April 7, 2010

In 2007, Ken Burrow founded the American Center for Sustainability(ACS) here in Portland. This spring, ACS delivered some 75,000 seedlings to almost 40 community gardens across Oregon. Those plants and the food they provide are crucial to many rural community, where it's often a struggle to find fresh food, and in some cases even a grocery store.

"75,000 Seedlings Onboard," Emily Grosvenor's piece in the Spring 2010 issue of Edible Portland, highlights ACS's efforts to spread principles of land stewardship and help rural Oregonians access fresh food and become self-reliant - critical for communities with growing numbers of low-income families with little or no access to fresh, healthy food.

"There is a growing number of us who are convinced that all of the world's challenges can be overcome in a local garden," Burrow told Grosvenor. "There is already a shift in progress; we're just here to support it."

Community Gardens don't just produce food. They foster community, get kids outside and engaged wtih their environment and their food, and help folks get the fresh, healthy produce they need. As Commissioner-in-Charge of Parks, Nick is looking at ways to dramatically expand our Community Gardens program in the coming years, and to bring the experience of growing foodto many more Portlanders.