Plant It Forward

Mon., Jun 20

The Sustainable Southern-Plant it Forward Initiative (SPIFI) urban agriculture demonstration project is a long name for a project that is bringing gardening and farming to Southern's campus on a whole new level. 

The grassy area of campus behind Davis, Jennings, Morrill and Engleman halls, around the pond and the baseball field, is being transformed into a kind of urban farm, bringing the land back to its roots as a working farm, owned by the Farnham family, that a century ago grew largely strawberries and corn.

Building beyond the organic garden that was started on campus several years ago by the Environmental Futurists, a student club focused on sustainability, the Plant it Forward project eventually will include orchards and a vineyard, along with a new greenhouse, outdoor classroom and apiary. Some fruit trees, such as peach and apricot, have already been planted, and others, including apples, are planned for the near future. Part of the orchard portion of the project is unique in the New Haven area in that fruits are being grown on intensive agriculture techniques -- growing more in less space. Such techniques will be critical in the future as the percentage of people living in urban environments is expected to grow locally and globally. 

Among those working on this innovative and multifaceted project are Susan Cusato, associate professor of science education and environmental studies; Patrick Heidkamp, assistant professor of geography (pictured above in the new campus orchard); Suzanne Huminski, instructor of environmental studies; and Victor Triolo, associate professor emeritus of information and library science, who has expertise in horticulture. Heidkamp, Cusato and Huminski attended the American Association of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) conference in Atlanta in January and were inspired by what they saw other universities doing with campus agriculture. Heidkamp says, "We envisioned the existing garden to be a catalyst for a larger project." Thus Plant it Forward was born with support from interim President Stanley Battle.

Several people are involved in the project along with Heidkamp, Cusato and Huminski. Matthew Miller, assistant professor of geography, is playing an active role, along with three environmental education graduate students who have been working with Triolo on their capstone project. The organizers say that students from various courses and programs will be able to avail themselves of the orchard trees, garden and eventually the greenhouse for extending the classroom experience to real-life applications. Cusato says the project is completely interdisciplinary, not just limited to the Science Education Department. "We'd like it to be a unifying force for faculty, staff and students."

But Plant it Forward, true to its name, will reap benefits beyond the Southern community as well. Plans for the project include reaching out into the community to teach, support and encourage local residents to grow their own food in their backyards. One of Plant it Forward's primary goals is to engage members of the community in the local food movement by offering learning events. Heidkamp says, "Ideally, we will eventually be able to do summer institutes to share knowledge about growing things in an urban environment. Everything here is transferrable to backyards. Our focus is on producing a lot of food in small spaces." Faculty involved in the project are currently seeking external funding to help with developing the community and educational outreach activities. Cusato adds, "This project offers a way for people in New Haven to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables: they can grow them." 

Plant it Forward strengthens and extends the efforts Southern has made to bring the principles of sustainability to all dimensions of the campus community. The Presidents' Climate Commitment, signed by former Southern President Cheryl J. Norton in 2007, has influenced a broad range of university processes, resulting in increased energy efficiency, enhanced recycling activities, reduction of resource use and student and faculty educational involvement. 

Those who are working on the project are hoping to get the greenhouse up this summer. Heidkamp is starting a blog about Plant it Forward. The area around the pond will be cleaned up, water and sediment testing will be done, and a solar-powered pump will be installed to irrigate the orchard. Triolo plans to share grafting and pruning techniques with students. Benches will be placed around the pond to draw people there. 

Six to eight plots in the garden are available for members of the Southern community to use; three have already been spoken for. Megan Rudne, of Residence Life (pictured above, left, with Heidkamp and student Scott Russell, in the campus garden), and graduate student Jim Hoffecker are gardening most of the rest of the garden.

"I think it's the right time to do this," Cusato says. She points out that over the last five years, "the whole discussion about food in this country has changed. A movement to support local growers by buying locally produced foods has gained popularity and momentum. Gardening or growing fruit trees makes home a more enjoyable place to stay, and people also get some benefit from it." She says that with all the food recalls over the past few years, people want to know where their food is coming from.
Heidkamp is hoping for the sustained involvement of the local community. "The intention is to empower and educate people," he says.

To request a garden plot, email huminskis1@owls.SouthernCT.edu or rudnem1@owls.SouthernCTedu. Heidkamp's blog can be found at www.plantitforwardscsu.blogspot.com/. 

Below: a map of the Plant It Forward Initiative