Greenhouse Project and Carson Tahoe partner to build Foothill Garden and Hoop House
Submitted by editor on Wed, 09/27/2017 - 11:01am
Carson Tahoe Health celebrated the Phase 1 launch Tuesday of its new Foothill Garden, which includes a 960 square-foot hoop house, a compliment to Carson Tahoe’s existing Wellness Walk trails around campus.
The new initiative is a joint collaboration between Carson Tahoe Health and The Greenhouse Project, expanding on a longstanding partnership to engage the community in wellness education and sustainability while promoting health literacy, said Ed Epperson President and CEO of Carson Tahoe Health.
Through this collaboration, CTH not only will be able to create access to fresh, healthy food, but will also educate future generations on sustainability, said Epperson.
“This collaboration furthers Carson Tahoe’s mission of promoting healing in a natural environment as well as the Greenhouse Project’s to build a healthier community,” he said. “There’s just something healing about connecting to the earth through gardening.”
This is the second garden CTH has built on its campus.
Carson Tahoe Health has always been a generous supporter of The Greenhouse Project. And, there is good reason for health systems to seek out and engage in non-traditional partnerships to improve health, as research suggests social, behavioral, and environmental factors have an enormous effect on physical health, said Arnold Carbone, Vice President Board of Directors with The Greenhouse Project.
“The Greenhouse Project’s mission has always been supporting the Carson City community by providing good food to the food insecure population and inspiring young farmers through the Carson High FFA and culinary program,” said Carbone.
In seeing a national trend for healthcare facilities to partner with urban and rural initiatives, Karen Abowd co-founder and president of The Greenhouse Project Board of Directors and Carbone had the idea to expand its relationship with CTH to include an extension of the existing Greenhouse Project located at Carson High School.
They brought the idea to Epperson in spring of 2016 and he enthusiastically threw in his support as a way to raise awareness of local wellness initiatives, said Carbone.
“A year and a couple of months later the hoop house at the Foothill Garden is a reality and we’re ready to start growing food for the Carson City community, particularly benefiting the Meals On Wheels program,” said Carbone.
Karen Abowd notes there are many initiatives taking place around the country with small scale urban and rural organic farms collaborating with educational, health care, senior centers and community centers to provide good food through local wellness programs.
The timing was perfect for Carson Tahoe Health and The Greenhouse Project to join forces and expand the community reach of the Greenhouse Project,” said Abowd.
Since it began agricultural operations at the Carson High School in fall 2010, The Greenhouse Project initiative has helped the area’s youth and citizens realize the importance of sustainable living, learn to grow their own food, expand their knowledge of nutrition, and establish a connection to the outdoors.
“Through our collaboration with Carson Tahoe Health, we’ll be teaching people to produce their own healthy food and live more sustainably,” said Abowd.
To get things going, the Greenhouse Project will begin seeding cover crops in order to feed the soil such as oats, clover and Dicon radishes and will also plant kale, chard and spinach to grow in the fall and winter.
Americorp will also participate in the partnership. Full Circle Compost is contributing locally-cultivated organic compost that will be used to help grow the garden.
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