New York Chapter Makes a Growing Connection
Eight hundred million people in the world are living in poverty, and Phi
Theta Kappa chapter members at Corning Community College in New York have
come together with the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations to help make a difference.
The chapter is participating in The
Growing Connection, a grassroots project introducing people
in different cultures to better water efficiency and agriculture innovations
using wireless IT connectivity.
Developed by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations and the American Horticulture Society,
The Growing Connection links school gardening programs and community
gardens in the United States, Ghana, Mexico and Nicaragua.
The
program is centered on using an EarthBox - a device that allows students
to grow vegetables and conduct horticulture experiments while sharing
their lessons and experiences with other participants using modern technology.
Corning Community College chapter advisor Richard Quest first
introduced the idea of partnering with the United Nations during a chapter
meeting. Quest wanted members to become aware of the issues surrounding
hunger and poverty in the world.
Since joining The Growing Connection
effort, the chapter has created partnerships with community members including
their college's food service department. Vegetables and herbs grown in
the EarthBoxes have been provided to people in the campus community.
The
chapter has also provided EarthBoxes to a local high school's Future Farmers
of America organization. Chapter member Rita Kennedy says connecting
with FFA will be a beneficial opportunity for both organizations.
"Our
partnership with these students allows us to be mentors as we encourage
and learn from one another throughout our involvement with The Growing
Connection," said Kennedy.
More endeavors are on the horizon
for the chapter including a trip to Ghana and producing homemade salsa.
The chapter plans to distribute salsa made from vegetables grown in the
EarthBoxes with proceeds going towards the chapter's involvement in The
Growing Connection as well as in the community.
Kennedy says
the chapter also has aspirations to travel to Ghana in the near future to
help people in underprivileged villages.
"By supplying the
villagers with EarthBoxes, we will be providing them with the necessary
knowledge to utilize the system," said Kennedy.
The Growing
Connection is the first program the chapter has been involved in with the
United Nations but Kennedy says it will not be the last.
"The
rewards that come from being part of such a worthy cause are boundless,"
said Kennedy. "As our world gets increasingly smaller through global connections,
I truly hope that each Phi Theta Kappan can grasp the power that each one holds
to make this world a better place," she continued.
Learn more
about The Growing
Connection online and how your chapter can start its own EarthBox
system.
