North Campus Garden Oasis Offers Bounty And Respite From Urban Grind
At North Campuses’ Green Urban Living Center garden, white and yellow painted used tires decorate the perimeter taking the shape of a caterpillar. An inspirational quote by anthropologist Margaret Mead, written on a tree, at the entrance reads: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
“[The garden] is a place where schools, our local community, and MDC community can learn, engage, and be part of important environmental topics that need to be addressed,” said GULC Program Coordinator, Lorna Bravo.
The mission of the GULC is very different from the greenhouse and Palmetum also housed at North Campus. The Center aims to promote environmental education, awareness, sustainability, health and well-being.
The Center first opened its doors in 2007 with the vision of being a place where students could put into practice topics learned in the classroom. The garden, which is a little smaller than a basketball court, is just steps away from the glare of the north-side parking lot and the whirring traffic and exhaust of N.W. 119th St. The plot has more than a hundred plants including cilantro, basil, rosemary carrots, star fruits, papayas, cactus and decorative flowering plants that attract butterflies.
Emerald-green cactuses stand along the side of the asphalt trail that leads into the heart of the property. Banana trees can be spotted from outside the fence. Their fruits are still small and green. Atala butterflies come in rushing, rapidly claiming a section of the Cootie plant’s abundant leaves which they use as their host. Some already have laid their eggs and larvae are beginning to grow.
For students like Rene De La Riva, who has worked at the garden for more than a year, this place is sanctuary.
“I have a little piece of my country here in the garden,” De La Riva said.
The accounting student from Cuba started a year ago doing required service learning hours and now he comes as a dedicated volunteer. He is particularly drawn to the tropical plants like the sugarcane. He is proud of the plot and loves maintaining it.
Throughout the scholastic year, GULC welcomes about two dozen schools in field trips. Students from around the area come to learn about the conservation of water, the process of decomposition and the many ways they can participate in the preservation of natural spaces in their communities.
“I feel [GULC] is a place where kids, our future generation, can learn, a place to be inspired and to inspire others,” Bravo said.
When school groups visit, Bravo shows them a movie on crucial environmental issues. They introduce them to grade-appropriate information about environmental awareness. The students do a hands-on activity in the garden with seeds and plants. Bravo hopes the students remember the ecological information and share it with their families.
At the first farmers’ market of the year on Jan. 30 at North Campus, quality produce grown on campus was offered like yucca, carrots, cilantro, radish, papaya, lime and lemon.
The College funds Bravo’s salaries and some materials and facilities. Bravo hopes the College will fund improvements to the garden like a pricy water collection site, a smart irrigation system and more native plants. These things are needed in order to be acknowledged as a Florida Friendly natural space. That would show the Center is up to par conservation-wise. She would like funding to help her to put on programs in schools that cannot fund trips to the site.
“I would love for MDC student to feel like GULC is a place where they can learn, where they can contribute, a place where they can test their ideas about how to improve our environment and so that they can go out into the world and spread those seeds of hope,” Bravo said.
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The Green Urban Living Center is located next to the 300 building at the North Campus, 11380 NW 27 Ave.
