WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2008 News WWW.KANSAN.COM THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7
ENVIRONMENT
Campus garden revitalizes locally grown produce
BY MANDY EARLES
mearles@kansan.com
The student group E.A.R.T.H. recently planted and revitalized the campus community garden behind the University Relations building and hoped to donate the plants to local shelters.
E. A.R.T.H., (Environmental Action to Revitalize the Heartland), which is headed by the University of Kansas Center for Community Outreach, started planting the garden at the end of March and has since yielded radishes, lettuce, spinach, onions and much more.
The garden, located between 13th and 14th streets on Louisiana Street, has been a project in the making since 2006. Aaron Olsen, Overland Park senior and founder of the campus
garden, started the garden because he saw an opportunity when he passed an abandoned playground every day behind the University Relations building.
"Turning that space into a garden made the campus more beautiful," Olsen said.
Olsen said the garden did well the first year, but when he had to leave to study abroad, the garden seemed to fall apart because Olsen couldn't find someone to take over.
However, when Olsen returned, Margaret Tran, Derby junior, contacted him with an interest in revitalizing the garden.
"The garden had gotten lost over the years." Tran said. "It was a great way to teach students about gardening and give them a great outdoor experience."
Melissa Rogers, coordinator for
E. A.R.T.H., said so far, the garden hadn't yielded enough this year to start donating, but they would keep expanding the garden so that they could eventually donate.
Olsen said the garden still offered other benefits to the University, such as creating a more beautiful, sustainable campus.
Tran said the garden also offered environmental benefits because the garden didn't use any pesticides, used only natural fertilizers, and produced locally grown food.
"The garden shows how food can be provided on a local level," Tran said. "It can be provided by those within the community, allowing people to see where their food was grown and who grew it."
Edited by Ramsey Cox
The food and plants produced from campus community garden behind the University Relations building will be donated to local shelters. The project started in 2006 and renewed student interest has helped it become a great way to teach students about gardening.