Can we build indigenous gardens on college campuses?
Through our fellowship at Solve MIT, we were given the opportunity to work with a group of students enrolled in the 2023 Spring DUSP Indigenous Environmental Planning course led by Janelle Knox-Hayes, Gabriella Carolini, and Jacqueline Paul. We used this time and space to cultivate ideas for our Stewards initiative. We proposed the idea of having the students help us develop a framework for building a future Indigenous student-stewarded garden space on campus that can act as a point of reconciliation. Throughout the course of the semester, the students assisted with the development of a digital database of information on community mapping, mission-aligned groups and programs on campus, and necessary research needed to ensure the land is healthy. This collaboration will be ongoing and be used as a proof of concept to a growing body of evidence proving that we can repair the damage of colonization and protect our communities from the threat of climate change.
We are excited to invite you to attend a presentation on the work the students have completed this semester. Please join us Monday, May 15th to learn about the various programs they have supported this semester. We look forward to continuing this work and will report back on progress in the near future.
-GSC team
May 8, 2023
Alexandria Cruz