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Urban Youth Vegetable Garden Project Gets Federal Funding

Release Date: 9/29/2004
Contact Information: David Sternberg, (215) 814-5548

David Sternberg, (215) 814-5548

PHILADELPHIA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today presented the Village of Arts and Humanities with a grant for $7,200 for the Plot-to-Planet Environmental Footprint Project. The project uses hands-on agricultural activities to educate youth about local and global environmental issues and the connection between the two.

Approximately 200 youth, ages 3-12 will work to design prepare, plant maintain and harvest vegetables in the village garden. Through their stewardship of this land, which was formerly an abandoned lot, the children will develop a greater awareness of the processes of urban gardening as well as an understanding of environmental issues such as water and air pollution, soil erosion, solid waste management and habitat loss.

“This Guardian Angel Park is a model for what can happen when a community takes responsibility for its environment and works together. The plot-to-planet project uses this neighborhood garden as a tool to give children a greater awareness of the complex, interconnected environmental issues facing their neighborhood and the planet,” said Donald S. Welsh, EPA regional administrator for the mid-Atlantic Region.

Since 1992, EPA has provided almost $3 million annually in funding to local organizations and schools nationwide. These grants fund education programs in nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and governmental agencies supporting a wide range of environmental issues for citizens of all ages.

Visit https://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants.html, to find out more about EPA’s environmental education grants and online resources for communities, educators, and children.