Nearly 40 gardeners turned out to harvest the thin cracked asphalt at Vermont Hills Church in order to expand the existing 10,000 square foot garden, adding 16 half plots. This project was made possible by a partnership between the Vermont Hills Methodist Church, Depave, the Hayhurst Neighborhood Association, the West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, City of Portland BES and Portland Parks & Recreation Community Gardens Program, Friends of Portland Community Gardens, as well as area neighbors.
- When: Completed on August 28, 2010
- Where: Vermont Hills Community Garden SW 55th Avenue & Iowa Street
- Size: 7,200 square feet
- Project manager: Ted Labbe & Maia Nativ
- Download: Pics from this event and see our other projects
- More pics by guest photographer Liv Brumfield
Press
- Sept. 14, 2010 | Grist – A Portland group pulverizes pavement to make way for green space
- Sept. 1, 2010 | SW Connection – Volunteers shed light on Southwest community garden
Transforming parking lots into community gardens is a wonderful way people can reclaim valuable community space for living beings, rather than continuing to squander it on inanimate machines. Plus, fresh food is certainly a tastier and healthier harvest than the harvest of resource wars, roadway slaughter and ecological degradation that motor vehicles inflict onto the world. I wonder how the churches in my neighborhood (St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral) can become inspired to take similar actions?
Hi David! Thank you for you comment! It’s great to hear from supporters such as yourself. We would love to depave in Northwest Portland and are looking for the right opportunity to do so. Sites usually come to us directly through our online Site Assessment Form, but we do occasionally go out and find sites ourselves. We will keep an eye out on the two churches you proposed. But if you are a part of either parish, the most effective way is to start the conversation with the facilities manager or general parishioners and get a feel for their support level. We have many resources on our website to help start the conversation, and we are always more than happy to come out and speak at a meeting if desired. Thank you again for your support! – Maren