Annie Mellick, Ryan Dustin, and Ben Ganon The University of Vermont, Burlington VT
Introduction
Project Goals and Objectives
The University of Vermont has been a leader in the green movement for a number of decades now, mainly due to the students the school attracts and the programs the school offers. These young environmental advocates, encouraged by UVM’s prestigious professors, push the University and the Burlington community into a more sustainable future. Edible gardening gives students the opportunity to engage in outdoor activities, supplement meals, connect with the local community and economy, and can be used as an educational tool in the field of agriculture. •
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Goals: • Increase gardens on campus (especially edible gardens) • Incorporate gardens into student curriculum • Create a connection between UVM and the Burlington community Objectives: • Storm water retention • Incorporate gardening into curriculum, connection with community, meal vouchers • Donate all excess produce to community food bank
Curriculum: Engagement with nature within the class experience, in a growing sustainability movement, our world’s fossil fuels are being depleted, we need to emphasize local agriculture because transportation costs are on the rise Supplementing Meals: real food challenge, connects student and staff, (see the cycle of ag.) Connection with Community: Local gardens provide an excellent opportunity for community involvement. Working for meal vouchers and investing in the local community helps shape a smaller systems approach. Currently there is a disconnect between the university and the community. Community gardens will help this connection and any extra produce can be donated to local food banks.
Plan Next steps include starting a student-run club and/or a servicelearning course.
Existing Edible Gardens on Campus The University of Vermont has made a start on creating edible gardens, which can be found in three areas on the Main campus of UVM: • • •
Acknowledgements The work we have compiled has been retrieved through interviews with Greenhouse program specialist, Jessica Sanford, and associate professor in the agricultural department, Mark Starrett. We also learned from online research on university/ colleges who have proven to be great advocates for sustainability like East Washington University and Oberlin. All of these actors have been a consistent support to the Gardens team and we greatly appreciated all their help throughout our group project.
Outside Jeffords Hall are garden plots on the west side and raised planters on the east side Between University Heights dorms and the Catholic Center there is a set of small gardens Outside Slade Hall dorm on Redstone campus there is a small garden plot and greenhouse
Gardens on other UVM land nearby: • •
The Common Ground Student Run Farm at the Horticulture Research Center -“Edible garden" and the "Apprentice Farm gardens" UVM donates land by the Wheelock Barn at the corner of Spear and Swift streets as a Community Garden plot.
Service Learning Course: • Create a course that connects students and staff to the campus environment • Students design and implement gardens across campus in specific areas designated by class instructor. The students can come up with ways to involve the Burlington and UVM community further as well. Plan the managerial aspects of the meal vouchers. Student-run Club: • Maintain gardens and produce • Make produce delivery to Burlington Farmers Market, food bank, etc. • Create events that will connect the Burlington community, students, staff, and faculty.
Uses of the gardens: • • • • •
All produce from Jeffords Hall gardens is donated to The Emergency Food Shelf of Chittenden County University Heights Greenhouse garden plots are used as veggie workshops for the University Heights Greenhouse residents in fall The produce from Slade Hall garden is frozen/preserved and stored in the Slade basement freezers for use during the academic year by residents Some of the produce from the Common Ground Student Run Farm is donated to The Emergency Food Shelf of Chittenden County and some is sold as "shares" as a CSA to faculty/staff/students at UVM. The individuals who are allotted a garden plot use the Community Gardens.
Conclusions Growing food on campus is possible. UVM has the space and with community involvement, UVM will have labor assistance. Getting the gardens on campus certified to be healthy enough so that Sodexo can use the produce in meals is a potential roadblock. If these potential gardens are certified, UVM and Sodexo can increase their numbers in their real food challenge while instilling values of sustainable living.