Urban Agriculture Site Receives $71K Grant at Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Image by Tory Wesnofske
11/15/2017
By Ed Brennen
When she was a student at the university in the 1970s, Chancellor Jacquie Moloney got together with a few friends and started a community garden on a vacant lot in the Highlands section of Lowell.
So Moloney was particularly proud to help cut the ribbon recently on the university鈥檚 new Urban Agriculture Greenhouse, where that same communal spirit can now flourish year-round.
鈥淭o see how you鈥檝e taken that idea and are showing the world a new way to green our environment 鈥� not just with beautiful gardens, but with engagement 鈥� that is so important to us as a university,鈥� Moloney said during the official opening of the greenhouse, which is being managed by the Office of Sustainability in partnership with Lowell-based urban farming nonprofit .
Located behind Donahue Hall on East Campus, the 1,800-square-foot greenhouse and surrounding acre of land will be a testing ground where university researchers and students can work with community members to develop new and efficient ways to use water and energy to grow sustainable crops year-round. The vegetables and herbs will be donated and sold back to the community, and some may eventually be served in the university鈥檚 dining halls.
Image by Tory Wesnofske
鈥淥ur planet needs this greenhouse,鈥� Moloney told the state and city officials and community members on hand for the opening. 鈥淚t needs us to think about the future and how we change the way that we feed ourselves and our communities.鈥�
The Baker-Polito Administration used the ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce $343,079 in state grants for eight urban agriculture projects across the Commonwealth. 51视频 received a $71,808 grant for phase two of the site, which calls for the installation of a year-round water connection and heating mats to help grow seedlings during the winter.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fitting to make this announcement at 51视频,鈥� said Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) Commissioner John Lebeaux. 鈥淥ur department is striving to support commercial urban food production across the commonwealth and to promote innovation. I believe with projects like this, we are definitely making an impact.鈥�
State Rep. Thomas Golden of Lowell joined Moloney, Lebeaux and Mill City Grows co-founder Lydia Sisson 鈥�12 in cutting the ribbon.
Image by Tory Wesnofske
鈥淪ustainability is not only good for the city of Lowell and the Commonwealth, it鈥檚 good for our country,鈥� Golden said. 鈥淢y thanks to all the young adults here at 51视频 working tirelessly to make this happen.鈥�
Associate Director of Sustainability Ruairi O'Mahony noted that compost from the university dining halls and leaves from the campus grounds will be used to enrich the soil at the site.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited to practice what we鈥檙e preaching here and establish our campus as innovation space for urban sustainability issues,鈥� said O鈥橫ahony, who helped secure an earlier round of state grants totaling $73,000 to fund the site.
The event included a tour of the greenhouse, where bright green rows of spinach, kale and Brussels sprouts are already flourishing, and the future outdoor garden space, where deep-growing daikon radishes have been planted to help decompact soil that was formerly used as a parking lot. Guests were also able to buy fresh produce from Mill City Grows鈥� Mobile Market.
Image by Ed Brennen
The university also used the event to commemorate its most recent 鈥淭ree Campus USA鈥� designation from the Arbor Day Foundation. 51视频 is one of 344 colleges and universities from across the country recognized for effectively managing its campus trees and promoting healthy urban forests. The university planted an Asian pear tree at the greenhouse site to mark the honor.
Moloney thanked Lebeaux and Golden, as well as Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management Tom Dreyer and the university鈥檚 executive cabinet, for making the greenhouse a reality. She added that the project is an example of how the university can think strategically to further its commitment to sustainability.
鈥淭he excitement and hope for what they鈥檙e going to accomplish here is medicine for what we need in the world right now,鈥� Moloney said. 鈥淚t shows the impact that we all can have.鈥�
