Received a book recommendation last week which is already paying dividends.
During a ‘get to know you’ lunch with a few other Chamber members the conversation shifted to proven methods of promoting community development and regeneration in our area. We were meeting with Michael Stender, candidate for the 108th Legislative District and he suggested a book titled, “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” authored by Doug Griffiths along with Kelly Clemmer. He was very quick to point out that he had just finished the book on a recommendation from Rebecca Dressler, the Danville Downtown Manager, who is also a candidate for Montour County Commissioner.
So, when I learned that we’re in middle of National Community Garden Week, I immediately leafed through my very own copy of 13 Ways to Kill Your Community to find out what it had to say about community-based gardening. Oh, how it did not disappoint. In fact, community gardens are foundational to strong communities, and very beneficial to the health and wellbeing of community members.
Rated as one of the best actions a community can take to reduce the impact of food desserts in low-income areas while allowing greater access to nutritious foods, community gardens often lead to healthier lifestyles. These gardens can mitigate the onslaught of blight, by strengthening community ties, while removing environmental hazards, and creating naturally occurring nurturing neighborhoods. I guess it’s hard to dislike the neighbor who just handed you a delicious tomato to slice up for your lunchtime sandwich.
The environmental advantages of community gardening cannot be argued. Gardens absorb water thereby reducing runoff. They create ‘teachable moments’ on everything from sustainable agriculture to physical fitness, to mathematics. Everyone and everything can benefit from community gardening including humans, plants, and animals.
Poor nutrition and obesity are challenges everywhere, particularly in lower income, urban communities. Food insecurity is a real threat, even here in the Greater Susquehanna Valley. Community gardens have shown to improve nutrition by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables and a move away from hyper-processed, empty calorie, packaged foods.
Community gardens trace their roots back to the Victory Gardens that patriotic Americans planted during World War II.
As you may guess, that book about ways to ‘kill your community’ is actually a do-it-yourself manual on how to grow your community. It’s packed with many more excellent ideas that I will pass along in future ‘From Where I Sit…’ essays.
Thank you to Rebecca and to Michael for the excellent reading recommendation. Please feel free to pick up a copy yourself and learn more about what you and your organization can do to insure that our Best Days Lie Just Ahead…
From Where I Sit
