The Pointer UW-Stevens Point Student Newspaper
This fall, the Campus Garden will celebrate its 10th anniversary as part of the Stevens Point community.
Started back in 2006, the Campus Garden was founded by a group of students looking to create more sustainability activities for themselves and others on campus.
The garden, located on Franklin Street across from the Stevens Point Fire Department, is now managed by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point student organization Students for Sustainability.
Lindsay Larson, garden manager and senior health and wellness major, says that in the last 10 years the garden has seen many changes.
“I know it was very basic when it started out and we were just very lucky to get the space but each year something new is being built or improved upon and we add new plants every year,” Larson said.
Several structural improvements have been made, including replacing plant beds with raised beds to encourage better growth and shade structures have been built to protect plants from rain and other elements.
Photo by Colton Oltesvig.
Holly Petrilllo, professor of forestry, has been the faculty advisor for the garden the past nine years. She agrees not only that the garden itself has improved but that the organization has significantly grown in members and community awareness.
The UWSP Campus Garden is part of the Giving Gardens of Portage County, an organization whose mission is to donate the produce harvested from area gardens to local food centers to help those who are economically disadvantaged.
Every year, the majority of the food harvested from the Campus Garden is donated to area charities and food centers such as the Salvation Army’s Hope Center and The Lincoln Center, an elderly care facility.
Along with growing and donating organic foods, the Campus Garden does many other activities including composting and canning workshops and a tree planting event to celebrate Earth Day.
Organization members also tour and volunteer at area farms and participate in other sustainability efforts in the Stevens Point community, such as Farmshed, a non-profit organization who works to connect community members to local food sources.
To celebrate the garden’s decade milestone, Students for Sustainability is hosting a Garden Party on Thursday, Sep. 22 at 4 p.m.
Students for Sustainability president Kelly Adlington said the event is really just to say “thank you” to all those who have contributed to making the garden what it is today.
“I have seen people come back with their kids who have previously worked in the garden and it is really cool to see how important it was to them,” said Adlington, senior waste management major.
The event is open to the public and attendees are encouraged to bring a dish to pass. Along with enjoying great food, those who attend can take part in an apple cider pressing workshop and take a tour of the garden.
To get involved with the Campus Garden, attend their weekly Wednesday Work Days from 4 to 6 p.m. and help with weeding, harvesting and other upkeep duties. For more information, contact Students for Sustainability via email at sfs@uwsp.edu.
Mary Knight
Reporter
mknig512@uwsp.edu
