Do you feel overwhelmed by the environmental problems of today? Feel like nothing you can do can make a difference? Well I am here to tell you, you are dead wrong. I am going to show you that through a 4 foot by 4 foot garden you can grow a ton of food; reduce your carbon footprint of shipping veggies, mowing an area, gas to the grocery store, while also improving your health. Most environmentalists call this kind of farming, biointensive. It means growing as much product as you can in the smallest space you can. So here is the challenge, go find a spot of your grass that is 4’x4′ and take a flat shovel and cut up the top. Now make sure what you take off the top you put in the compost pile (or if you want to get really cool, put some cardboard down and cover it with leaves or hay for a whole year and then boom, you have fresh undisturbed soils). If you have only rock, or concrete, or something else you can’t dig into make a RAISED BED –> click this to see how for only $15. Ok now you have your space to garden with, the next step is choosing what you want to grow! I am using a template from this website–> click here. 
You will have 4 sections, and in these sections there are tons of varieties. Your first section will be low lying herbs like mint, oregano, chives, etc. Your second section is your tall herbs like basil, rosemary, sage, etc. Your third section is salad items like cucumber, or arugula, etc. Lastly is your tall plants like peppers or tomatoes. This is just a basic example you can mix and match and do whatever you want, you’re the artist and this is your canvas! Have fun with it, get your kids involved, try and get more people in the community involved. Maybe you grow the tomatoes and cucumbers, and they grow only herbs for you and them. Spread the word and get everyone involved its cheap and easy (two great things in anyone’s opinion). But by doing this not only do you build your community, you are helping nourish your body with nutrients and healthy no pesticide vegetables and herbs. You also are helping decrease the mass amounts of fossil fuels used to import vegetables like tomatoes, which by the way we import 1,532,718 tons a year. You also by taking up some lawn don’t have to mow as much (saving some chore times you’re welcome) and also saving the gas emissions from your lawn mower. Lastly you don’t have to drive to the store to get some things, you can just go in the backyard and pick it. Put the herbs in anything you want! Have a party, show off your hip garden, AND SHARE YOUR PRODUCE WITH EVERYONE! This is the whole challenge pretty simple right? Now doesn’t seem so hard to make a change now does it? With a 4’x4′ plot you can possibly change your own life, your community, and heck who knows maybe the world. Not a bad investment.
From “that” friend who will always challenge you,
Ben Van Gorp