Teaching the Next Generation about Nutritious Food Grown by Strong Communities
Project Lead: Dr. Heidi Scott
Sustainable communities know how to make the most of their limited resources. In suburban Maryland, the need to teach the youngest learners in K-5 public schools about how to grow their own nutritious food goes hand in hand with the benefits of spending time outdoors with friends.
The new UPES Community Garden is developing six raised beds for vegetables, a pollinator garden, and an outdoor classroom for teachers to share their wisdom across the subjects under the shade of the maple tree. In time, we hope to develop rainwater harvesting and beekeeping in the garden space. Our first growing season is in 2026: we're growing fava beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, and a pollinator garden. Student-artist Lynne Regules created a mural for the garden that invokes the blend of food cultures and school pride that the garden embodies.
The garden project is supported by the Whole Kids Foundation and the UMD Arts for All grants program. The Town of University Park also received an Action Grant from Sustainable Maryland to develop the Community Garden infrastructure.
Fulfills these Global FEWture Alliance objectives:
