The Campus Garden, located on Franklin Street across from the Stevens Point Fire Department, is now a green oasis. Built by students in 2006 on a sandy lot where a house once sat, the garden is abundant with vegetables and learning resources.
Managed by the Sustainable Agriculture in Communities Society since 2005, the group has helped students interested in growing food, composting and being sustainable get hands-on experience and meet like-minded students.
The organization’s fundraising coordinator, Taylor Christiansen, has been a key player in preparing the garden this fall. Christiansen spent the summer managing and working the garden.
The garden is open seven days per week, and students are encouraged to stop in for vegetables.
“We are going to raise the garden beds. It’ll be easier for us to weed and come in and harvest. It will also be handicap accessible.” Christiansen said.
Megan Hogfeldt, senior land use planning major, has been the president of the society for two years.
“It’s a learning landscape.” Hogfeldt said.
Hogfeldt first became interested in sustainable agriculture after going on a trip to Kenya lead by Dr. Holly Petrillo, University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point forestry professor and SACS advisor .
“It got me thinking about food and community,” Hogfeldt said. “I also really like to cook; to grow your own food and cook with it is a good relationship.
Petrillo has been instrumental in helping improve the campus garden. She wants it to be a learning space for students to be able to do what they want.
This fall the garden has a variety of vegetables and flowers planted this spring after being purchased from The Growing Collective, a group of volunteers who help support the Central Rivers Farmshed in downtown Stevens Point.
According to Hogfeldt, most of what is grown in the garden goes back to the community as donations to local food pantries. She explained that the society doesn’t usually sell produce but sometimes sets up a table to sell vegetables in the west lobby of the Trainer Natural Resources building.
Hogfeldt thinks the garden helps to change the way people think about agriculture in an urban environment.
“It opens up people from cities to getting their hands dirty and getting involved.” Hogfeldt said.
Perhaps the biggest challenge this year will be finding new and committed members to continue working in the garden.
“Come to the meetings and learn how we function,” Hogfeldt said. “We normally meet at the garden around 5:00 on Wednesdays.”
“Coming to even one of the work days students can get involved,” Christiansen said.
Avery Jehnke
Contributor
ajehn738@uwsp.edu