Lauren Allmayer and Lindsey Scalera, co-founders of Eastern
Michigan's Giving Garden, are passionate about local food
issues and food security.
But, they didn't expect everyone to be.
When the two started talking with administrators about
creating a place where students and others could grow food,
they envisioned the garden as a bridge between the University
and the Ypsilanti community. If it were only that — something
that brought people together and produced food — they
would have considered it a success.
 |
BEAUTIFUL BOUNTY: (from left) Lauren Allmayer
and Lindsey Scalera, co-founders of EMU's
Giving
Garden, display some of the bounty from
the 30-plot
garden located on a hilltop between
Westview
Apartments and the recreational softball
complex.
The garden has become a source of food
and a place
to learn and create community. Photo
by Anthony Gattine
|
In less than a year, it's become much more.
The Giving Garden is not only a source of food, but also
a source of learning, community and empowerment. It's amazing
what some tiny seeds, a lot of hard work and 36 cubic yards
of compost can do.
"We have such a diverse population of students, faculty,
staff, alumni and friends. Everyone's having conversations
about everything," Allmayer said. "Food is something
everyone has in common with each other, and it's so steeped
in tradition and culture."
The Giving Garden, which became a student organization
in June, works because of its collaboration with EMU departments
such as grounds and University Housing, and with community
groups like Growing Hope. Eastern Michigan's Office of
Research and Development matched a $3,000 Michigan Campus
Compact Venture grant that Allmayer and Scalera landed.
That money will help them build cold frames (garden beds
built above regular ground level), buy seeds, train leadership
and develop programming.
"There are a million and one ways that education at Eastern
can be part of this garden and (so many ways) that community
outreach can be generated," Scalera said.
Through a partnership with The B Side (The Business Side
of Youth) and Michigan Works!, about 10 Ypsilanti teens
worked in the garden over the summer as part of a venture
called B. Green Youth CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).
With guidance from Giving Garden volunteers, they planted
and tended plots, and are now selling their harvest at
the Ypsilanti Farmer's Market. The teens learned about
the impact of local food systems and local businesses on
communities, and managed the shock of seeing people snap
a green bean or a tomato off the plant and pop it into
their mouths.
"At first, they're like, 'You eat that?'" Allmayer said.
The garden itself, a 60-foot by 70-foot patch on a sunny
hilltop between the Westview Apartments and the recreational
softball complex, is bursting with tomatoes, squash, potatoes,
peppers, kale, cucumbers and broccoli.
It's become a gathering place and a nice addition to the
Westview neighborhood. Early in the season, kids playing
nearby helped plant tomatoes and people out walking their
dogs stopped by to weed or talk.
Allmayer, a recent EMU graduate, and Scalera, an EMU graduate
student in eco-justice education, hope the garden can add
to the momentum for sustainability in Ypsilanti.
"We want to help people realize you're not alone in trying
to make changes, and you can do it right here," Scalera
said.
The gardeners started meeting in January. Through their
various connections, they rounded up donated bricks, rocks,
straw and compost. The grounds department agreed to turn
up a patch of earth. The Westview Apartments complex currently
provides water from its taps, but eventually that will
come from strategically placed rain barrels.
Lisa Bashert from Growing Hope led workshops on organic
gardening. Eastern Michigan biology faculty helped them
plant seeds in the greenhouses.
Allmayer and Scalera thought most of their gardeners would
just be interested in growing food, but they've found almost
all also are passionate about food security and worried
about people becoming disconnected from their food. As
a result, the garden group has continued to hold monthly
gardening and eco-justice workshops, along with field trips
to conferences, farmers markets and CSA farms.
The garden has room for about 30 plots. In the interest
of reaching out to as many people as possible, lots are
allotted through a flexible structure that makes room for
different levels of expertise and time commitment. In addition
to standard solo plots, buddy gardeners tend neighboring
plots. Learning gardeners use community space under the
guidance of a learning garden steward, and wandering gardeners
can garden in the learning plots with a looser time commitment.
Everyone pays $20 to participate. For more information,
visit the group's Web site at http://givinggarden.ning.com/.
Because space is limited, garden users need some connection
to EMU to have a plot there. However, the group also organizes
monthly workshops and field trips to help persons learn
about or improve their gardening skills.
When Allmayer and Scalera started talking about a student
garden a year ago, they imagined a five-year plan. They
didn't expect it to get so much support so quickly.
"It's surprising when you stop to think about it; how
quickly this has become something substantial," Scalera
said. "What we set out to do has happened. We have a garden.
It's bringing people together and it's getting people talking
about local food. I never thought we'd be running a youth
program in the garden, but the opportunity came up. And
we couldn't say 'no.'"
