The College utilizes part of its 300-acre campus to grow organic food, free from harmful pesticides.
By Katie Morris '09
Virginia Wesleyan College is not just Going Green, it's also growing green – an organic garden that is.
Located behind Blocker Auditorium, next to the greenhouse, Virginia Wesleyan's organic garden grows healthy fruits, vegetables and flowers, and is free of harmful pesticides.
Created by Assistant Professor of Philosophy Dr. Cathal Woods in 2006, Virginia Wesleyan students have stepped up and are taking an active interest in the organic garden, and even created an Organic Garden Club to reinforce their efforts.
Lan Tran '10 from Chesapeake, Va., is president and one of several members of the Organic Garden Club. She feels both the organic garden and the Organic Garden Club offer a variety of learning opportunities for the campus community.
"The purpose of the Organic Garden Club is to get people more aware about the impact of food on their health, environment and the community," Tran said.
The organic garden, which grows a variety of produce and flowers that are chemical-free including cherry tomatoes, eggplants, okra, green bell peppers and sunflowers, is just one way to spread the awareness of healthy eating.
"Most of the foods we eat have been treated with all sorts of chemicals, even the fresh produce," Tran said. "We rarely get information when we buy from the grocery store or at restaurants about pesticides and preservatives; however, the organic garden is completely free of pesticides."
Tran also said the garden serves as a learning experience for students, and she hopes that people will be inspired to start their own gardens at home. She first became interested in organic gardens two summers ago, after spending a month in Vietnam.
"In Vietnam, I visited Friendship Village, which houses and cares for many children and some veterans who are considered victims of Agent Orange, an herbicide sprayed during the war," said Tran. "They had an organic garden that's maintained by the residents there and occasionally volunteers from abroad. The produce feeds the people in the village and is also sold at the market. I thought it was a great idea to have a garden like that to help a community become more self sustainable."
Another avid fan of the organic garden is Sarah Sasen '11 from Norfolk, Va. Majoring in earth and environmental sciences, Sasen said she loves spending time outdoors and started contributing to the garden over the weekends last summer.
"I pretty much head to the garden whenever I have time,"said Sasen. "During the semester when class is in session, I try to spend some time in the garden between classes, or when class is done for the day and some weekends."
The gardeners in the Organic Garden Club are members of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) at New Earth Farm. CSA is a program where a group of people pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.
Virginia Wesleyan students, faculty and staff are welcome to help and contribute to the organic garden on campus.
"There is space for more plants so if there are any preferences or ideas for what else to add, members are welcome to contribute their ideas and/or time," said Tran.
For more information about Virginia Wesleyan's organic garden or the Organic Garden Club, contact Dr. Cathal Woods at cwoods@vwc.edu, Lan Tran at lmtran@vwc.edu or Sarah Sasen sasafrasen@yahoo.com.
10.22.08