As Week 4 comes to a close, it is very clear to me that my independent project has not gone as previously expected. This, however, has not necessarily been a bad thing. While the Farmers Market project has gotten a slower start, I have been tasked in the meantime with writing a resolution to have a community garden within walking distance (.5 miles) of every resident within the city limits of Olympia. Considering my background and interest in political science and public policy, I am really excited to have found myself included in this project.

Yauger Community Garden Barn. Retrieved from http://olympiawa.gov/city-services/parks/recreation/community-gardens.aspx

After some serious research, I found a couple of shocking facts about the community gardens in Olympia. One being the sheer lack of them – there are only two community gardens within the public parks of Olympia, including Yauger Community Gardens and Sunrise Park.

Although I can’t divulge the entire document until it is completed, here are some of the (still pretty rough) “whereas” clauses I have created:

WHEREAS, community gardens empower residents to become more active in their communities, cultivating volunteers and leaders who come together to create gardens for the benefit of present and future generations; and

WHEREAS, community gardens provide access to healthy, seasonal food for people of all economic backgrounds, improving nutrition and food security among residents; and

WHEREAS, on December 4, 2008 The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee members included community gardens on their “top 10” list of new programs/facilities for the Parks, Arts and Recreation Plan; and

Retrieved from https://ssfoodsystemnetwork.org

This week I also went to the South Sound Food Systems Network Marketing Meeting to really delve into the local food educational campaign. I happened to take some minutes, so here are some updates on that front. Any questions? Please feel free to get in touch with me or comment on this post.

Next week I will continue working on the resolution document, and meet with Mary to finally begin the Farmers Market project during the second part of the quarter.

*Also, instead of reading this week I decided to take some of the principles in The Local Food Revolution and do a little experiment. Check out my Media Gallery to see what that entailed and what I learned.*