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The rise of urban food forests

Katie Pyzyk

July 02, 2019 |

Smart Cities Dive |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

Creating and supporting local food systems requires public-private partnerships in urban planning. Across the United States, nonprofit organizations such as Trees Atlanta in Georgia successfully work with cities to operate and maintain community orchards, or "food forests", on public lands. Planting food forests with several layers of fruit-bearing vegetation reduces the prevalence of food deserts, adding both green space and nutritional value to communities.

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Camden PowerCorps Recruits Youth to Green the City

Donna Liu

July 02, 2019 |

CivicStory |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Camden, New Jersey

PowerCorps is a program that provides job training for young adults in Camden, New Jersey. It matches participants with opportunities to improve the green infrastructure in the community and is supported by the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority. The ultimate goal is to connect PowerCorps graduates to full-time employment.

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The Crisis Called for Goats

Paige Williams

May 20, 2019 |

The New Yorker |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

It turns out goats may be the answer to addressing invasive species. In Manhattan’s Riverside Park, a herd of goats were hired to to eat weeds, ivy, and nonnative species in an attempt to restore the balance of the ecosystem. The herd of goats, owned by Larry and Ann Cihanek, have been trained to do this specific type of work across the northeast.

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From Fatal Shots to Farm Plots: These Guns Are Given New Meaning

Monica Humphries

April 23, 2019 |

NationSwell |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

For people wanting to dispose of their firearms, RAWtools offers a unique opportunity. Understanding that the process can be challenging and emotional, they recycle weapons into gardening tools through their Swords to Plowshares initiative. By offering this, the faith-based organization seeks to shift the narrative around gun ownership and find new ways to address conflict.

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How Norway designed a more humane prison

Gina Barton Christophe Haubursin

April 12, 2019 |

Vox |

Video |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Norway, Halden

Halden Prison in Norway has re-designed itself so that the look and feel of prison life isn’t an added punishment to restricted freedom. Designers took into consideration the role campus design plays in promoting or disrupting guard-inmate relations and created a campus that promotes community rather than violence and isolation. Also included was landscaping, more natural light, and the use of softer materials, like glass and wood, instead of metal and brick.

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In rural Alabama, community gardens help address obesity and poverty

Andrew Yawn

March 29, 2019 |

The Montgomery Advertiser |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Geiger, Alabama

In rural Alabama, where the nearest grocery store can be more than 20 miles, residents are finding that robust community gardens are helping to improve general wellness. Even beyond offering free and healthy meals to community members, the garden has also had impacts on mental health and physical fitness.

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Heal Me With Plants

Ellie Shechet

March 25, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Horticulture therapy uses relaxation and mindfulness to reduce stress, and even assist in recovery. While the application of horticultural activities and gardening in clinical therapy has existed for over a century, more recent recognition of the health benefits of being in nature has brought the practice into use in more hospitals, recovery programs, prisons, and other applications.

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Fighting climate gentrification with a radical community garden

Maria Esquinca

February 25, 2019 |

Scalawag |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

To cope with and combat gentrification, residents of Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood created a community garden called the Femme Fairy Garden, founded by Fempower. Community members come together every Sunday to tend to their plants and connect with their neighbors.

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How Removing Asphalt Is Softening Our Cities

Lynn Freehill-Maye

February 18, 2019 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

Cities around the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom are removing asphalt to make space for nature. From creating rain gardens that reduce flooding to planting flowers along the edges of alleyways, residents and public officials reimagine their communities with less asphalt and more grass.

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Community Cooperative battles hunger and pollution one plant at a time

Jaylynn West

February 12, 2019 |

Changing Florida |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Lee County, Florida

A soup kitchen in Lee County, Florida, is feeding the community and also educating people about sustainability. Access to urban farming and the resulting fresh produce allows the initiative to teach adults and students about growing food, nutrition and making better lifestyle choices. The urban garden also contributes to reducing air pollution.

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