Tuesday, December 6, 2011

PD(x) Lab's Garden Design

PD(x) Lab has generously donated time and expertise to help us design the garden.  Long term sustainability and community involvement are two integral features of the PD(x) Lab plan. 

Learn more about PD(x) Lab at http://pdxlab.ning.com/.

Click on the images for a larger view.




Friday, December 2, 2011

Welcome


Building the garden at Africa House. 

The garden at EPCC will also be a community effort.


The Intergenerational Community Garden, located at the East Portland Community Center, seeks to provide locally grown food to the Cherry Blossom Loaves and Fishes senior meal site.  Cherry Blossom Loaves and Fishes is a part of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) Senior Services.   


The Intergenerational Garden will consist of seventeen elder-friendly beds.  Both edible and non-edible plants, native and culturally appropriate varieties, will be cultivated to express and connect the diverse backgrounds and experiences of IRCO's clients.  Pesticides will not be used and the garden will replace a lawn that is currently treated with chemicals and fertilizer, thereby improving the health of the Willamette River Watershed.


As a community garden, seniors will be encouraged to participate in seeding and harvesting, and innovative  garden-bed design will enable  access for participants who have limited flexibility and/or are wheelchair bound.    In addition to feeding seniors at EPCC, food from the garden will be distributed through the Oregon Food Bank Harvest Share program.  


Education and community involvement is a core component of the garden, therefore classes ranging from gardening to watershed and riparian health, will be taught at the garden site by the Garden Coordinator, Robert Bradley, and the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) educator, Lynne Vanderkamp.  




Why East Portland?

East Portland is an under-served part of the city.  The garden hopes to meet the needs of foreign-born, elderly, and/or disabled residents of East Portland.  According to ADSD data, low-income and immigrant communities are increasing faster in East Portland than anywhere else in the city.  





Contact

  •  Nicole Baker-Wagner, IRCO's Senior Services Unit     Manager, nicolb@mail.irco.org
  •  Robert Bradley, Cherry Blossom Loaves and Fishes Program Manager, rbradley@lfcpdx.org 
  • Jessie Mandle, Aging and Disability Services jessie.mandle@multco.us
  • Karen Wolfgang
  • independencegardenspdx@gmail.com




Community Partnerships
 
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)      www.irco.org/  

Independence Gardens     
www.IndependenceGardensPDX.com                                            

    PD(x) Lab   
    http://pdxlab.ning.com/

    Bureau of Environmental Services
    www.portlandonline.com/bes/

    The Boeing Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union        http://iam751.wordpress.com/tag/international-association-of-machinists-aerospace-workers/  

    Sunderland Recycling Facility
     http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?a=319723&c=47144

     University of Oregon Landscape Design Graduate Students
    http://landarch.uoregon.edu/  

    The Oregon Food Bank

    The America the Beautiful Foundation
    www.america-the-beautiful.org/

    Portland Nursery
    www.portlandnursery.com/

    Multnomah County Aging and Disability Services Division
    www.multco.us/ads