On-Campus Garden to Promote Sustainability

Armed with shovels and environmental initiative, eco-friendly students gathered outside of Pupin Friday afternoon for the groundbreaking of Columbia’s new community garden.

The project, cosponsored by the Columbia University Food Sustainability Project and EarthCo, aims to raise student awareness about sustainability, agriculture, and food-related issues by creating a space where students can see and actively participate in the growth of vegetables.

Becky Davies, CC ’10 and the driving force behind the initiative, said she began the project by contacting facilities. They discussed various sites where the club could replace ornamental flowers with vegetables. While administrators suggested rooftop areas or off-campus parks, Davies pushed for an on-campus space and finally secured an area in front of Pupin.

“We wanted it to be really visible and accessible to students on campus,” she explained. Davies added that the club signed a contract with facilities stating that if the garden project is unsuccessful, facilities would retain the right to replant it as they see fit.

Nonetheless, Julie Raskin, CC ’08 and president of CoreFoods, said she was excited about the project. “It’s really good because no one really knows where our food comes from,” she said. “If anything, it will act like a laboratory or a classroom.”

Once the food—which Davies said would include eggplants,
tomatoes, squash, onions, and a variety of herbs—is grown, CUFSP plans to sell the produce at JJ’s Place and use profits to further fund the program. “It’s a good way to get students to buy local food and support student enterprises,” she said.

Davies added that the club hopes to eventually operate year-round, possibly extending the garden into a greenhouse and recruiting students to tend the plot over the summer. Such efforts, she admitted, would require the support of a larger number of students.

“The point is to really get students involved,” Davies said. “It’s not just a club event or project.”

Although attendance was somewhat sparse at Friday’s groundbreaking, the members considered their afternoon time well spent.

“We want a greener campus,” Maddie Sparer, BC ’10, said. “But also a lot of us students came from somewhere where we could garden, and until now, there’s been nowhere I can do that at school.”

Despite confused looks from passersby and whispers from concerned parents on campus tours, Davies said, “Eventually everyone will get used to it, and it will
become normal.”

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