College of Charleston
IN-7: Community Garden

Sustainable Agriculture is an initiative sponsored by the Masters in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. The program manages and operates multiple student gardens, including a large garden at the Stono River Preserve and three urban gardens at downtown campus. The gardens are managed by a team of graduate assistants and undergraduate interns. All students are able (and encouraged) to receive academic credit for their work with Sustainable Agriculture. While many of our students are receiving their education in Environmental and Sustainability Studies, there are opportunities for students in all fields to become involved as we have partnerships with many on-campus and off-campus organizations. The graduate garden staff provides a volunteer-base for our efforts and informs decisions about workshops, produce offerings, and marketing.

The Hidden Hands Garden at Stono Preserve, managed through Sustainable Agriculture Program, is accessible for use to the off-campus community. Recent examples of community member partners that have visited, tended to, enhanced or benefited from the gardens include Boy Scouts of America, the Charleston Area Beekeeping Association, the Green Heart Project, the South Carolina Aquarium, and the Charleston community chapter of Stone Soup Collective.