I'm excited to announce I'll be co-presenting with my colleague, Rachel Brice, at the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) 2018 Conference in Spokane, Washington. Our poster presentation, based on our work with the C&S Workplace Organic Gardens Project and Community Garden Connections' Westmoreland Garden Project, is titled, "Dig, Eat, Grow: Learning to Cultivate Connections through Community Gardening."Connecting people with nature and meeting local food security needs are often thought of as separate challenges, but community gardening can meet both at once. The key is healthy relationships that support the capacity to create and maintain community gardens. Participants will deepen their understanding of how to build and use their own networks to support efforts that strengthen connections between people and nature.
Our projects both work with diverse and underserved populations. We have developed several educational community garden models that each incorporate practices of environmental education and stewardship. Grounded in research on the positive impacts of community gardening, and assessment of community needs, our inclusive programs have had measurable and meaningful positive impacts in our community.
Our presentation will provide participants with research and tools that have informed our programs. While every community is unique, our field-tested practices offer wisdom for any environmental educator with an interest in how garden-based efforts can address both climate resilience and local food security while connecting people with nature and one another.
Will you be at the conference? Want to learn more or support our work? Let's connect.