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Blog Entry 11 of 18 Coffee break with dad
Welcome to percolation station.

Are sustainable community gardens a viable option?
Contributed by: Travis Duncan   on 10/22/2007

Here's the idea: Instead of paying money to have your food shipped to you by gas-guzzling trucks, start sustainable local community gardens wherever possible and teach others how to do the same. Grow and acquire as much food locally using sustainable methods as possible to make an impact on the environment.

That's the gist of the Colorado Springs group: Solidarity of Hope ( www.solidarityofhope.org). For just $10 a month, you can be a member and your money will go to buying supplies for the gardens.

Here's my question: Can this really work? Are there things being left out of the equation? Let's say this thing got really huge, with everyone having their own garden and less food being sold out of our stores. Wouldn't this just serve to hurt our local economy in the long run?

Log in and let me know what you think.




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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments
Submitted By: Travis Duncan
posted on 10/26/2007 @ 2:28:46 PM
(Not Rated)
Stephen, your comments were a big help in thinking about this issue. The gardens help to create community, which is more important in the long run than whether community gardens will put Safeway out of business. They won't, at least not any time soon. Thanks so much for responding!
Submitted By: Stephen Rosche
posted on 10/25/2007 @ 11:07:40 AM
Rated Blog Entry
In closing, the economic impact upon the region would be minimal if any as those businesses selling produce would see only a slight decrease in sales and those merchants catering to gardeners would see a slight increase. The problem, of course, is the land availability to place such a garden. St. Louis has overcome this obstacle by setting aside a small area in many of their neighborhood parks for this very purpose and the City of Los Angeles, having gone one step further, has offered specific tax-related incentives and liability protections to property owners whose vacant lots are permitted to be used for community gardens. The property owner benefits by these incentives as the neighborhood tends to become a “better” community and in some cases the property values have risen significantly as a result. In other cities the real estate advertisements often list a “community garden” as a selling point for homes in such areas.
Submitted By: Stephen Rosche
posted on 10/25/2007 @ 10:54:19 AM
Rated Blog Entry
Community gardens have been highly successful in many regions for a number of reasons. New York City for example has reported that those communities with “shared gardens” as they’re also called experienced a significant reduction in crime. Neighbors meet neighbors and the increase in association between residents promotes a greater caring and sense of neighborhood responsibility. The savings reaped by the gardeners is not near as significant an issue as are the friendships formed between them. The garden essentially becomes a “common bond” of the neighborhood, a gathering place where people meet to discuss local issues and neighborhood concerns while at the same time benefitting themselves by growing products they would normally be required to purchase. It instills pride and friendly competition and is essentially a return of the old farmer’s markets of yesteryear. A return of these old traditions would greatly benefit society as a whole.
Showing 1-3 of 3 comments
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