Sowing a Seed
Students lead effort to create, maintain on-campus garden to nourish university community
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
There's a plot behind Southeastern's Sustainability Center, and it's not just to be the leading "green" university in Louisiana. It's a new community garden being managed, planted and harvested by students on a mission to give the university access to fresh and healthy food.
Southeastern's Student Government Association recently conducted an informal survey to gauge student interest in an on-campus garden. An overwhelmingly positive response led to securing funds, determining a location and building the framework for the garden over the last several months.
Students participating in the recent Big Event worked to build bed and plant the first crops in the community garden.
Student organizations are now being invited to secure plots in the garden to maintain, while individual students are encouraged to volunteer with various tasks such as planting, watering and harvesting the crops.
In addition to making fresh food available to the university community, the garden is the second dedicated effort to provide nourishment for Southeastern students who may struggle with food insecurity. In fall 2013, Southeastern opened an on-campus food pantry to address this issue that affects a large percentage of college students nationwide.
Students who want to become involved in the community garden should email communitygarden@southeastern.edu to learn more.
