Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio, USA Sunday, January 29, 2006 (forwarded by Bill Dawson)
CULTIVATING A COMMUNITY I Flowers and vegetables serve larger purposes of education, unification Stories by Robin Chenoweth People who witness everyday miracles of growth a sprouting seed, a blooming flower are connected by a universal truth. Mere humans can intervene in a process that has operated without us since time began. Not long ago, everyone lived by that precept. Then people moved to cities and turned their backs on the earth. Weve lost a generation of gardeners," said Bill Dawson, who promotes community gardening for the Franklin Park Conservatory. For my mothers generation, it was easier to go to the grocery store, easier to not garden." Although some people have forgotten gardenings joys, Dawson and others see it as a catalyst for community change. They believe that every child can savor the sweetness of a freshly picked tomato, that neighbors regardless of differences can swap growing tips and collard greens over the back fence. Tom Shaw holds leeks that were pulled from a Mount Sterling farm. Others agree. Throughout central Ohio, neighbors come together in the care of community gardens. More than 60 group gardens are planted throughout Columbus, Dawson said, their seeds and time donated. They grow in schoolyards, beside civic centers and in urban neighborhoods. A community garden is an oasis where people come together, not only to garden but also to get to know each other," Dawson said. Each garden profiled today won the conservatorys Growing to Green Award, which honors the spirit of community gardening. They were chosen because their caretakers harnessed nature to instill pride in neighborhoods. They overcame ethnic boundaries so that many can reap the benefits of healthful food and beautiful flowers. They crossed generational lines so children can draw upon experience of elders. One gardener, Kwodwo Ababio, likened the gardens to sankofa, a west African concept symbolized by a bird facing forward but looking behind: We have to go back to go forward; we must learn from the old tradition to move ahead." ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
