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mental and physical health benefits, which cannot be quantified in terms of dollars and cents but are proven scientifically. Last but not least, greening or community gardens have a profound effect on the rate of crime. In Chicago, public housing buildings with a high level of vegetation that you can see over (such as garden plants) had 52% fewer crimes than those with no landscaping. Buildings with medium levels of vegetation had 42% fewer crimes. Therefore, it is evident that the “greener� the environment, the safer the community. In Philadelphia, burglaries and thefts in one precinct dropped by 90% after police and residents cleaned up vacant lots and planted gardens. If the local government were to subsidize the entire provision, which is rare, the total investment would have been $83.5 million. Therefore, the estimated net tax benefit would be about $480 million, or over $750,000 per garden. The most exemplary community gardens project is the Urban Farming project. This excellent organization seeks to create an abundance of food for people in need by fostering community gardens on unused land. This has an effect on education, health care, and sustainable economy. In 2005, Urban Farming, a non-profit, partnered with Kraft Foods to plant 65 community gardens in 21 cities. Now there are 60,000 community gardens around the globe. Anyone can register their garden for the Urban Farming 100 Million Families and Friends Global Campaign. For additional information go to Urban Farming’s website at www.urbanfarming.org or email them at give@urbanfarming.org.
Studies show that when police and residents have cleaned up vacant lots and planted gardens, burglaries and thefts have dropped by as much as 90%
