The Problem
One of the needs that we saw in our community mapping exercise was the extent of pollution and littering of plastic products that drain into the ocean because they are left in the street. We also noticed that most of these trash items were from fast food chains or liquor stores that are abundant in the community. Items like chip bags and plastic bags from fast food chains were noticeable in the bushes and the streets. We wondered why we have so much trash from these places. Access to healthy places to eat may be limited in our community. One way that we decided to tackle the problem of a food desert was to collaborate with a nonprofit in our area called SEEDS. The mission of SEEDS is to promote food justice and healthy food though gardening and learning farming practices in an urban setting. We hope to work with this organization to learn hydroponics farming, where we will ultimately install their hydroponic systems in the SEEDS community garden located a few blocks down the street from us.
