Across the country, people have sought relief from lockdown by spending time outdoors. Exploring and engaging with nature has naturally increased our collective value for environmental stewardship. More than ever, people are invested in preserving and protecting the shared natural spaces that nourish our bodies and spirits. At the same time, a renewed value for health, self-sufficiency, and resilience has motivated countless individuals and families to begin growing their own food.
All of this creates the ideal context for our newest project launch: Grow Your Own!- an organic nursery and garden resource center.
Health, self-sufficiency, and resilience have been foundational to our work at The Ecology Center since the very beginning. A key part of our mission has always been spreading the message of “Grow Your Own.” We see this ethos as foundational to transforming our communities along with an ecological model. For twelve years and counting, we have modeled ecological design in the farm and property we steward. We’ve taught countless workshops on home gardening skills, helped install over 100 school gardens, and have done our utmost to build a culture committed to environmental stewardship and healthy nourishment.
On March 13, our efforts will take a new leap forward with the launch of our new retail nursery, which will be stocked with everything needed to put the “Grow Your Own” ethos into action. Along with certified organic vegetable and herb seedlings, fruit trees, medicinal perennials, and native plants, The Ecology Center nursery will offer bulk organic compost and potting soil, growing tools and accessories, worm bins, rain barrels, and even DIY plans for building raised beds. Whether you want to transform an empty lot into an urban farm, retrofit your yard as a food-growing oasis, or set up an herb garden in terracotta pots, our thoughtful selection of plants and tools will offer everything you need to build your own ecological food oasis.
The Ecology Center nursery is the natural outgrowth of our ongoing work to equip our community for making ecological stewardship part of their lifestyle. Our seasonal plant sales and workshops will now have a permanent home, staffed by our knowledgeable team members who are passionate about sharing their expertise and resources.
Like all of our endeavors at The Ecology Center, the nursery is an effort toward the transformation of our community into a culture of doers. This culture is essential to the greater work of remaking our food system, as well as our homes, schools, and public spaces, with a sustainable future in mind. Learning to grow our own food is a giant step toward transforming not just how we consume and cook food, but how we build conscious stewardship into our domestic spaces. Putting hands on the earth is a transformative step toward building conscious stewardship into our lifestyles. By modeling a collaborative environment of sharing resources and equipping our neighbors, we can demonstrate that self-sufficiency is about more than just self-preservation during hard times. It’s about empowering communities to care for the earth, care for each other, and share the surplus.
Come join us on March 13th for the launch of our nursery!
