Company/Organization

Suzhou Industrial Park Green Light Year Environmental Service Center

Case name

Sustainable food education in community gardens

Project description

Many people dream of planting a small vegetable garden after they retire and spending their golden years eating home-grown organic vegetables every day. But how can retirees living in urban communities achieve this dream? It turns out that if you can get the permission of your community neighborhood committee, it's possible to plant an urban garden in the community's green public area.

A elderly community near Suzhou Industrial Park had the good fortune to achieve this dream. The community neighborhood committee not only allowed the garden, they even invited social workers from the Green Light Year Environmental Service Center to coordinate the project. The community vegetable garden provides elderly residents with healthy organic produce, enriches their lives, and strengthens their relationships with their neighbors. It also gives children in the community an opportunity to get close to nature and learn about where their food comes from.

We hope that this pioneering project by the Green Light Year Environmental Service Center will inspire more communities across the country to rethink how to best use their community green spaces and consider using food and gardening as tools to unite and strengthen their communities.