Edible Campus Landscape
In fall and winter 2024, the Edible Campus program introduced students to the history, science, design and management of edible landscapes while putting this work into practice on the campus. We might add more sites growing edible food, supported by funding from the Clean Energy Committee, help from volunteers and Climate Center student staff (especially during the summer), support from Facilities, and a community work party each fall.

Guide to the RAD Greenhouse
In the summer of 2023 a student did an individual contract researching other colleges’ food systems and sustainable infrastructure projects, as well as exploring ways in which students might use the former Aquaponics Greenhouse. As part of his work, he created “The Greener House Guide,” which provides students with the academic and practical information needed to work with the greenhouse through two-quarter independent learning contracts, and a summary of his work and reading, which included a 2009 Evergreen Masters’ thesis on installing an edible forest garden around campus  housing.

Greenhouse 1.5 Update and Access Plan
Upgrade the student greenhouse near housing to better serve edible campus and student projects, updating signage, and planning for easier access using a keypad or lockbox. Facilities could do a cost assessment, and a grant application might be submitted to the Clean Energy Committee.

Rooftop Gardens Maintenance & Documentation
Assess the condition of the rooftop gardens, identify needs for upkeep or improvements and create a plan for ongoing maintenance, possibly with Facilities. (This may involve locating original records for the installations.)

Soil Solutions & Science Zine
Create a zine summarizing soil as a climate and ecological solution. Collaborate with a local soil science expert through the Center to convert a binder of information into an accessible, lightweight zine. Content would cover individual, community, agricultural, and policy-level soil solutions using a Four Levels framework.

Pollinator Butterfly Habitat Plan
Design and propose a butterfly and pollinator garden program for campus, including signage and a plan for monitoring. (Pollinator gardens might be located at the Organic Farm or around campus.) Collaborate with the Sustainability in Prisons Project for insight and use concept ideas already developed by a student at the Center.

Campus Bee Keeping
Reestablish beekeeping on Evergreen’s campus by creating a student group and getting funding through grants. There are opportunities for BEEcoming a Certified Bee Campus USA!

Refrigerated Electric Food Shipping Truck
Acquiring an electric vehicle with refrigeration for storing and transporting produce from the Organic Farm to supply an Evergreen farm stand in Tacoma and Evergreen students there.

Tacoma Hydroponics Pilot Program
The Tacoma campus was given hydroponics equipment to explore urban gardening solutions for food deserts. Some interns and students on individual learning contracts got it up and running. If you’re interested, there’s considerable material from the first year of this project available through an Evergreen account or the Center.

Tacoma Community Garden
Evergreen alumni Vanessa Doveno has begun the process of revitalizing a community garden to bring healthy food and herbs into the urban environment. Sustaining the project might involve organizing weekend workshops, sourcing additional materials, additional outreach to community members, organizing a student community garden group, and creating internships or a part-time position to help manage the garden.