The Druid City Garden Project seeks to build community through food and to increase access to fresh, locally grown produce, Rashmi Becker Grace, one of the founders of the project, said.
The project began in February, starting with the search to find a suitable location for their first garden. The Tuscaloosa City Schools Board of Education approved their proposal for a school garden at University Place Elementary School in April, and they installed the first garden in May.
In conjunction with the project there is a course taught through the Honors College called “Reading into Sustainability” in which students go out one hour each week to work in the garden.
Adam Weinstein, the course instructor, said the beginning of the garden project and the creation of the class came into effect around the same time.
“We seek to foster community through the gardens and connect people through food,” he said. “There was no garden on campus to do that so we decided to create our own.”
He said students may not get many opportunities to learn outside of the classroom, but this course offers them that chance.
“With this course, students get to go out into the community and work in the garden,” he said. “They get to read ideas about sustainability and work with the students at University Place.”
Lindsay Turner, a student involved with the project, said she really thinks the DCGP is a wonderful organization to be a part of and really enjoys working with it.
“I go and spend an hour at the garden and also have been involved with the educational classes which include teaching some of the kids about sustainability,” she said.
She said she learned more about this class and sustainability from her roommates’ encouraging her to go through New College to add it as a minor.
Grace said the pilot program at University Place Elementary School is off to a great start.
“Students from eight classes helped to plant the fall garden in October and have been coming out for regularly scheduled garden activities since then,” she said. “The garden is a great place for hands-on learning, and students get to engage in science and healthy eating through actively participating in gardening.”
Weinstein said the DCGP seeks to plant good, healthy food by providing local sustainable agriculture.
He said that, with the alarming statistics of diabetes in the state, it is good to have this organization spread the word and teach kids about eating sustainably when they are younger.
Grace said she founded the project with her husband Andy, an instructor in telecommunications and film, as well as with Weinstein and his wife Emily Tipps, who is also a university instructor.
Being a new organization and a non-profit, DCGP is constantly making efforts to raise funds to keep the project going.
“Funding is our big need at the moment, since we are currently financing most of our operations by ourselves,” Grace said. “We are a registered, 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so that gives us the ability to apply for grants and solicit donations from the community.”
She said they also plan to raise money through produce sales, fund raising dinners and donations.
The members of the DCGP project, which includes some honors college students, will be attending the Homegrown Farmer’s Market today and they will be selling some of their produce and homemade hot sauce.
“Eventually, we’d like to continue our food outreach efforts by having additional plots around the city or at other schools,” Grace said.
