The Problem
In the Colorado Springs area (particularly the D20 academic district) there is not a lot of green- most of the grass is dead, and with the increase in urbanization lately a lot of trees are being removed to make room for housing. This leaves the area looking bleak because there are hardly any plants or trees. Additionally, the produce in our area is getting expensive and many people can't afford to spend that much on produce, so they get cheaper, less healthy food instead. Lastly, Colorado Springs has a lot of pollinators with nowhere to go! We want to remedy these issues by building a community garden with a pollinator space to give people access to food, introduce some green back into the area, and give pollinators a space to inhabit.
Our Plan
The NHS chapter at my school is working to build a community garden for students and community members to use and take care of. We would grow fruits and vegetables, and dedicate part of the garden to be a pollinator garden to support the pollinators of Colorado. This would foster community and also healthy eating habits, while giving a space for pollinators to be protected. We have been trying to get this off the ground for months now but are finding it difficult without the funding to do so. We would like to build raised garden beds and a plastic greenhouse covering to protect against the snow and rain. In doing this, we would involve all of NHS to assist with taking care of the garden and making sure the plants are growing as projected. This project would extend at least to the District 20 area in Colorado, and possibly to the whole Colorado Springs community.
