Sacramento, CA - Earlier today, Maria Shriver unveiled a community garden at the heart of the Capitol grounds, following a national trend to grow food local and sustainably. The garden will be made up of fruits, vegetables and herbs, and change with the seasons. According to advocates, it is intended to be a teaching tool for children regarding nutrition, agriculture and healthy living.

“Over the years, I have seen how gardens have positively transformed students, schools and communities in California. Gardens are a wonderful resource, and I truly believe in the life lessons they teach and the lives they touch -- and that every school and community should have one. What we’re doing in California goes beyond symbolism, we are truly creating a comprehensive environment for learning all around this garden,” said First Lady Maria Shriver in a written statement.

Also speaking at the event were California Secretary of Agriculture, A.G. Kawamura, chef and author Alice Waters, and TV chef celebrity Guy Fieri.

Increasingly, the movement of people working on food issues has linked the issues of hunger, global warming, and food safety. "Shriver's garden points California in the right direction---towards, healthy, organic and local food," said Claude Black, an activist with EAT Sacramento.

Like the Obama garden, the Shriver garden will be maintained organically, in accordance with the rest of the Capitol grounds.  And food grown, will be distributed to the local food banks. Similar fruit harvest operations have already been taking place in Sacramento over the past few months, under the auspices of the Urban Fruit Sustainability Project.

Logo courtesy of the Office of First Lady Maria Shriver

George Jackson is an intern with Pesticide-Free Sacramento, a group that works to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the use of pesticides in the Sacramento region.