Edible Landscapes and Urban Agriculture in San Diego

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1 Edible Landscapes and Urban Agriculture in San Diego First Lady Michelle Obama visits New Roots Garden in San Diego Fibonacci Corporate Garden at Alexandria Real Estate Equities Fresh produce on display at Point Loma Farmer s Market Locations of Community Gardens in San Diego

2 The Rising Trend of Urban Agriculture Landscape architecture students at the University of Washington s College of the Built Environment organized a community charrette to explore design ideas for city farming. Seattle declared 2010 the Year of Urban Agriculture. Urban residents are taking control of food security, social ills and environmental degradation in their communities, providing food, jobs, environmental enhancement, education, beautification, inspiration and hope. Many Asian countries grow over 60% of their food in the city. A recent report stated that as companies have less to spend on raises, health benefits and other typical employee perks, the latest craze is to create an interactive corporate garden. Parwinder S. Grewal, professor at the Center for Urban Environment and Economic Development calculated that if 80 percent of every vacant lot in Cleveland was converted into agricultural use, they could yield between percent of the entire city s demand for fresh produce and 25 percent of the city s poultry and egg needs. What s happening in Your City? This sustainable trend is catching on. Farmer s Markets are now attracting big grants from major philanthropies and many city farms operate off the basic premise that healthy affordable food is a basic human right, a form of food justice for all. Whether it s a residential, community or a learning garden, the goal is planting and harvesting edibles to take home, incorporating fresh foods into a campus cafeteria menu, or donating harvested crops to a local food bank, urban agriculture is revitalizing neighborhoods and communities, boosting morale, providing healthy alternatives and teaching the benefits of fresh food in a nation confronting a serious rise in obesity rates. This eco-trend is one for landscape architects to watch. Will it become just a passing fad? Or is it the beginning of a transformation into a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle across the country?

3 Learning Objectives FS04 7:30 am 2:00 pm Edible Landscape and Urban Sustainability San Diego is home to a downtown community college that offers degrees in sustainable urban agriculture, a corporate campus garden that provides employees with fresh food, and an edible green wall. Visit them all and shop at a farmers' market with 120 vendors offering vegetables and ethnic foods. Learning Objectives: Examine the emergence of urban agriculture, including community and residential gardens. Discover how landscape architects weave agriculture into urban design. Learn from the example of people growing food in household and town settings. Leaders/Speakers: Nicholas DeLorenzo, ASLA, Delorenzo Inc; Todd Haydel, Student Affil. ASLA, LEED AP; Julia Dashe, Seeds at City Urban Farm; Amy Lint, New Roots Community Farm (IRC); Dave Strickland, Associate Landscape Architect, Caltrans; Misha Johnson, Wild Willow Farm and Education Center; Brian Beever, Point Loma Farmer s Market Session Leader #1 - Nick DeLorenzo DeLorenzo Incorporated Nick DeLorenzo graduated California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in He is a licensed landscape architect and principal-in-charge of his own firm for over 20 years and cofounder/chair of San Diego Council of Design Professionals. He s worked on some of the most successful projects in Southern California offering landscape architectural design for regional, county and city parks, long-range community planning, site planning, innovative sustainable maintenance guidelines, and military installation appearance plans and smart landscaping guidelines. Session Leader #2 Todd Haydel Todd Haydel is a landscape designer and LEED AP. He holds degrees in Landscape Architecture and Cultural Anthropology. Before pursuing a career in Landscape Architecture, Todd was an elementary school teacher for 5 years in San Diego and is currently involved in the Wild Willow Farm and Education Center where he is furthering his knowledge of sustainable agriculture while networking with other food activists in the San Diego area.

4 Speaker Bios: Karen Contreras, Urban Plantations Karen Contreras created Urban Plantations, offering garden coaching, maintenance, and composting systems and assists in the design of urban and corporate gardens. San Diego City College Urban Farm Julia Dashe Julia attended has a Certificate in Ecological Horticulture. She assisted in the design of the San Diego City Community College urban farm where she continues to help manage and teach. Amy Lint, Senior Farming Specialist at the International Rescue Committee Amy has over seven years professional experience in Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America, and the USA. She specializes in developing and managing programs in food security towards achieving global development and social change. Dave Strickland, Associate Landscape Architect, Caltrans Dave is a licensed landscape architect and founded the Lecture Series Garden Tour, assisted the Community Grant Programs for SDASLA. Farmer, Roots San Diego Sustainable Food Program Misha Johnson Misha graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies. Before moving to San Diego, Misha gained farming experience in New England, Costa Rica, and France. He joined San Diego Roots as a volunteer in the fall of Point Loma Farmer s Market Brian Beevers Brian Beevers is part of the Food Justice movement that challenges our increasingly industrial globalized food system and manages four of the six pesticide and herbicide free produce markets in San Diego.

5 7:30 Field Session Lecture In Front of Bus Stops Depart 7:50 Leave San Diego Convention Center Arrive 8:00 Depart 8:40 City College Part of San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Program, this garden in the heart of downtown San Diego unites people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds with the common goals of improving the quality of the earth and the lives of those who work the land and who share in the harvest. The farm provides local, healthful organic foods to those who have little or no access to such produce and offers an education in the art of sustainable living. Arrive 8:55 Depart 9:45 New Roots The New Roots Community farm is a 2.3 acre parcel of land in the heart of Mid-City that offers growing space to refugees, new-immigrants and a one half acre organic garden and learning center that promotes healthy eating and nutrition, with an emphasis on diabetes and obesity prevention among under-served communities in San Diego s South Bay neighbors. A project of the Food Security and Community Health Department of the International Rescue Committee, the farm has three main goals: 1) Provide land for low-income community members to grow food 2) Increase the availability of fresh, culturally-desirable food for newly resettled refugees 3) Create a pathway towards larger-scale farming for refugees interested in returning to their agrarian roots. Arrive 9:55 Depart 10:35 Residence of local landscape architect, Dave Strickland Mr. Strickland lives in an urban area of San Diego and has devoted a portion of his garden for growing vegetables. He has designed an edible green wall, keeps chickens for pest control, fertilization, fresh egg production, and as pets (named after famous actresses). Discussion may include exploring ways to keep a residential garden visually appealing, maintenance and time factors, raising chickens in an urban setting, and the overall enjoyment derived from growing your own food. Arrive 10:55 Depart 11:30 Fibonacci Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. has constructed a new high-tech office complex, one of the few LEED Platinum buildings in the country. As a part of the campus master plan, they have included an organic garden providing food for the bistro employee café, also part of the complex. The management company owner and the executive chef collaborated with Spurlock Portier, campus landscape architect, and Karen Contreras of Urban Plantations who now operates and manages the garden. Arrive 11:45 Depart 12:45 Point Loma Farmer s Market One of the newer community gardens, this little market sells everything from fresh organic vegetables, fruit, flowers, and locally caught fish, and free range meat. People can buy and sample homemade breads, jelly, dips and spreads and ethnic foods.