Posts Tagged ‘new orleans’

A sad story from Ariella Cohen of thelensnola.org – Growing Home,  ”a $250,000-a-year initiative that helps New Orleans homeowners buy vacant lots from the [redevelopment] agency and transform them into gardens” is in danger of collapsing due to funding troubles – the program is funded by the federal government, and so the funding requests must go from New Orleans to Baton Rouge to Washington.  Abby Feldman, a landscape architect and the program director, is unable to pay herself, or her staff of three, as the payments are over six months late. The Growing Home program seems to be an interesting model – neighborhood residents purchase blighted properties nearby and get free consultancy on how to turn the blighted property into a garden.  Although thelensnola commenter Constance argues: “Greening Home is anything but “green” and “forward-looking.” It is a program that funds decreasing density in neighborhoods, making them look more like sprawl America.

This morning, I posted about my employer (the American Planning Association’s) Sustainable Schoolyard initiative.  Recognizing the ability to impart knowledge to the next generation, my colleagues designed and constructed a fun exhibit that is also educational.  Covering everything from squarefoot gardening, to composting, to Louisiana’s relationship with water and the Mississippi river delta, the exhibit connects children with the natural environment.  Time will tell if the exhibit is adopted by the community, but I applaud Rich and Ryan’s work! Sometime in the future, I’ll post about the programming opportunities built into the schoolyard. For more pictures, click here.

As you know, I’m a big fan of gardening as a tool of youth engagement and education.  That’s why I was so proud of the work of two of my colleagues – Rich Lukas and Ryan Scherzinger, who installed a sustainable schoolyard exhibit in New Orleans’ City Park this past April.  The sustainable schoolyard is based on a model that began at Brent Elementary School in Washington, DC.    The New Orleans exhibit, which had a kickoff on April 9, will remain as one of the park’s  permanent installations for the foreseeable future. The schoolyard, which was sponsored by APA and the National Association of Realtors, has several different “teaching moments” throughout the space.  These include an exhibit on edible gardens, a demonstration of square foot gardening (sponsored by LSU Extension), a functioning compost pile, and exhibits on water storage and recycling.  There are also what I like to refer

The following post is part of a “Grown in Louisiana” series on urban gardening initiatives in the state of Louisiana. Part 1: Grown in Louisiana: Donaldsonville, LA freedom garden teaches kids about their roots Part 2: Grown in Louisiana: What’s Growing in the Freedom Garden? Part 3: Grown in Louisiana: How Signage Enhances the Garden Part 4: Grown in Louisiana: Lessons Learned from the Donaldsonville Freedom Garden Walking through the warehouse district in New Orleans is a joy on its own – beautiful old buildings restored with new uses, and some of the best restaurants (in a city with many great restaurants.)  One of the best parts of this neighborhood is finding little surprises around every corner – which is why I was so thrilled to see this storefront exhibit from the Tulane City Center.  It is a rotating exhibit that, back in April, was dedicated to urban agriculture –

 This is part 2 of a 4 part “Grown in Louisiana” series on urban gardening initiatives in the state of Louisiana. Yesterday, I posted about the concept behind the River Road African American Museum’s Freedom Garden.  Today, I’ll show you what’s actually growing there.  Janice Linton explained that every item chosen for the garden is purposely selected to teach a lesson – these are items that newly freed slaves would have relied on for sustinance, for celebratory meals, or for medicinal purposes.  The crops are rotated throughout the seasons, so that the soil is evenly replenished.  On my vist, we saw onions, shallots, collards, garlic and peppergrass.  Peppergrass, Jacice explained, was often cooked down to season items like collard greens.  I had never tasted it before, but it had quite a bite in its raw state.  Tomorrow, I’ll have more about this delightful garden, including how lessons are taught through beautiful, museum-like placards throughout the grounds.

This is part 1 of a 4 part “Grown in Louisiana” series on urban gardening initiatives in the state of Louisiana. During the 2010 National Planning Conference in New Orleans, my colleague Ryan and I had the opportunity to go to Donaldsonville, Louisiana – a community located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans – for the Community Planning Workshop.  While at the workshop, I had the opportunity to meet Kathe Hambrick Jackson, Executive Director of the River Road African American Museum who told Ryan and I that we absolutely had to stop by the museum if we had the time. The museum was incredible – a topic for another post – but I noticed a small sign that said “community gardening education.”  I asked Janice Linton, one of the museum’s curators, what the sign meant, and she proudly explained the freedom garden.  When I asked to go see it, she

I apologize for the lack of posts lately – I’ve been in New Orleans for the 2010 National Planning Conference, and I’d rather be attending great sessions and touring projects than in the hotel room updating the blog!  I’ll have a few days to digest all the information, but expect some great posts on a Sustainable Schoolyard in City Park; a freedom garden in Donaldsonville, Louisiana; and a report from a session on urban agriculture that featured Heather Wooten and Joanne Berkenkamp.