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Food production utilizes an amazing amount of the earth’s resources. It would then seem that Earth Day is the perfect “food for thought” day.

After a long winter and 140 inches of snow here in Bangor, Maine, gardeners are getting ready to sink their hands in at the Bangor Community Garden. It may seem a bit early especially since there are still patches of snow on the ground but for the more experienced gardener, they know that they can squeeze in a few cold resistant varieties to yield a few more veggies this season.

The Bangor Community Garden was founded by the City of Bangor, National Able Network, and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. It has been wonderful to experience the continued growth of this community garden. With 125 – 4×8 raised beds, we are fortunate that the fees have generated a small financial surplus. That extra surplus allows us to lower the fees by half of what they were before, only $12.50 per raised bed. With that new strategy, the plots are filling up fast and it would seem that we’ll soon be expanding to upwards of 200 beds in the coming years.

Entering its fourth year, the garden has a maintained its proud heritage of being a place to grow vegetables using organic practices. Members experience first-hand the freshness and healthier nature of what they are eating. Most community garden participants, including myself, have a hard time understanding the world of commercial food production, but I hear people express their uncertainty about the methods being used all the time. Earth Day is a good day to reflect, inform and further educate ourselves about the food supply.

Making the earth a better place may simply be the result of us living in the world in a way that we want it to be. Growing our own food is certainly one way to express ourselves.

For those without the luxury of having a garden plot this year, voting with your fork is another great way to express yourself through the purchases you make. Organic and non GMO labels are something you can be on the lookout for. When you do see these labels, it generally comes from producers who want you to believe that the product has higher value. Ultimately, we have to judge for ourselves. Purchasing food locally at farmers markets is a great opportunity to be more informed about what we’re consuming. Whatever your choices this year, may they lead you and the earth to a brighter future!