After Helen Fagan’s lecture on the needed acceptance of
diversity, I began my search for positive ways to expose and embrace cultures
other than my own. In an age where we have easy access to other cultures,
ideologies and expressions via the internet
Last spring, Sami Grover of treehugger.com posted a blog
about community gardening and the impacts it has on exposing generations to
different cultures through a common point: community gardening. A very
interesting inter-generational art and garden project, called Encounters Arts, A Little Patch of Ground, combine
art, gardening, culture, climate change and resiliency into a twenty week
project. Two diverse groups, one from a rural
background and another from an urban background, learn to grow food, cook and
eat as a community. Not only are these groups creating beautiful gardens for
the consumption of all but they are also making art and expression a focus
point. What more basic elements of culture are there than food and art? Food is
not the only thing fostering in these gardens. A Little Patch of Ground is also
fostering the growth of people, culture and acceptance.
This is a really great idea. I know people have come together in Lincoln to create and work in community gardens, but this seems like a great new program to look at. I would really be interesting in participating in a program like it. Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteI also like this idea. I would try to promote it in my country. I know Finke Gardens (http://finkegardens.com/)are very active in this and that they organize different events and classes for everybody.
ReplyDeleteI think community gardening is a wonderful of promoting not only sustainable food alternatives, but also cultural awareness. The only way to overcome environmental challenges is to come together, so what better way than to dig down in the dirt with a neighbor? Great article.
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