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School Gardens Aid National Green Movement
May 07, 2008 03:07 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
by Sarah Amandolare
Student-run school gardens are growing in popularity, providing environmental benefits and encouraging students to lead healthier lives.
Student-run school gardens are growing in popularity, providing environmental benefits and encouraging students to lead healthier lives.
30-Second Summary
The Samuel J. Green Charter School in New Orleans is just one of many schools across the country implementing garden programs that allow students to harvest fruits and vegetables for cafeteria meals.
The concept of school gardens is nothing new. German educator Friedrich Frobel, who coined the term “kindergarten” in 1840, “saw school as both a metaphoric garden for children and a place for them to learn about nature in planted gardens,” according to the Associated Press.
Today, chef, restaurateur and food activist Alice Waters is a leader in the school garden movement.
Waters’ Chez Panisse Foundation started both The Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, Calif., and the garden program at Green Charter School in New Orleans. Similar programs are slated for Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Greensboro, S.C., and Pittsburgh.
According to the AP, Waters says the most crucial element of school garden programs is helping students gain “reverence for the food they eat.”
Gardens also offer a soothing respite from the classroom, especially for schools recovering from Hurricane Katrina. “I thought it'd be a great therapeutic tool,” said Green Charter Principal Tony Recasner.
The garden at northern California’s Michelson School focuses on nutrition, encouraging parental involvement in growing and preparing the harvest in an effort to replace processed, frozen cafeteria food.
Other schools, such as Barnard Environmental Magnet School in New Haven, Conn., have created gardens as part of a larger campaign to promote eco-friendly lifestyles. Barnard not only follows an environmental curriculum, but is also powered by solar panels.
The concept of school gardens is nothing new. German educator Friedrich Frobel, who coined the term “kindergarten” in 1840, “saw school as both a metaphoric garden for children and a place for them to learn about nature in planted gardens,” according to the Associated Press.
Today, chef, restaurateur and food activist Alice Waters is a leader in the school garden movement.
Waters’ Chez Panisse Foundation started both The Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, Calif., and the garden program at Green Charter School in New Orleans. Similar programs are slated for Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Greensboro, S.C., and Pittsburgh.
According to the AP, Waters says the most crucial element of school garden programs is helping students gain “reverence for the food they eat.”
Gardens also offer a soothing respite from the classroom, especially for schools recovering from Hurricane Katrina. “I thought it'd be a great therapeutic tool,” said Green Charter Principal Tony Recasner.
The garden at northern California’s Michelson School focuses on nutrition, encouraging parental involvement in growing and preparing the harvest in an effort to replace processed, frozen cafeteria food.
Other schools, such as Barnard Environmental Magnet School in New Haven, Conn., have created gardens as part of a larger campaign to promote eco-friendly lifestyles. Barnard not only follows an environmental curriculum, but is also powered by solar panels.
Headline Links: School gardens sprouting up
According to the Associated Press, the concept of school gardens is gaining popularity across the nation. For example, a New Orleans school has set up an Edible Schoolyard with help from chef Alice Waters. Students are learning to plant and weed the garden, harvest produce for school lunches and cook what they’ve grown.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (Associated Press)
According to California newspaper The Record, school gardens may help improve eating habits, stymie childhood obesity, and improve lackluster cafeteria food. Michelson School in Murphys, Calif., has a “nutrition-oriented” garden started by parents concerned about unhealthy cafeteria lunches.
Source: The Recordnet
The Barnard Environmental Magnet School’s garden is just one of the school’s many green projects. For example, the gym is made of recycled, sustainable and locally produced materials. Barnard was the first Connecticut public school to be recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Source: New Haven Register
Related Topic: Notable school garden programs
Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Foundation started a school garden program in Berkeley, Calif., that provides students with “hands-on experiences in school kitchens, gardens, and lunchrooms.” The program’s goal was to inspire kids to lead healthier lives. The Foundation plans to initiate a nationwide program.
Source: Chez Panisse Foundation
The original Edible Schoolyard at Martin Luther King Junior Middle School in Berkeley, Calif., is a cooking and gardening program planned by Alice Waters and the school’s former principal, Neil Smith. Planning for the program began in 1995, and today it is an integral part of the school’s curriculum and cafeteria menu.
Source: Edible Schoolyard
Reference: School garden resources
Kids Gardening has information on grants and other funding opportunities for school garden programs. The Web site also offers ideas for classroom garden projects, and a school greenhouse guide with online courses for teachers. A school garden search tool and registry are provided.
Source: Kids Gardening
The National Gardening Association explains how to adopt a school garden and features information on urban gardening and how to create edible landscapes.
Source: National Gardening Association
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