Creating Change at Wake Forest: Campus Garden
Weeding in the strawberry field, building structures for the garden such as hoop houses, planting seeds and seedlings, harvesting produce, and turning the compost… These are a few of the environmentalist efforts students could partake in just minutes away from the dorms in North Campus, in Campus Garden. It is managed by sustainability interns and faculty aim to create a more sustainable Wake Forest through actions, advocacy, and awareness.
There are no shortages of tasks that need to get done at Campus Garden. This past weekend, a dozen volunteers divided themselves up into weeding strawberries, harvesting, building a fire, and mulching. They bonded tremendously through sustainable service. Real hard work is never scarce at the Campus Garden, making sure that not one leaf goes to waste and not one weed goes un-pulled is the attitude that the volunteers carry.
In mid-to-late spring, the garden focuses on summer crops such as eggplant, tomatoes, squash, watermelon, and strawberries. In the fall, mostly leafy plants that can withstand the unpredictable weather patterns of the fall and early winter months are planted. If the weather allows, shifts are usually on Wednesdays and Fridays at 4:00 PM --- 6:00 PM in 1141 Polo Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27106, unless notified otherwise. A reusable water bottle is crucial for working in the spring months as the weather is warming up, and gardening gloves are recommended but will be provided at limited numbers.
Jack LLoyd, a first-year student who aspires to major in Biology minor in Environmental Science, explained the impact of carbon footprints to the group, and the people listened and carried the knowledge back home with them. The volunteering does not end after the work is done, because to many, sustainability is equivalent to livelihood as well as our identities as Wake students.
In its entirety, volunteering at campus garden has given students new outlooks about sustainability in the Wake community as they meet people who aspire to find solutions to problems regarding food security, waste reduction, and mindfulness toward nature. The end products from the garden are delivered to Campus Kitchen, a space on campus where food will be made and packaged to deliver to the community.