The Edible Campus Program (ECP) aims to address local food insecurity by repurposing underutilized spaces for sustainable food production, turning waste into food, and engaging students as growers and producers. We train students in practices that address social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainability and help them to reclaim their personal connection to the land and their food.
Our program started with the Urban Orchard, in which we planted 7 citrus trees in Storke Plaza. ECP also partnered with the AS Department of Public Worms to launch the Student Farm, which opened in 2019. The farm is a space that fosters community, as well as education, all while connecting students back to their food source and the land. All of the food grown at the Urban Orchard and the Farm is harvested and distributed through the Associated Students Food Bank. ECP has expanded to providing internship support to six additional community gardens, the Family Student Housing Gardens (Storke and West), Greenhouse and Garden Project, IV Community Center Garden, Methodist Community Garden, and St. Michael's Community Garden.
ECP offers educational workshops, garden tours, and presentations on topics related to community gardening, sustainable food systems, neighborhood engagement, water wise practices in the garden, and more! Most workshops are lead by student interns trained as garden educators. We typically offer 2-4 workshops each week to a variety of multi-generational audiences. ECP also regularly partners with faculty to do class visits to our gardens, presentations in classes, and to host faculty leading their own programs in the garden.
Community gardens and farms provide an excellent space to bring community together. ECP offers a wide variety of volunteer programs including a weekly Saturday Morning Live (SML) volunteer program where each week we visit a different garden in Isla Vista or on campus and volunteer as a group. We also offer an ongoing solo/small group volunteer program where individuals that want to volunteer in lower intensity volunteer settings and on their own schedule can come out to volunteer at any of our gardens and help with tasks like watering, weeding, etc. ECP also partners with a wide variety of organizations that are interested in hosting team building events where their group can come out and volunteer together.
For additional questions or giving opportunities, please contact: Katie Maynard (805) 448-5111 or follow the giving link below.
Come get involved!