Valor Academy High School is located in North Hills which is a low income neighborhood primarily composed of Hispanic people. Most of the surrounding are apartments, fast food restaurants, and limited green spaces. In fact, the closest park is the same size as the McDonalds right next to it. Some huge issues facing our community are littering, limited green spaces, food waste, and not enough healthy food options.
On our campus specifically, there are 2 lawns but the grass is fake which helps with California's drought issue. However there is small space dedicated to our school garden which was initiated a few months ago. This project would focus on that garden and provide students will the tools to engage in it. With my earth science classes, I plan on dedicating some periods for field days on the garden where they will be able to harvest healthy fruits/vegetables. The produce they grow would be available for them and the school to enjoy as healthier options during lunch. Lastly, since food waste is also a huge issue on campus, part of the garden would include a composting bin to gather the food that would otherwise be wasted. This would move us closer to a zero waste campus.
