Green Thumbs Up

Students planting in GW's new community garden. Photo by Erica Mills

GW students seem to have caught the sustainable gardening bug, and gardens on both the Mount Vernon and Foggy Bottom campuses allow students to show off their green thumbs while simultaneously learning about sustainability and the green movement.

In August 2009, the Food Justice Alliance, a student organization, began construction on a community garden across the street from Amsterdam Hall. GW Facilities built the garden beds in preparation for garden cultivation. Now, eight months later, seeds are being planted and plants are sprouting.

The garden uses the square foot gardening technique which helps with weed control and maximizes space in a limited urban garden. The garden includes vegetables, leafy greens, and even a fig and a persimmon tree.

The goal for the garden is to raise awareness about the food that we eat and the importance of sustainability. “A garden is something tangible you can rally around,” said Melissa Eddison, ‘11, the garden manager for FJA. “It brings people together.”

Eddison expects for the garden to have a harvest before the end of the semester. She will also remain in D.C. over the summer as the garden fellow, which is a paid internship allowing her to oversee the community garden. Eddison has a team of volunteers who have committed to help tend the garden throughout the summer.

The majority of the harvest will go to Miriam’s Kitchen, a food bank right on campus, and the rest will be distributed to the volunteers who worked on the garden.

Mount Vernon Campus life is in the planning stages of a similar project.

“With the opening of the new Pelham Residence Hall and Campus Life Center this fall, this unique opportunity for students, faculty, and staff interested in sustainable practices and green living to participate in the cultivation of  community garden presented itself,” said Elan Schnitzer, the Marketing Coordinator for Events and Special Services for the MVCL. “The Green Earth Year and Civic House, two new Living and Learning Programs on the Mount Vernon Campus, will provide partner communities for students to actively participate in the care of the garden and distribution of crops to local organizations in need.”

The garden will be set up over the summer, most likely in time to start planting and harvesting next academic year. Like the Foggy Bottom garden, the harvest from this garden will be distributed to the volunteers and donated to community-based organizations.

Also like the Foggy Bottom garden, the Mount Vernon project is designed as an educational tool. The designs were created by students in GW’s Landscape Design Program and the garden itself will be maintained largely by the two LLCs. The garden will also be used as a tool to educate the entire student body about sustainability, nutrition, and environmental issues.

“The community garden provides the opportunity for a strong campus-community partnership, serving the needs of our fellow community members and educating youth from our neighboring schools,” said Schnitzer. “The possibilities for service, learning, and experiential education are endless.”