The refreshingly dirty details with ideas on how to get started

BY KENDALL BRUNETTE FOR GREENING OF OIL

We don’t always associate gardening with urban settings and cityscapes.

However, community gardening is pushing the traditional urban-rural boundaries by combining green spaces and gardens with urban development. 

The rise in popularity of community gardening is sweeping across the country and the globe. Cities from New York to Melbourne, Australia and everywhere in between are catching on to this green phenomenon. Even Michelle Obama has shown her support for community gardening by planting the White House vegetable garden. (Start the conversation. See comments section at bottom of page.)

Community gardens also provide people with an outlet to the natural world – even in the most unnatural settings. Community members come together in a shared space to improve their surroundings and satisfy their cravings to get their hands dirty. The satisfaction of working the land gives people an escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

Through manual labor, community gardeners are able to decrease their personal carbon footprints by growing their own food, thus decreasing the distance the food has to travel from the field to their plates. In addition to providing food, these gardens act as carbon sinks in the middle of urban areas that produce high amounts of carbon dioxide through vehicle exhaust, factory emissions, and daily human energy consumption. 

The size, shapes, and styles of community gardens vary from location to location.  Some community gardens are created with the intent of beautifying an urban space.  These types of gardens are typically established in very urban settings like rooftops, highway medians, and vacant lots.  Other community gardens are created with the intent of providing community members with a space to grow their own local foods.  And yet some gardens are created simply as way for locals to come together and foster a communal appreciation for the land. 

Getting started

If you are interested in locating a community garden near you, please visit the American Community Gardening Association website for a complete listing of gardens throughout the U.S. If you find there are no gardens within your community and are interested in building one of your own, there are many resources available for getting one started. Organizations like the ACGA offer advice and guidelines for starting a community garden in your area. 

So this spring, consider spending some time outside digging in the dirt.  It beats the laborious task of spring cleaning and provides you and your family with a means to experience the joys of growing your own food and beautifying your community.

About Kendall Brunette

Kendall Brunette is a senior at Cornell University majoring in Natural Resources and Education. Her academic interests lie in the field of environmental journalism. Growing up in Wyoming, Kendall has had extensive experience with the oil and gas industry. Her hometown of Pinedale is home to the Jonah Field and Pinedale Anticline, two of the largest natural gas reserves in the country.

Brunette has worked with the U.S. Geological Survey on the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative project. She has also worked for the U.S. Forest Service, conducted environmental research in the Everest region of Nepal, and volunteered with the Green River Valley Land Trust.
Upon graduation in May, Brunette looks forward to moving back to Wyoming where she will continue to pursue her academic interests by helping to raise awareness about issues related to the oil and gas industry. She will continue to be active in promoting public education and helping to preserve the area’s natural resources and intrinsic beauty.

Contact Kendall at krb45@cornell.edu