Editor:
Re: Good things Growing in White Rock, Aug. 25.
I was thrilled to see the White Rock community garden featured in the paper. Community gardens boast important benefits, including a sense of ownership, crime prevention and increasing neighbourhood property values.
There was a segment in the story that articulated that people joined the community garden to reduce their carbon footprint. Being a chemical-free landscape designer, I respect and appreciate all efforts to keep our earth clean.
The Wikipedia definition of carbon footprint is stated as “the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.” I have to drive to a grocery store and to the garden, as this is how our cities are built in North America. Until we can walk into our backyard to pick our veggies, carbon footprint becomes a moot point.
It’s because of this one might consider the current setup of carbon credits is far more motivated by politics and revenue. Some would rather plant a few trees than pass money off to the carbon off-setters. For this reason, the notion of carbon footprints typically opens a whole can of worms.
The primary reason people want to grow their food can be summarized in one word: choice; the choice to use non-genetically modified seeds, the choice to grow and subsequently eat flavourful and interesting food and the peace of mind knowing that what you are eating wasn’t sprayed with poison.
While choice brings people to the garden, the other main benefit is the interaction with the other gardeners. When someone goes away, we ask another to water for us; when there are extra plant starts, there is an eager gardener willing to take them.
We have an amazing mix of experience levels and everyone is all about helping. In fact, with only five days notice, we had 25 people out to our first educational workshop. There is a real desire to learn, as shown by the current wait-list of 18 people, who all chose to be on our mailing list for upcoming workshops at the garden.
Kudos to the City of White Rock for putting together its first community garden.
Lora Frost, site co-ordinator, White Rock Community Garden
