The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) and the City of Houston will dedicate the UHD Sustainable Community garden along Buffalo Bayou at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 22 as part of UHD’s Earth Day Festival.
The festival activities will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and include live music, a composting demonstration, a farmers market, and organic and free trade vendors. Company and government organizations will be on hand to present ways to reduce one’s carbon footprint.
Healthy-life coach Marian Bell will present ways to achieve a healthier, balanced lifestyle at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. on the UHD South Deck.
Festival participants can plant an organic seed and take it home, compliments of the UHD Community Involvement Center. Representatives from the Native Plant Society of Texas will be on hand to answer questions.
UHD and the City Parks Department have signed an agreement enabling UHD to create a garden in the city’s Johnny Goyen Park along the bayou. The garden will feature rainwater harvesting, composting, and organic pest management, and it will incorporate natural habitats into its design. Produce from the garden will go to area food banks.
Joe Turner, Director of Parks and Recreation, Clara Cooper, executive director of Target Hunger and Lola Millard, Target Hunger coordinator of community gardens, and Frank Smith, Kiwanis Club, will join the garden dedication.
The UHD Campus Sustainability Council is constructing and managing the garden. UHD President Max Castillo created the council when he signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. The commitment calls for UHD to develop a comprehensive plan to create a climate neutral campus and to serve as a model for the Houston community.
