Sustainability Efforts in the Trenton Community

Ginny Weinmann

• A non-profit focusing on community development and sustainability within Trenton, NJ.

• Direct action in the community, fostering self-reliance, creating safer neighborhoods, sponsoring renovation of homes, focusing on energy efficiency

• 30 community and school gardens

• Food and Sustainability Intern

Gardens

• Positive impact on urban community and cityscape

• Food donated to food pantries and sold through a CSA

• Isles Garden Tour• Student education • What I did:

– Garden work– CSA– Research on market

gardens

Tucker Street

Canal Farm

Work in the Garden

• Helped with CSA distribution

• Weeding and watering (learning about the labor of organic farming)

• Planting and harvesting

• Garden logistics

Watering Tomatoes

Garden Co-op Research

• Rutgers and Isles Food Security Report

• Preliminary work on a project to put local garden food into the bodegas by forming a profit gardening co-op from all the gardens in Trenton

• Did research to create a database of similar existing projects

Home Energy and Financial Independence

• Worked one day a week at Isles E4

• Home energy and financial independence section of Isles

• Foreclosure mitigation • Personal contact with

individuals in the community

Summary• The impact that urban gardens have on cities• The essentiality of non-profits working together for a greater goal• A need to educate children about healthy food options• A personal desire to work with sustainable food in the future • Thank You

– Meredith Taylor – Jim Simon – Peter Rose

CSA Distribution Tucker Street Corn with Battle Monument