I’m looking forward to the upcoming event, “Greening Your Community: Saving the Planet One Garden at a Time” on Tuesday, September 20. It is my sincere desire that policy-makers join people interested in or working to “green” neighborhoods in our region.
For decades, influential political and civic leaders have relied on a “top-down” method of community development. They invest public money with powerful entities, hoping that the trickle down effects will help poor people in poor communities. Robust investment in urban agriculture, I believe, can lead to a bottom-up alternative approach to food production, community revitalization and economic self-sufficiency.
As Tracey Howe-Koch, coordinator of Missouri Interfaith Power and Light, said, it’s imperative that we explore ways individuals, organizations and houses of worship can use urban agriculture to enact social justice, especially in disadvantaged areas. “In these neighborhoods, where junk food is more readily available than fresh vegetables and diet-related medical issues are common, urban gardens are a lifeline to better environmental, health and economic outcomes,” she said.
As director of the Sweet Potato Project, I plan to address the third component of Koch’s agricultural trilogy, economic outcomes. For the past five years, we’ve been on the challenging mission to educate youth and empower adults through growing produce on vacant lots and creating marketable, food-based products. This area, I maintain, has the most potential to positively impact lives, both socially and economically, in North St. Louis and beyond.
Numerous academic studies reinforce the concept that “greening” poor neighborhoods can dramatically improve lives. A recent report by the University of Washington’s Urban/Forestry/Urban Greening research team found that “urban greening” leads to lower levels of stress and crime, particularly in poor inner-city neighborhoods. It also strengthens ties among residents, increases informal surveillance, and creates “healthier, safer urban communities.”
A 2011 report, “The Potential for Urban Agriculture in New York City,” by Columbia University’s Urban Design Lab suggests that developing green agricultural spaces reduces food transportation costs, addresses environmental issues, diminishes disparities in access to healthy foods and provides opportunities for economic development in poor neighborhoods.
The report focused on 5,000 acres of unused land in New York City – the equivalent of six times the area of Central Park. Reportedly, St. Louis has more than 8,000 vacant lots in the city alone. Arguably, our region has the same or better opportunity to aggressively address food insecurity, generating community revenue, enhancing small business development and providing long-term employment through the “greening” of low-income neighborhoods.
This year, the Sweet Potato Project launched its land ownership initiative aimed at putting vacant land and resources in the hands of low-income residents. This is a doable, bottoms-up approach to stimulating “social interaction, cohesion, self-sufficiency” and a holistic way to engage young people and adults in underserved neighborhoods – all ingredients outlined in the Columbia University report.
Tower Grove Farmers Market is a perfect example of a replicable, “green,” sustainable, economic solution. Launched in 2006, the local market has become an “economic driver” for the surrounding area. According the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Farmers Market attracts about 100,000 people to South St. Louis per year, has spun off at least four “brick-and-mortar businesses” and generates about $2 million in annual revenue.
I also plan to discuss the potential economic return of a North St. Louis food manufacturing and distribution plant at the September 20 “Greening” event. Canned fruits and vegetables make up about 36 percent of the estimated $17 billion food manufacturing industry. Imagine urban farmers, residents and stake-holders producing, packaging and distributing their own North St. Louis food brand like Columbus, Ohio’s Glory Foods. The psychological, social and economic impact would be immeasurable.
With the decline of good-paying manufacturing jobs in America, civic and political leaders need to pursue alternative areas of income-generation for less privileged communities. Everybody eats, and the “greening” of neighborhoods is one viable option for real community stimulus. Join me at the “Greening Your Community” event so we can grow the movement for healthier, most robust urban neighborhoods.
“Greening Your Community” is sponsored by the Jewish Environmental Initiative (a committee of the Jewish Community Relations Council), Missouri Interfaith Power and Light and the Missouri Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the former publisher of Take Five Magazine, former St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist and current director of the Sweet Potato Project. He will speak at the “Greening Your Community: Saving the Planet One Garden at a Time” 7-9 p.m. Tuesday September 20 at The Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd. The event is free but registration is required at http://bit.ly/Garden092016. For more information, contact 314-442-3894 or gwechsler@jcrcstl.org.
