Need help and inspiration before starting your own climate victory garden?
Montgomery County Food Council, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and Montgomery Parks are conducting a free symposium about Climate Victory Gardens at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
There will be a panel discussion moderated by Heather Bruskin, executive director of the Food Council. Panelists include Lisa Buttner, director of Neighborhood Garden Programs at Community Health and Empowerment Through Education Research (CHEER); Michelle Nelson, community garden program manager with Montgomery Parks; and Robin Hernandez, program manager for Crossroads Community Food Network.
“Lawns, which are often covered with copious amounts of fertilizer, then mowed and watered with extraordinary amounts of gasoline for mowers and electricity for pumps, are often bad for the environment,” said Paul Tukey, a member of the Montgomery County Food Council who also serves as the director of environmental stewardship at the Glenstone Museum.
“Just like in World War II, when the Victory Gardens fed America, we think Climate Victory Gardens can feed us today and also help us reduce the amount of fuel and water we are using,” he said in a news release.
The event also will feature ways to connect gardeners with people who don’t have land to create their own garden.
“The County’s community garden program has a waiting list of about 500 people who are looking for a place to grow food for their families, or to donate their food to one of the County’s many food banks,” said Doug Weisburger, a senior sustainability planner for the Department of Environmental Protection. “We hope to find homeowners willing to allow these gardeners onto their land to grow food — the same way they allow landscapers to come onto their lawns. We see that as a win-win-win that strengthens community ties.”
The event will include simultaneous translation in Spanish and 25 translation headsets will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Advance registration is not required to attend the symposium, but is encouraged for networking purposes.
Join @MyGreenMC on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Brookside Gardens for a community symposium discussion on how local gardeners could use underutilized land and turn more lawns into gardens. 🍅🌾#ClimateVictoryGardens @MoCoFoodCouncil @communitycheer @CrossroadsNtwk @MontgomeryParks pic.twitter.com/uOEpTDZRgu
— Montgomery County MD (@MontgomeryCoMD) April 29, 2022
