Tragedy of Sept. 11 Leads to Passion For Sustainable Gardening

On the day after Sept. 11, Pattie Baker had a life changing moment at Publix in Dunwoody.

In the hours after the attacks, news broadcasts delved into the unsurety of what was next: Was there another attack on the horizon? Would terrorists hit our water infrastructure? Or attack our food supply?

“It was that day in the super market when I had my big ‘aha moment,’” she said. “It just absolutely hit me that I felt helpless, completely helpless. I literally didn’t know how I could provide for my children.”

“It was a pretty daunting moment as a mother,” she said.

Baker’s new book ‘Food for My Daughters: what one mom decided to do when the towers fell (and what you can do, too)’ explains how from that day forward, she focused on growing her own food – a decision she says broadened her role in her community, pushed her to develop a deep knowledge of gardening and increased her resiliency.

Baker, a Long Island native and former resident of Manhattan, said the attacks struck her deeply.

“I’m just an every day American who was somewhere else and was really changed by that experience,” she said. “I felt a very powerful feeling that I never wanted to forget – feeling of helplessness. I wanted that to be my motivation. I never want to have that feeling again.”

Wanting to gain a capacity of self-reliance and security, she turned to sustainable gardening.

“I cant’ think of anything more basic than food,” she said. “If I was going to start somewhere, food seemed like a great place to start

She dived into books about gardening, about food, and about the food system; she got a subscription with a nearby farm to receive locally grown food; and she began gardening at her home, a completely foreign venture to her.

“I was not a gardener. I had no interest in gardening,” she said, referring to her life prior to her ‘aha moment.’ “I did not see that as something I’d ever thought I’d be doing.”

But it was something she knew she could do.

Baker said in the months after the attacks, she was waiting for unifying moment or movement – akin to the Victory Gardens of World War II – something the country could participate in and rally around.

“I kept waiting for this call,” she said. “I realized I didn’t need to wait for anybody anymore… I didn’t have to wait for permission. I didn’t have to wait for tools. I just had to take action. Literally, my life just changed.”

Her newfound interest, borne from the tragedy of Sept. 11, proved to be more than a food safety practice, but a passion.

Baker began connecting with people in Dunwoody and nearby communities,

she became involved in local sustainability, helped to start a community garden at Brook Run Park, began writing about sustainable gardening online and helped launch a sustainability commission in Dunwoody.

“In all honesty, it’s really been a joy based journey,” she said.

Making connections and finding community through this passion has been a great reward, she said. But even more so has been the feeling of “paying it forward.”

“The big motivator for me is to feel like I’m a bridge to the next generation,” she said. While she said she knows these large worldly issues are still looming, she’s hoping her message is being passed on.

“I do think I’m planting seeds for the future,” she said.

“One of the things I like to think about is that children are watching and learning,” she said. “If nothing else, that’s enough for me.”

Baker’s book, which was just published, is now for sale at Amazon.com. She will be appearing at the AJC Decatur Book Festival on Sept. 4.