Green Options

Good ideas have a life of their own. That’s what Paul Baricos, Executive Director of the Hollygrove Growers Market and Farm (HGMF) in New Orleans is learning two years after the Carrolton-Hollygrove Community Development Center (CHCDC) set out to figure out how to bring fresh produce to a neighborhood with no real access to affordable food.

Residents of Madison, Wisconsin, and neighboring Fitchburg are fighting to save a 1 1/2-acre organic community garden from the bulldozer. A vote by local planning officials this week gave them a reprieve, but the solution isn’t permanent yet.

The Capital Times reports that the Drumlin Community Garden sits on property owned by the Alexander Company, which is building a commercial development on its land. The Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin has a one-year lease with Alexander for the garden portion, but the lease runs out this year.

A few months ago, I watched some members of my community prepare a garden in the alley behind their house. As of mid-July, they have created a veritable produce stand as raspberries, Swiss chard, peppers, and cucumbers are flourishing. Dinner, anyone?