Ashley Yermasek
ENG 1020
Dr. Houp
3 April 2009
Growing Together
Imagine a place where everyone comes together for a shared love and a driving passion; there is no discrimination, no competition, and no upper, middle, or lower class. Just people working hand in hand to sustain life and care for something on a level playing field. This is a place that was created in unison and can mean many different things to each individual, this is a community garden. For some, a calming oasis to escape the stresses of everyday life; for others, a healthier, more sufficient means of food consumption and land usage. Whatever the reason, these gardens are inspiring unity and hope among many communities and neighborhoods.
The American Community Gardening Association or ACGA broadly defines a community garden as any piece of land gardened by a group of people, it can be urban, suburban, or rural; it can grow flowers, vegetables, or community; it can be one community plot, or can be many individual plots; it can be at a school, hospital, or in a neighborhood; it can also be a series of plots dedicated to “urban agriculture” where the produce is grown for a market (ACGA).
Most community gardens are based off of the Victory Gardens started more than 350 years ago. The San Francisco Garden Resource Organization (SFGRO) defines Victory Gardens as vegetable gardens planted during the world wars to ensure an adequate food supply for civilians and troops. Government agencies, private foundations, businesses, schools, and seed companies all worked together to provide land, instruction, and seeds for individuals and communities to grow food (SFGRO). The SFGRO also states that modern community gardens have their roots in Historic Bethabara Park in Winston-Salem, the site of the first Moravian settlement in North Carolina and the oldest community garden in the country (SFGRO).
The benefits to having a community garden seem endless! Here are some of the many benefits to community gardens as stated in Cultivating Community Gardens: improves the quality of life for people in the garden, provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, stimulates social interaction, encourages self-reliance, beautifies neighborhoods, produces nutritious food, reduces family food budgets, conserves resources, creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education, reduces crime, preserves green space, creates income opportunities and economic development, reduces city heat from streets and parking lots, provides opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections, includes neighbors of various ages, races, and ethnic backgrounds, builds in a method to encourage the donation of surplus produce to food shelters, and enables gardeners to sell their produce through a local farmers market (CCG). With all these benefits, it seems like every community would want a garden like this.
Another article from Cultivating Community Gardens states that 65 percent of adults in the U.S. are over-weight or obese and more than 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese or at risk for becoming obese (CCG). Obese adults and children are at a greater risk of developing heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. The article also states that in addition to the potential health consequences, obesity creates a substantial economic burden; the direct and indirect health costs associated with obesity are estimated at 117 billion dollars per year, nationwide, in the form of worker absenteeism, health care premiums, co-payments, and out-of-pocket expenses (CCG). If people like this had access to a community garden where they could grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables the rate of obesity might go down.
In addition to promoting health and cutting back on obesity these gardens create educational opportunities as well as help the environment. The CCG states that hands –on community gardens can teach children about the sources of fresh produce, demonstrate community stewardship and introduce the importance of environmental sustainability. They also state that gardens are a great place for children to learn math, business and communication skills through applied activities and interaction; integrating environmental-based education into academic programs improves reading, math, science and social studies test scores and reduces discipline problems in the classroom (CCG). The article also talks about the environmental benefits such as green vegetation can reflect as much as twenty to twenty-five percent of radiation from the sun, thus reducing the heat island effect in cities and cooling the climate in urban areas. It also states that in the United States, a meal travels about 13,000 miles, on average, before reaching your plate; eating locally produced foods reduces fuel consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and a variety of other negative environmental consequences associated with the transportation of foods (CCG).
More and more college campuses are starting to use community gardens not only as an educational and environmental booster, but also as a way to connect with the community. The appearance of a campus is normally the first thing that prospective students and their parents take notice of when selecting a school to attend, a community garden is a great way to showcase the campus. Government Professor and garden faculty advisor Peter Cannavo of Hamilton College in New York is quoted as saying “Food is one of the most tangible connections to where we live and this is a connection that has been lost over the past century” (Campus). Cannavo also states that “Decentralization of food production has made us passive consumers, and a garden is also a way of establishing citizenship in a democracy” (Campus). Hamilton College has also proved how cost efficient it is to start up a garden such as this. The students and professors wrote up a proposal asking for 20,000 in which 13,000 will go towards a water line, around 1,800 will go to a local farmer for help with ploughing and advice, and the rest will go towards a fence (Campus). A local restaurant called Bon Apetit has also gotten involved with the project and are excited about the prospect of buying and growing fresh herbs and various other fresh vegetables, they are even willing to buy everything and anything the garden produces (Campus).
Wilmington College in Ohio has found a way to beautify their campus while also easing the impact of the local job crisis. An article in their school newspaper states that Wilmington College is calling upon its agricultural heritage as it endeavors to take a leadership role in addressing needs in a community rocked by the potential loss of 8,000 jobs at the Wilmington Air Park (College). Wilmington College is offering several opportunities for putting fresh food on the tables of Clinton County residents during their time of need. The center piece will be its community gardens, a series of 20 4-by-12 foot plots on College land that will be used by pre-selected families and individuals to grow vegetables this summer (College).
In conclusion a community garden can mean many great things for communities and campuses alike. A quote from Lady Bird Johnson states “While the spirit of neighborliness was important on the frontier because neighbors were so few, it is even more important now because our neighbors are so many” (Quotations). Whether they are used as a primary local food source, means of education, or bringing people together over a common goal, these gardens can help us grow more than the seeds we put in the ground.
Works Cited
"Cultivating Community Gardens". LGC. April 4, 2009
.
"History of Community and Victory Gardens". San Francisco Garden Resource Organization .
April 3, 2009.
"Quotations About the Community". April 15, 2009
.
Reed, Mallory. The Spectator. Campus Community Garden Ploughed and Ready to Grow. 2009.
"What is a community garden?". American Community Garden Association. April 1, 2009
ENG 1020
Dr. Houp
3 April 2009
Growing Together
Imagine a place where everyone comes together for a shared love and a driving passion; there is no discrimination, no competition, and no upper, middle, or lower class. Just people working hand in hand to sustain life and care for something on a level playing field. This is a place that was created in unison and can mean many different things to each individual, this is a community garden. For some, a calming oasis to escape the stresses of everyday life; for others, a healthier, more sufficient means of food consumption and land usage. Whatever the reason, these gardens are inspiring unity and hope among many communities and neighborhoods.
The American Community Gardening Association or ACGA broadly defines a community garden as any piece of land gardened by a group of people, it can be urban, suburban, or rural; it can grow flowers, vegetables, or community; it can be one community plot, or can be many individual plots; it can be at a school, hospital, or in a neighborhood; it can also be a series of plots dedicated to “urban agriculture” where the produce is grown for a market (ACGA).
Most community gardens are based off of the Victory Gardens started more than 350 years ago. The San Francisco Garden Resource Organization (SFGRO) defines Victory Gardens as vegetable gardens planted during the world wars to ensure an adequate food supply for civilians and troops. Government agencies, private foundations, businesses, schools, and seed companies all worked together to provide land, instruction, and seeds for individuals and communities to grow food (SFGRO). The SFGRO also states that modern community gardens have their roots in Historic Bethabara Park in Winston-Salem, the site of the first Moravian settlement in North Carolina and the oldest community garden in the country (SFGRO).
The benefits to having a community garden seem endless! Here are some of the many benefits to community gardens as stated in Cultivating Community Gardens: improves the quality of life for people in the garden, provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, stimulates social interaction, encourages self-reliance, beautifies neighborhoods, produces nutritious food, reduces family food budgets, conserves resources, creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education, reduces crime, preserves green space, creates income opportunities and economic development, reduces city heat from streets and parking lots, provides opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections, includes neighbors of various ages, races, and ethnic backgrounds, builds in a method to encourage the donation of surplus produce to food shelters, and enables gardeners to sell their produce through a local farmers market (CCG). With all these benefits, it seems like every community would want a garden like this.
Another article from Cultivating Community Gardens states that 65 percent of adults in the U.S. are over-weight or obese and more than 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese or at risk for becoming obese (CCG). Obese adults and children are at a greater risk of developing heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. The article also states that in addition to the potential health consequences, obesity creates a substantial economic burden; the direct and indirect health costs associated with obesity are estimated at 117 billion dollars per year, nationwide, in the form of worker absenteeism, health care premiums, co-payments, and out-of-pocket expenses (CCG). If people like this had access to a community garden where they could grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables the rate of obesity might go down.
In addition to promoting health and cutting back on obesity these gardens create educational opportunities as well as help the environment. The CCG states that hands –on community gardens can teach children about the sources of fresh produce, demonstrate community stewardship and introduce the importance of environmental sustainability. They also state that gardens are a great place for children to learn math, business and communication skills through applied activities and interaction; integrating environmental-based education into academic programs improves reading, math, science and social studies test scores and reduces discipline problems in the classroom (CCG). The article also talks about the environmental benefits such as green vegetation can reflect as much as twenty to twenty-five percent of radiation from the sun, thus reducing the heat island effect in cities and cooling the climate in urban areas. It also states that in the United States, a meal travels about 13,000 miles, on average, before reaching your plate; eating locally produced foods reduces fuel consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and a variety of other negative environmental consequences associated with the transportation of foods (CCG).
More and more college campuses are starting to use community gardens not only as an educational and environmental booster, but also as a way to connect with the community. The appearance of a campus is normally the first thing that prospective students and their parents take notice of when selecting a school to attend, a community garden is a great way to showcase the campus. Government Professor and garden faculty advisor Peter Cannavo of Hamilton College in New York is quoted as saying “Food is one of the most tangible connections to where we live and this is a connection that has been lost over the past century” (Campus). Cannavo also states that “Decentralization of food production has made us passive consumers, and a garden is also a way of establishing citizenship in a democracy” (Campus). Hamilton College has also proved how cost efficient it is to start up a garden such as this. The students and professors wrote up a proposal asking for 20,000 in which 13,000 will go towards a water line, around 1,800 will go to a local farmer for help with ploughing and advice, and the rest will go towards a fence (Campus). A local restaurant called Bon Apetit has also gotten involved with the project and are excited about the prospect of buying and growing fresh herbs and various other fresh vegetables, they are even willing to buy everything and anything the garden produces (Campus).
Wilmington College in Ohio has found a way to beautify their campus while also easing the impact of the local job crisis. An article in their school newspaper states that Wilmington College is calling upon its agricultural heritage as it endeavors to take a leadership role in addressing needs in a community rocked by the potential loss of 8,000 jobs at the Wilmington Air Park (College). Wilmington College is offering several opportunities for putting fresh food on the tables of Clinton County residents during their time of need. The center piece will be its community gardens, a series of 20 4-by-12 foot plots on College land that will be used by pre-selected families and individuals to grow vegetables this summer (College).
In conclusion a community garden can mean many great things for communities and campuses alike. A quote from Lady Bird Johnson states “While the spirit of neighborliness was important on the frontier because neighbors were so few, it is even more important now because our neighbors are so many” (Quotations). Whether they are used as a primary local food source, means of education, or bringing people together over a common goal, these gardens can help us grow more than the seeds we put in the ground.
Works Cited
"Cultivating Community Gardens". LGC. April 4, 2009
"History of Community and Victory Gardens". San Francisco Garden Resource Organization .
April 3, 2009
"Quotations About the Community". April 15, 2009
Reed, Mallory. The Spectator. Campus Community Garden Ploughed and Ready to Grow. 2009.
"What is a community garden?". American Community Garden Association. April 1, 2009
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