MCLA Beacon Online

By Andrew Roiter

Senior News Editor

Earth Day may have come and gone, but education professor Emily DeMoor and the MCLA Community Gardens Program are just getting started.Ultimately, there will be three community gardens on campus. While a large 5.3 acre laboratory garden on Cornith St. is still in the conceptual stage, work on a vegetable garden garden behind the fine and performing arts building began last weekend. And an existing garden near Smith House, which failed as a vegetable garden during its three-year existence, is being revamped as a meditative garden.

“There aren’t many places where people can be reflective and contemplative,” DeMoor said on the reasoning behind the garden’s revamping.The meditative garden will grow herbs, flowers and teas that have been selected to attract birds and butterflies. Students will have full access to the products of the garden.

Last weekend the freshman class sold t-shirts and gave students the opportunity to plant seeds in the memory of loved ones who died.The freshman class also donated a solar-powered birdbath/fountain in memory of Rolinda Mondesir. The Garden sub-committee of the Green Team donated two benches to the garden, and the senior class also donated a bench.SGA chair of the Garden sub-committee Todd Foy said, “I did a project on [the garden] last semester, that’s how I got involved. That sparked my interest.”

The garden behind the FPA house, named the Wellness Garden for its proximity to the building of the same name, was almost entirely a student effort according to DeMoor.“The students are the heart and soul of the project,” DeMoor said.See GARDEN on pg 12members of DeMoor’s Teaching Math and Science K through Eight class, planned the layout of the garden and what plants will be grown there.

The source of the seeds was researched in-depth by students, and all seeds were purchased from New England Seeds. DeMoor said that she wanted the seeds to be local so that they had a small carbon footprint.“I didn’t know anything about gardening before this,” sophomore and elementary education major Jessie Guay said at the event, “It was really cool learning about the seeds and doing the research.

”DeMoor has visions beyond a few gardens at the College. She cited concepts such as the Transitiontown movement, and Permaculture principles as the guiding ideas for the projects. She said that she wants to teach people about sustainability not through fear, but through hope and positivity.Over the summer the gardens will be maintained by junior and environmental studies major, David Wilfore, the garden intern. Wilfore got involved with the gardens through a project and wanted to stay on longer.“I wanted to see everything get harvested,” he said. He noted that while the work was hard, it keeps him honest.To find out more about contributing to the garden contact Emily DeMoor.