University of California, San Diego
IN-7: Community Garden

UC San Diego has several campus gardens and one San Diego community garden that promote education and the growth of sustainable food and local produce. These small vibrant patches provide space for students to cultivate organic vegetables, fruits, herbs and other plants that support healthy, natural diets—an initiative that echoes campus programs that provide eco-friendly vegan and vegetarian options for students, faculty and staff at all dining locations. Several gardens, including Roger’s Urban Farm Lab, supply campus cafés and small dining centers with produce. More than two dozen members of Roger’s Urban Farm Lab lease plots to grow plants for pleasure, produce food or conduct research. Similar communities have formed across campus, including the Pepper Canyon Urban Farm at Sixth College, Ellie’s Garden at Eleanor Roosevelt College and Earl’s Garden at Warren College. Many student organizations also contribute to the development of the gardens. Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) collaborated to construct a compost pit, a vermicompost (worm composting system) and a sink with a water collection system. The project was funded both by ESW and a Green Initiative Fund grant from the Student Sustainability Center.