University of Arizona
ER-12: Sustainability Immersive Experience

The School of Geography and Development collaborates with local schools and the Community Food Bank to provide community gardens in low-income neighborhoods or areas where fresh produce is prohibitively expensive. Students participate in the program as interns. Before being sent into the field, interns learn about the physical aspects of sustainable gardening from Community Food Bank experts, including garden design, irrigation and soil enhancement. Professor Marston instructs interns on population and resource dynamics and community building processes while professors from the Department of Education are brought in to lecture on how to engage with young people in the classroom. The program provides an opportunity for students to use sustainability as a lens in creating community as well as to examining and changing the way the community relates to food.