The Rollins Urban Farm is coming back! Sustainability is installing new garden beds and finishing the space behind Elizabeth Hall to create a space that better fits our mission of sustainability, education, and community engagement and the Rollins College’s mission to foster cultural enrichment, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship.
Sustainability is spending the rest of the semester getting back into gear and preparing the beds for the summer and fall semesters. We plan on growing produce available to donate to the Student Support Foundation’s (SSF) food pantry and the Cornell Campus Center Marketplace. The food pantry is accessible to the entire Rollins community through the Center for Leadership & Community Engagement (CLCE) and is mostly stocked with non-perishables in addition to fresh produce and hygiene products.
Urban Smart Farms is continuing to partner with us this semester and we are growing lettuce, kale, herbs, and other produce in twelve hydroponic towers inside our greenhouse, located between Ward Hall and Elizabeth Hall. We have begun harvesting and donating produce from the hydroponic towers and have been developing a weekly plan to provide more produce for our local community in the next year.
In the past the Urban Farm was used as an outdoor classroom to learn about sustainable agriculture and engage in the local food system, which better connected students to the Central Florida community and taught them about alternatives to industrial agriculture. With the new renovations completed, the Urban Farm will be better suited to do this as well as increase volunteer opportunities on campus.
If you would like to know more about the Urban Farm and the SSF’s food pantry, you can reach out to sustainibility@rollins.edu and hlanders@rollins.edu.
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