A community garden is born
By Jane Northrop STAFF WRITER
Article Launched: 01/23/2008 11:29:12 AM PST
The layout of the future Pacifica Gardens in Linda Mar. (Illustration courtesy of the Livability Project.)
A community doesn't get any more sustainable than growing its own food within city limits.
Pacifica Gardens, a mini-agricultural education center, found a home on the dried-up soccer field of Linda Mar Educational Center, making the goal of local sustainability easier for some to grasp.
The school board of the Pacifica School District last Wednesday approved a use agreement for Pacifica Gardens, a project organized by the Pacifica Livability Project. The field on which the landscape will be created is currently dead and brown from lack of water. The PSD board made a decision a year ago to let it go as a cost-saving measure. Now the field is getting a magnificent renaissance.
"Pacificans want something that's grown from the core of what's here already. There is so much interconnection. This garden project is incredibly unique, as is the biodiesel plant. It's so contemplative and well thought out," said Melissa Moss, community coordinator of the Pacifica Livability Project, a non-profit organization devoted to localizing Pacifica's economy.
Seeing the value in a fruitful collaboration, the PSD board unanimously approved the use agreement. The Pacifica Livability Project staff and volunteers will donate 500 hours of technical
and logistical support annually to the schools to help create unique school gardens. They will also conduct workshops at the Linda Mar Educational Center.
"Pacifica School District has found a way to serve the community and our children in healthy activities," said PSD Board President Joan Weideman.
Pacifica Gardens blends permaculture, biointensive farming, community gardens, community-supported agriculture, education, integrated art and will feature a farmer's stand where the public may purchase plant starts, flowers and herbs.
Garden plots will be available to community members to rent and to design their own gardens. In the community-supported agriculture part, members share in the farm's bounty after contributing a portion toward the cost of its operation.
Important ecological elements have been worked into the layout. Permaculture is a design principal that enables people to establish agriculturally productive ecosystems. Biointensive farming produces higher yields with less water, fertilizer and energy than conventional agriculture while increasing soil fertility. Food forest mimics a natural forest with a high canopy, dwarf layer, shrub layer, underground layer and vertical layer of climbing vines. It provides food, fiber, forage and fuel.
Even if a member of the community does not want to participate as a gardener or farmer, walking paths and other public spaces will be available from which to admire Pacifica Gardens. The gardens will display local artwork and sculpture.
Classes for all ages are an integral part of Pacifica Gardens.
Each PSD school community will design its own garden and tie it into its curriculum in a unique way.
"Ocean Shore, Cabrillo and Sunset Ridge have begun garden projects and others will follow. The gardens can be integrated into the science curriculum and help students gain knowledge of food production and resource conservation through composting and other activities. The Livability Project will also support the classes at the Linda Mar Educational Center to establish and maintain their own plots. The second benefit to the district is the tie of the school gardens to our wellness policy. Students will grow fruits and vegetables and learn about the nutritional values of these foods versus the processed foods and snacks they see presented to them on TV. My hope is that this will lead children to make better choices in their diets. Our relationship with the Livability Project has just begun and we see many future benefits for the district and greater Pacifica community," said Jim Lianides, PSD Superintendent.
Moss is looking forward to a long relationship with PSD, as well. She and Pacifica Livability Project members have been working for two years trying to design Pacifica Gardens and find it a home. She was very pleased when the PSD school board approved the agreement.
"It's a huge victory. The fact that we are reaching these children, it's an exponential equation. You can tailor a garden to teach what the schools need. We are going to have demonstrations at Linda Mar Educational Center. It will inspire people to go into their neighborhoods and plant. A garden is a common denominator. It will get people out there talking to each other. We need to show what we have in common. I want to see this be the glue," she said.
Pacifica Gardens will help Pacifica become a sustainable community not only by providing food, but also by educating people how to grow it and how to prepare it.
"It's an answer to peak oil. When you can grow your garden, you eat food close to its original form, which is nutritionally what we should be doing. This is a great start to answering questions. Each phase of the garden will be a workshop - how to grow something, transplant something and how to prepare it," Moss said.
Pacifica Gardens is open to the public either to enjoy or to use. The Pacifica Livability Project is in need of more volunteers and donations. Check its website - www.livabilityproject.org - for a list of upcoming workshops or to offer assistance.
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