Lots of great things are happening in Louisville this year. Recently I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural planting of a garden plot at UofL facilitated by Louisville Grows.
According to their website, the mission of Louisville Grows is "to promote the well-being of local communities by fostering sustainable living and lasting community partnerships through eduction, leadership, and the coordination of resources."
The variety of participants in constructing the raised beds demonstrates this mission well. The beautiful beds themselves were built by YouthBuild of Louisville. The Sustainability Council at UofL donated lush black dirt from a local landfill. The plants came from Bunton Seeds. Tom Denning of Cart Enterprises, LLC installed the grids that make these beds easier to plant and maintain.
Future efforts by Louisville Grows at UofL include starting campus-wide composting, located on the back side of the Cultural Center. Rain barrels will also be added and a mural (pending approval) will be painted on the wall nearest the garden beds. Ten student interns are going through workshops to learn about food policy. They will maintain the gardens and decide what to do with the food produced from the boxes.
Louisville Grows is also working on gardens in the Russell and Newburg neighborhoods. They have four gardens in Indiana and a garden at Dixie Elementary in Kentucky.