When the Granville Schools Sustainability Project started almost 10 years ago, its goals were simple: to develop and maintain a sustainable garden to help students appreciate the “bounty” of their food and to take into account the land, resources, and labor required to produce it. As the project grew, however, they realized it could accomplish much more.
Jim Reding will explain how this project is encouraging his students to get involved in shaping the future and increasing their understandings of curriculum-related subjects such as conventional and sustainable agriculture, pollution, biodiversity, solid waste management, genetics, plant development and propagation, ecosystems, and species interaction. He will also explore how it is providing opportunities for collaboration with other teachers, subjects, grade levels, and schools, while engaging students with the natural world and enhancing the school grounds.
Tour the school garden, aquaponics system, hoop house, raised beds, bee hives, and see permaculture principles in practice while hearing how the project has become a growing part of the school lunch program and helped fuel discussions about diet and health.