Gardens for Humanity Highlights & Accomplishments

Highlights and Accomplishments in 2010

2010 Sedona-Verde Valley Spring Planting Festival March 12-21

The festival included events that provided networking and learning opportunities from a wide range of participants celebrating a wide range of topics: Local agriculture, healing power of herbs and oil extracts, native plant workshops, Backyard Garden Expo, artistic expression and opportunities to volunteer in community gardens.

Forum at Spring Planting Festival: Agricultural Renaissance in Northern Arizona – Keeping "Local Food" Local

In the second annual public forum and community discussion, the panel discussed our gains over the past year and the next steps to build a stronger local agricultural economy. Panel included farmers, representative of CSA's, and restaurant owners. This forum resulted in forming a new coalition to achieve these goals.

Locovore Event at the Sedona International Film Festival February 22

Gardens for Humanity organized a reception with local foods originating in Arizona. The event took place at Sedona Rouge restaurant on Monday, after the screening of "Terra Madre," the kickoff film for "Sedona Green" program and film series of the Sedona International Film Festival.

Earth Day "New life can grow from recycled waste."

At the City of Sedona's Earth Day celebration we focused on the "second R" of the environmental motto "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." We provided clean used yogurt containers for children in which they could plant a seed. Children filled the cups with potting soil that we provided and planted a variety of seeds.

Regional Networks

Gardens for Humanity is collaborating with the newly formed Verde Valley Agricultural Coalition and the Coconino County's Sustainable Economic Development Initiative. These two groups address region-wide economic and agriculture development, food and energy security, water resources, and education. Gardens for Humanity's role in these local networks is to be facilitators for individual and community gardens and to be advocates and mentors for educational involvement by local schools.

Teaching Children about Nature through Art

Gardens for Humanity sponsors artist Nancy Robb Dunst, who is active in the Sedona Community teaching kids valuable lessons of ecology and life through art at West Sedona School and at her summer camp, Camp Bear Wallow.

West Sedona School Gardens

We have been working with Principal Lisa Hirsch and staff at West Sedona School on a health and sustainability program using school gardens as a focal point of the curriculum. On August 11 the first in a yearlong series of nine-week enrichment classes began with the middle school students.

Flagstaff School Gardens Tour

Gardens for Humanity met with representatives of Flagstaff Foodlink to tour selected school gardens in Flagstaff that they were instrumental in starting. The tour, organized at our request resulted from our collaborative efforts in promoting regional school gardens.

School Gardens Initiative in the Verde Valley

On October 27th the Verde Food Council and Gardens for Humanity met with all the superintendents of schools in Sedona and the Verde Valley. We proposed to assist them in starting garden and nutrition programs at their respective schools. This initiative is moving forward in 2011.

Sedona Red Rock High School Gardening Club

We have provided guidance and support for a new, large school garden at RRHS of some 3,600 square feet. Teacher and sponsor Elaine Watkins and her gardening club are developing natural products to sell, designing and building the garden, and learning how to cook tasty and nutritious foods with their harvest.

First "Idea Gardens" Tour September 18

Gardens for Humanity sponsored and organized an "Idea Gardens" Tour to showcase four gardens that inspire an earth-conscious, beautiful, and edible landscape. They toured the gardens in the Sedona Trolley, and had a lunch of local food at the Heartline Café.

Mitzvah Day 2010

This year Gardens for Humanity supervised two Mitzvah Day Projects:

The expansion of the Three Sisters Garden at St. John Vianney Church into a community garden
Planting and landscaping at the Karmapa Peace Garden at the Sedona Creative Life Center.

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Gardens for Humanity
P.O. Box 1202
Sedona, AZ 86339.

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