Students develop community garden at CPIT

For immediate release 13.09.2012
Students develop community garden at CPIT

CPIT’s student led Sustainability Community began work on developing a community garden space at the Madras Street campus today in celebration of Eco Week. Sustainability and Outdoor Education students worked alongside staff to prepare the garden for planting in the first of a series of working bees.

“We want to develop a space where people can work together to grow sustainable, local produce which can be accessed by the whole community,” Sustainability Community member Freya O'Donoghue said.

The aim is to have the garden up and running for summer with a combination of vegetables, fruit trees, herbs and native plants. Once established, members of the local community will be able to participate in weekly working bees in exchange for produce.

Rex Verity, Environmental Manager at CPIT, is excited about the opportunity to use the garden as a venue to interact with the community and as a tool to increase sustainability awareness, knowledge and skills throughout CPIT.

“Creating a community garden contributes to the on-going building of community within CPIT and will help to teach people about sustainability, environmental awareness and healthy lifestyles,” he said.

Long term the Sustainability Community aims to develop a larger garden that can also provide onsite produce for CPIT’s School of Hospitality and Te Puna Wānaka programmes, in line with the institute’s commitment to sustainable practices.

The project has already received several donations of seeds and plants. Students are also fundraising with a garage sale at CPIT’s CPSA tomorrow from 11am until 1pm. All proceeds will go towards materials for the community garden project.

ENDS.

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