There are a wide variety of community gardens that you can choose to join or even start for yourself. A "community garden" refers to a plot of land developed by a neighborhood, school or other public organization, such as a hospital. Anything from flowers to trees to organic produce can be planted depending on the particular garden's rules. Community gardens are also very popular in urban areas, known as "urban agriculture," where produce is grown for the local markets.
There are numerous benefits to be had from community gardens. They can enhance community interaction and development; encourage self-reliance and produce nutricious and organic food; reduce city heat from streets and parking lots, and preserve green space at the same time. Community gardens can be found and produced anywhere from vacant lots to rooftops. And don't forget-they provide a great way to get kids involved into community action to promote the healthier, greener lifestyle!
Take Action / Next Steps
For more information on green gardening and community gardens, please see: Green Gardening 101
Did you know that you can drastically reduce your weekly grocery bill by growing your own vegetables?
According to Business Pundit, if your garden is big enough and productive enough, you can save as much as 30% on your
weekly grocery bill. It could be due to the recession, but there has been a rampant and rising interest in growing your own
food. The sales of vegetable and herb seeds went up by 40% just last year, which has been double the annual growth for the
last five years.
Did you know that community gardens can provide food security?
Community gardens not only strengthen community bonds and create sustainable uses of space, but they can be a great way in
which communities can save money together as a whole, by sharing the costs and benefits of the produce grown within the
garden. Food security allows people to grow their own food or for others to donate what they already have grown.
Did you know that home grown vegetables not only reduce your intake of toxic pesticides and fertilizers, but will also
taste much better than store bought produce?
Over 400 different pesticides can be used in non-organic farming and the residue can be found on the everyday foods we eat
from the grocery store. If you grow your own fruits or vegetables, there is no need to worry about the poisons of
pesticides! For more information on pesticides, please see: Avoid Common Pesticides.
Did you know that growing your own food and buying local produce can reduce "food mileage," which helps the environment
and supports local farmers as well?
"Food mileage" refers to how much energy has been spent on getting the food that you eat from the ground to your table.
By growing your own vegetables, you are not only saving money, but cutting down energy use and improving the environment.
11% of CO2 emissions from the UK, for instance, are solely attributed to air-freight transportation of produce.
SOURCES : 1. The American Community Gardening Association. "What is a Community Garden?" Available from: http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/. [10 April 2009].
