Barry University's Community Garden is in its third year, and all members of the Barry community are invited to consider caring for a garden plot.
The community garden was initiated by Barry’s Environmental Sustainability Team (B.E.S.T) in October 2011. Located in the area behind Cor Jesu Chapel, it features six garden beds that can be maintained by a student clubs and organizations, classes engaged in service learning, and staff and faculty groups. Members of each group can attend a training session in October and will sign a contract to maintain their bed throughout the academic year. These groups will select the items they wish to plant and will keep the items they grow. Garden planting will take place on November 14, 2013 as part of Founder's Week activities.
Community gardens are a great way to build connections to nature, to provide nutritious food, and to develop service and volunteer initiatives. This garden will serve all of those purposes. Cooking demonstrations with the items grown in the beds will be held throughout the academic year as a way to showcase the garden. In future, Barry University plans to create a larger community garden in an area on the west side of campus. This pilot project will help assess what is needed to create the much larger garden.
As a Catholic Dominican institution, Barry University lives its Mission to integrate study, reflection, and action. The creation of this pilot community garden and the institution’s commitment to sustainability are essential components to the academic, mental, physical and spiritual growth of our students, staff, and faculty. Further, the creation and utilization of the community garden helps further Barry University’s Core Commitments of knowledge and truth, inclusive community, social justice and collaborative service.
The community garden is just one of many B.E.S.T initiatives for the 2013-14 year. Also planned are events for Earth Day, (April 22, 2014), continued efforts on campus to recycle and reduce our consumption, and the identification and expansion of curricular links to sustainability. Look for more information on these initiatives throughout the academic year!
For more information about B.E.S.T. projects and activities, please contact the Office of Mission Engagement at mie@barry.edu or call x3599. For questions regarding Barry’s Community Garden, please contact Dr. Laura Finley at 305.899.3412 or lfinley@mail.barry.edu.