Last Sunday I built a garden in South Central Los Angeles with a friend and the nonprofit group LA Green Grounds. I found out about this group via a Master Gardner Workshop at The Natural History Museum, taught by Florence Nishida. A huge advocate of sustainability through our community and gardening, Florence believes that hands on participation is as important as the information she teaches. The Green Grounds project is about building edible and sustainable gardens in an area where healthy, affordable food options are hard to come by. This was a great experience as a gardener in training and also in building and understanding our communities in Los Angeles. We often feel very disconnected as Angelenos as we are blessed and cursed living in a sprawling urban city of diverse communities. Events like this help to remind me that we can always do something and be involved in our own local communities and even the community at large. In an era of global politics and economics through technology, it can be hard to stay connected to one another on a basic level even though we are virtually "connected" all the time. Sometimes it is about getting down and dirty with fellow citizens, putting our hands in the soil and actually sowing the seeds for hope and change together. We then come to realize how much we really can accomplish as a collective community and as human beings. I feel so grateful for this experience and all the inspiring people I have met along the way. I hope to translate the practical knowledge I have gained into starting my own garden with my neighbors. Now I know that staying involved in my community and really participating is the only way to really promote growth and change for a better future. LA Green Grounds is a real grass roots program and anyone can join. So check out their website and maybe I'll see you at the next dig in! Below are some photos from our exhilarating day!
Emily (left) one of the host's family members & Vanessa (right) from LA Green Grounds
What a very inspiring project.
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