University of Washington, Seattle
ER-T2-2: Organic Garden

The University of Washington offers two student-run opportunities for students to gain experience in farming and gardening: The UW Farm was started in 2004 by Keith Possee, Dr. Alan Trimble, Dr. Jennifer Ruesink, Elizabeth Wheat, and several students with the goal of educating the UW community about the global impacts of our food choices. The farm provides a model for reducing those impacts. Student volunteers maintain the farm, and provide outreach and tours that are incorporated into the curriculum of classes ranging from ecology to anthropology. The UW Farm serves as a tool to connect the UW community with where and how food is grown. Additionally, UW Housing and Food Services has agreed to purchase food from the UW Farm for use in campus dining facilities. The UW Farm cannot be certified organic because of its relationship with the greenhouse, which isn’t organic (the soil used for plant starts isn’t technically organic). However, the UW Farm practices sustainable agriculture as much as possible; they don’t use any pesticides or herbicides, but rather use sustainable practices such as polycultures, crop rotations, organic compost, and cover crops. http://students.washington.edu/uwfarm/about/ The Student P-Patch Garden is a place for Residence Hall students to explore urban farming and food sovereignty. A committed student or group of students tends each garden plot, making individual decisions about what to plant and what to do with the food. SEED (Students Expressing Environmental Dedication), the residence hall environmental group, has taken on leadership of the project, in partnership with the Urban Farm Group at UW, and the UW Grounds Department. http://students.washington.edu/uwseed/ppatch/