There are very few things that I have experienced in my 17 years that I would consider to be truly inspirational. Today, however, I was a part of something that will forever have an impact on my life.
Our School At Blaire Grocery is a mix between a school, an after school program, community garden, and neighborhood hang out. Located in the lower 9th ward, this organization has an interesting approach to making a difference in their community. OSABG is not a charity organization; in fact they are far from it. Instead they have a policy of creating change through community involvement and education. Currently they have a few gardens, 3 greenhouses, an amazing compost system, and even an interesting method of using fish to fertilize plants. They then use these resources to grow micro-greens, which they sell to local restaurants in order to create an income for the program. On top of that they provide an education for local students who have been abandoned in the New Orleans school system. They're whole education system is based off the idea of learning skills and these skills are learned through working in the garden. For example, students learned about the chemical composition of compost and they used local grocery stores to learn about money, food, nutrition, and even socioeconomic classes in New Orleans. Honestly, I believe that this is the way to go when it comes to education. These students are learning skills that will last them a lifetime, skills that will help them create a positive future.
Additionally, OSABG provides a place for the neighborhood kids to play safely. As we worked young children were playing hide and go seek amongst the compost piles and older kids were playing basketball. Some kids even picked up shovels (which were bigger than they were). Seeing this kind of community was amazing. The older kids looked after the younger kids and the adults kept the older kids out of trouble by providing them with an education. In my entire life I've never seen so many people working together. And in a community that is still completely demolished from Katrina, and I mean dilapidated houses and only a 12% return rate, this kind of friendly, neighborhood connections are more than important. The connections were real, and raw. It made me realize that we need to go back to our roots sometimes, I don't think we're really kind enough to each other back home, at least I've never witnessed this magnitude of community-spirit.
Beyond the education, there is another reason I loved OSABG. That reason was the gardening itself. I'm a vegetarian and I've always been interested in local, organic food, in addition to sustainability when it comes to food. This is what OSABG is all about. They believe food should be used as a tool for activism and I couldn't agree more. They believe that things would be simpler if everyone in the food industry helped each other (meaning the stores sell food that the local farmers grow and then the leftover food gets composted), just like I do.On top of that, they have a really spectacular composting system that I could easily write on and on about, but I won't due to space constrictions. What I will say is that it was really nice having someone to talk passionately about compost with. Today I was able to discuss vermi-compost, nitrogen vs. carbon, and the benefits of compost for the first time with someone who enjoys it as much as I do. I can't even describe how amazing that experience was, since compost has been dear to my heart since an AP bio project last year. That may sound weird, but it's hard to explain just how cool compost is. And for the first time today, I got to talk to people who think that fermenting, rotting food and the microorganisms that break old things into new nutrients is the coolest thing ever.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, OSABG has had a profound impact on me. As I worked digging trenches in order to build a new hoop-house, I discovered so much about community, sustainable gardening, and even what it means to be truly passionate. For the first time in my life I was surrounded by a huge number of people who love the same things I do, believe the same things I do, and want to live the same way I do. Sure, the sun was hot and the sea-shells and clay that we were digging through made me want to scream, but all of that was beyond worth it. Today I was inspired, and as a result I will forever be changed.
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