Fine Arts Cafe Herb Garden
Fine Arts Cafe Herb Garden (click PDF)
Fall 2011
Team members: Michaela Accardi, Jordan Holleran, Austin Walker, Katie Woodward
Our project addresses the pressing issue of unsustainable food production through the establishment of a garden, which will grow basil as a local herb source for the U.Va. Fine Arts Café. While this solution is extremely small-scale relative to the extent of the flaws of the industrial food system, it demonstrates the capability for communities to move toward localized food production. The use of local resources to help the basil grow will close the food loop, in which a sustainable method of food production is created. In turn, the environmental impact of our food system is decreased.
As part of this project, we seek to clarify the definition and importance of local, sustainable agriculture to the community through education about the garden’s place in the food cycle. Our garden’s mobility allows it to be used as an educational tool at schools and in the community. We chose this approach because we feel that individuals are better able to learn from an interactive and visual display rather than by simply reading about an issue’s importance. On a more fundamental and human level, the basil grown will be used in specialty dish at the Café. This will let consumers reconnect with their food and visualize a more natural process of food production to plate.