There’s a great initiative cropping up in some progressive cities, and the word “cropping” is no mistake. Urban Food Forests, like the Beacon Food Forest Permaculture Project in Seattle, are making food foraging cool. On land owned by the city, they are planting lush edible landscapes with fruit trees, a berry patch, a nut grove, community gardens, a gathering plaza for education and events, and a kid’s area to get the whole family involved. The idea is that anyone can come pick fresh food for their own consumption.
All told, the project is seven acres of healthy habitat renewal that also commits urban energy toward community well-being. Local volunteers and some like-minded businesses and organizations do most of the boots on the ground, gloves in the soil dirty work, and all interested parties reap the benefits. They even provide some family plots if you want to do some gardening of your own within the “forest.”
Got an unsightly vacant lot in your neighborhood? What if it was growing apples and almonds instead of broken glass and plastic bags? The passions of a community coming together can make miracles happen just about anywhere.
Change by Doing 