University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
IN-24: Innovation A

The Edible Campus Initiative, a new program of the North Carolina Botanical Garden, incorporates edible, medicinal, and pollinator-friendly plants into existing landscape features on the Carolina campus. Edible Campus was proposed by a student in an independent study class in the spring of 2015 and approved by Chancellor Carol Folt as a component of the “Food for All” pan-university theme. The student who proposed the initiative was hired as a Chancellor's fellow to lead the project for the first year. After she left, the North Carolina Botanical Garden obtained a grant to fund a full time staff manager. Since its inception, the Edible Campus garden beds have served as an outdoor classroom for student academic and extracurricular work, as well as a space for the UNC community to gather and grab a snack between classes. The Edible Campus Initiative currently maintains a network of nine garden beds across the campus, and a new 13,000 sq foot demonstration garden behind Davis Library opened on Earth Day 2017. Edible Campus is the winner of the Silver Seymour Spotlight Award from the North Carolina Association of Residence Halls. Along with volunteer workdays focused on tree, shrub, and vegetable planting, Edible Campus employs a student intern each semester.