Academic Benefits of Knowing Your Food

This is an interesting article on the real benefits to test scores when urban students are exposed to agriculture and rural life (and for rural students, vice versa).

A Moo-Moo Here, and Better Test Scores Later

Up and running for the fall semester

As the everyone settles into the rhythm of a new semester, we've resumed our weekly planning meetings. A number of new faces have joined the project bringing fresh ideas to the table. Welcome all!

This semester we've increased the scope of the after-school educational program, teaching bi-weekly lessons centered around nutrition, gardening and food sustainability. After the success of last year's communal meal, both Columbia students and Grant House residents have expressed the desire to have another such feast this year. Planning for the meal has thus already begun. Donations of food for the meal will be more than welcome. If anyone is interested in donating, or has any leads on potential donors, please contact us.

As far as the construction of the actual garden goes, we are currently at a bureaucratic standstill. For insurance purposes, Columbia requires us to be "housed" by a department or organization that has the authority to legally bind the University in a contract with NYCHA. We've contacted various departments throughout the university, but remain as of yet, without a "home". We are open to any ideas as to who might be able to take us under-wing or how we might circumvent this obstacle. Despite such bureaucratic frustrations, we remain optimistic and hope to see the garden built in the coming spring.

Here's to a productive semester!

Garden and Summer Classes Update

We've been busy coordinating with various NYCHA and Columbia Community Impact officials to negotiate the legal agreement between Columbia University and the NYC Housing Authority that will allow us to proceed with the garden. Currently, the discussion hinges on questions regarding the fence. How much space can we use? How high will the fence be? Who will have access to the space? These are all important questions that students and residents have discussed and will continue to discuss as the project progresses. We hope to resolve any remaining sticking points by early fall so we will be ready for fence implementation and other garden construction before winter.

In the meantime, a group of five dedicated volunteers have been running summer classes for Grant Houses youth in the Summer Day Program. Three days a week volunteers come in and work with three groups of students, the 9s, 8/7s, and 6s (by age), discussing food and gardens. Class topics have included an introduction to the Columbia Community Garden, the different parts of plants and parts we eat, composting, and the food pyramid. See pictures below of students building worm composting bins!

Composting at Grant!

Grant Goes Green

While we await insurance approval before moving ahead with the Grant Garden (it is looking like a fall construction project at this point), Grant Houses residents are greening their homes in other ways. A recent article in the NYTimes featured Gloria Allen and Sarah Martin of the Grant Houses as they fuel a grassroots recycling initiative at Grant. Check it out!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/science/earth/04recycle.html?scp=6&sq=sarah%20martin&st=cse

We tip our hats to these women for their outstanding work and to all of Grant for making the effort to green their community. We hope to see the garden support their efforts in coming months!

Additionally, if you are interested in volunteering this summer to teach food and garden classes to youth at Grant utilizing the Columbia Community Garden's available space, please email grantcommunitygarden@gmail.com with your times and dates of availability.

Grants for Grant!

We received a generous grant of $2500 from the Citizens Committee for New York City recently! This will enable us to take advantage of the garden as a public space and classroom, using it as a tool for other initiatives beyond simply growing food--though that is not always so simple in itself. We are grateful to the Citizens Committee for providing us this grant and look forward to taking advantage of their community organzing expertise and resources to aid us in our endeavor.

http://www.citizensnyc.org/

Blogistics

This is just a test post to make sure the events calendar is staying at the top of the blog.

Cheers,
Eli