After a long week of depressing, doom-and-gloom articles, I saw a news story that lifted me out of the funk: Michelle Obama will break ground on the White House South Lawn to plant an organic vegetable garden.

Not since Eleanor Roosevelt has a First Lady rolled up her shirt sleeves in an effort to grow her own butter lettuce, sugar snap peas, fennel and argula.

The plan is that the produce -- locally-grown, organic, sustainable and healthy -- will go directly to the White House kitchen for the girls' BLTs, as well as formal meals with dignitaries and world leaders. 

It's pretty clear that Michelle Obama's motivation has nothing to do with a green thumb (she admits she's never planted a vegetable garden before.) 

Instead, it is a simple way to lead by example. A community garden educates children about healthful, locally-grown fruit and vegetables. It might also inspire people to try growing their own produce, as well as encourage them to eat healthfully at a time when the entire country is struggling with obesity, diabetes and (thank you, Wall Street) stress-eating.  

“My hope,” she told the media, “is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.” 

To make sure that people get the message, the garden will be visible from the street, Oprah will interview Michelle Obama on the subject, and elementary school kids in the D.C. area will help plant the seedlings.

Personally, I'm thrilled and inspired by such a simple, yet powerful choice. It promotes a philosophy that I completely support: Think global, and eat local.   

In fact, the garden is the result of a serious grass-roots effort that began well before the Obamas moved into the White House.

Eat The View, a campaign designed by Kitchen Gardens International, lobbied to "edibilize" the White House by creating YouTube videos, a Facebook group and getting thousands of people to sign an online petition for the cause.

If this is a cause you'd like to support, check out their webpage. They have some great suggestions about how to make community gardens more common, or to green up your corner of the world: 

1) Identify a landscape near you that you think should be "edible-ized". Start with your own yard, neighborhood, or child's schoolyard.

2) Ask community and/or elected officials on a local level to lead by example. The Governors of Maine, North Carolina and New York are already eating from gardens planted at their official residences. 

3)Thank the Obamas for leading by example

4) Join our their Facebook cause.