EAC plants the seeds for a more extensive garden

On March 25, the garden sub-committee of the Environmental Action Club is teaming up with Lively Lucy's for a fundraiser to benefit the college's garden.

"Beats for Beets" will be in Falstaff's with performances by the Accents, Houseboat, and Baliwick. There will be a suggested donations bin at the door.

The committee will use the money to buy more seeds and tools, widen the existing beds, and lengthen the growing season with row covers. "One of our biggest initiatives this year is to figure out how we can extend the growing season and use the existing garden plot more efficiently," said EAC member Talia Arnow '13.

By extending the growing season, the garden can produce more local and organic food for Dining Services, which is paying for the garden's produce this year. Most of the produce goes to Emily's Garden in the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall, however, some is also used in other areas. "The money the garden makes off of the produce goes to the up-keep of the garden and toward new projects that the garden sub-committee wants to pursue," Arnow said.

The garden sub-committee's main initiatives are to expand the college's garden, to plan and organize what will be planted during the spring, and to work hands-on with harvesting the produce.

Managing an on-campus garden reduces the college's carbon footprint, as food travels an average of 1,000 miles before it gets to our plate. "The fossil fuels that go into the production of food, and the transportation and distribution of food all contribute to our carbon footprint," Arnow said.

The garden dually serves to reduce the school's carbon footprint as well as educate students on farming, sustainability, and the benefits of locally grown food. "Students that contribute their time to the garden learn and understand how organic food is grown and get hands-on experience of planting, harvesting, and enjoying the food they helped grow," Arnow said.

The latter initiative is in the early stages of incorporating the Saratoga community. The committee hopes to invite nearby elementary schools to participate in working in the garden as an educational tool.

Applications to be an Eco-Rep for the 2010-2011 year are due by March 22. "One aspect to working with sustainability is that you have to get to people's lifestyles. That's where eco-reps come in," said Wilmarth Hall eco-rep, Jackie Slocombe '12.

Eco-reps inform their dorm mates about environmental topics, like energy conservation and waste reduction through planned activities in their dorms. They have bi-weekly meetings to discuss environmental concerns in the residence halls, as well as fall training sessions.

"It's important to educate people about environmental issues and how to be more sustainable while at college," said Penfield Hall eco-rep, Becca Kolins '12.

Among the educational and leadership gains, eco-reps are guaranteed a single room in their assigned hall and receive $8.25 per hour for four hours of work per week.

Other Updates: • The EAC will be showing the documentary, "Crude: The Real Price of Oil" on March 23 in Emerson Auditorium. "Crude" follows the case of Texaco's 30-year pollution to a region of the Amazon jungle in Ecuador, the effects of which harm not only the environment but also the people of the region.