On Monday nights, two adults and eight students began mounding compost, mulch, soil and woodchips using an ancient self-watering underground irrigation technique using terra-cotta pots called oyas. They heard about a weedy, sandy, trash-filled vacant lot at a nearby church. It’s able to hold moisture for much longer than the sandy soil. On the right is the rich soil filled with life that the gardeners have built over time. Early College, Luce wondered, what if there were a place neighbors and coffee shops could bring their compost and build a garden? Jenny Brundin/CPR News Austine Luce, executive director of the Consumption Literacy Project, on the left holds the original sandy soil in Denver’s north east that was geologically an ocean millions of years ago. CLP created the “ Nearly Zero Project” that operates in ECE through fifth grade classrooms where children design a system that involves worms, which helps their schools produce almost no waste.įrom her experiences with building gardens at schools like Martin Luther King Jr. “It literally could fit in my coffee cup,” said Austine Luce, executive director of the project. (They couldn’t figure out a use for string cheese wrappers.) Working with the Consumption Literacy Project, the students got the food waste from the cafeteria down to 0.2 pounds that year. But at a local school, Academy 360, students actually captured the food waste and composted it to create soil on site. Many school programs send food waste away to be composted. The idea for the spiral garden sprouted in 2020. "It literally could fit into my coffee cup" But there’s more, an energy at the garden that’s distinct and that becomes apparent as the evening moves forward. Taylor is full of wonder when he talks about how a Vietnamese gardener taught him what he thought was a weed could be harvested and eaten. the tomatoes that are out here and start seeing bright, vibrant colors.” I mean, a couple of weeks ago, none of these sunflowers were out here. “The beauty of it all is watching it grow. After the weeding, watering and planting, he spends more time observing nature. He tried mangoes the other day and he satisfies his sweet tooth with raspberries and strawberries from the garden. But now is the time to cleanse this body, and you do it organically.” I assure you, everything’s been in this body. I done messed up my body all these years. “I promise you, ma'am, when you get my age, you want to be healthy. Jenny Brundin/CPR News Ron Taylor, 73, says the spiral garden has changed him in many ways, from eating more healthy food and composting to observing changes in the environment and sharing with diverse people. Just for starters, Taylor eats healthier foods now, stuff he’d never try before. The group supports students, community and educators to change waste and consumption patterns. The garden is sponsored by the Consumption Literacy Project. The community garden– which may soon be moving - is a massive spiral made of the neighborhood residents’ compost and grounds from Prodigy Coffee mixed into soil, covered in mulch and woodchips. Taylor is a regular at the Montbello Spiral Garden’s Monday evening gatherings, which draw dozens of neighbors and northeast Denver school children to water, harvest, learn about composting and so much more. Marvels at how this neighborhood garden could teach him so much at the age of 73. Marvels at the rich mounds of soil that he helped form and nurture. Marvels at the children picking giant sunflowers. Marvels at his neighbors harvesting herbs and potatoes near him. Ron Taylor marvels, sitting on a tree stump near the center of a giant earthen spiral garden as the sun slowly sets.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |