About TheWhoFarm
TheWhoFarm (aka The White House Organic Farm Project) began as a non-partisan, petition-based initiative to respectfully request that our 44th President oversee the planting of an organic farm on the grounds of The White House, our nation’s First Home, at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC.
On March 20, 2009, the petition request was honored. First Lady Michelle Obama broke ground on the White House lawn, with the help of over twenty 5th graders from Bancroft Elementary School.
While everyone who signed the petition is an honorary TheWhoFarmer, Daniel Bowman Simon and Casey Gustowarow are the primary TheWhoFarmers.
Daniel Bowman Simon, 28, is a graduate of New York University, with a BS in Marketing. He also completed an MBA at University of the Pacific. He holds a Certificate in Conservation Biology from Columbia University, and is in the slow process of completing a Masters in Urban Planning at New York University Wagner School of Public Service. Prior to TheWhoFarm, Daniel worked for The Gaia Institute and at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Daniel was a US Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines, working in business development and solid waste management on the island of Bohol, where he lived in a bamboo hut, and became friends with Casey.
Casey Gustowarow, 27, is a graduate of McDaniel College, with a BA in Biology. Prior to TheWhoFarm, he worked on Ivy Brand Organic Farm in Maryland, and lectured on conservation policy at McDaniel College. Casey was a US Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines, working in coastal resource management on the island of Bohol, where he lived in a bamboo hut, and became friends with Daniel.
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TheWhoFarmMobile is two school buses fused together with an organic edible garden on the roof. It was originally designed by Stefan Sagmeister and Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s, built by Tom Kennedy, and named Topsy Turvy. TheWhoFarm acquired the bus, ripped off the roof and planted an organic edible garden. TheWhoFarmMobile traveled across the big country to visit schools, farms, food pantries, farmers’ markets, and festivals in 25 states and the District of Columbia in an effort to inform the nation of TheWhoFarm and our petition.
From Independence Day July 4 through July 11, TheWhoFarm waited for Apples outside the flagship Apple Store on 59th Street in NYC. Our wait attracted media attention from around the world, and our website received hits from 88 countries.