health.

Mission: For every household to have a food garden (a 'local' food supply) and for every community to increase its local food supply through a system of community and local gardens.

Vision: Every Lawn A Garden is dedicated to working towards:

• increasing local and community emergency preparedness through reducing reliance on imported food
• increasing the capacity of local food supplies to serve the needs of individuals and communities in the event of natural and/or man-made disasters
• increasing food security
• increasing capacity in our local food systems
• increasing social capital and social support networks through promoting local and community gardens
• reducing the number of food miles associated with our food system

Structure: 'Every Lawn a Garden'' will operate on a partnership model, working with municipal governments, community organizations, employers, citizens and others to promote food producing gardens, and is supported by an online gardening community to connect people, organizations, and ideas.