Editor:

As a group of concerned students, we recently took a walk through campus with a critical eye and discussed several changes we would like to see happen in order to make it more sustainable, or “green.” We think that replacing unused grassy areas on campus with urban gardens would be beneficial. Not only would it be a more productive use of the land, it would use much less water, require less maintenance and foster a sense of community on campus.

The food cultivated in these urban gardens could be sold at the university’s farmers market or even sold to restaurants on campus. These gardens would create an affordable supply of fresh produce for university students, and a great alternative to vending machines, which would increase overall health and encourage healthy lifestyles, all while buying locally. While there are some grassy areas on campus that students use for sleeping, studying, or gathering, many are underutilized. Why not transform these areas into places that would foster relationships within the campus community and reconnect students with their food sources? People could use these gardens as places to socialize and learn about water-wise gardening.

We are writing this to spread awareness that there are alternatives for our campus, and with the hope that others might start to look around and think of some alternatives themselves. Replacing grass with urban gardens, a simple task, could potentially inspire other changes on campus and within the city. It could serve as an example of what can be done when we think beyond societal norms that we have accepted as the only way to improve the areas we live, work and go to school in.

Marta Nielsen,
Sophomore, Urban Planning

Christa Cassidy,
Senior, Urban Planning and Environmental Studies

Christopher Brown,
Senior, Urban Planning

Arik Parker,
Environmental Policy Graduate Program