The Environmental Student Counsel (ESC) announced the start of a new student-led garden here on campus on Feb. 15.
After months of planning, ESC’s vision for a student-led sustainable garden is becoming a reality. The garden, which will be located on the Volker Campus just south of the Education Building, will house six garden beds and provide fresh fruit and vegetables to Roo Pantry.
ESC, along with the Kansas City Community Gardens (KCCG) and student volunteers, will meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 1 at the garden site to start building the garden beds. Lumber, soil, and seeds will be provided by KCCG, a non-profit based out of Kansas City that helps community gardens get started and stay alive.
Garden Project lead and senior Earth and environmental science student Michaell Larkin says she is very excited for the possibilities on the small plot of land.
“For me, this is a way to bring students together and see what people can do in a small space,” Larkin said “There are tons of local community gardens –why not have one of our own?”
UMKC was once a national leader in sustainability for higher education, winning Grand Champion in 2013 and placing second in 2014, 2015 and 2016 for the national collegiate Recycle Mania Competition.
UMKC was even gifted a bench from Coca-Cola made of recycled PET for its recycling and sustainability efforts. The warped and forgotten bench sits on the site earmarked for the new garden.
Although UMKC’s progress towards sustainability has since declined, Cameron Quick, senior and president of ESC says this garden is the first of many steps to having a larger impact on the environment in Kansas City.
“We hope the garden provides inspiration and a physical symbol to our community about how we can do sustainability in a fun way,” Quick said.
The garden will offer students hands-on opportunities to contribute positively to the campus and the environment. To increase student involvement, a federal work-study program focused on garden maintenance and practices will be offered to students. The program provides funding for part-time, on- and off- campus jobs for eligible undergraduate and graduate students. This will allow students the chance to earn one credit hour and meet once a week to maintain the garden.
Students who wish to volunteer or help with the garden are encouraged to reach out to project lead Michaell Larkin via email. For updates on ESC’s mission for campus sustainability, follow their Instagram or join RooGroups.
