Planting Community
In a time when much of our food production comes with questions regarding human health, environmental consequences and ethical dilemmas, Planting Community was an opportunity to delve deeply into the science, systems and philosophies behind both industrial & urban agricultural practices. As a team we worked to build a better understanding of how & why food is produced through industrial agricultural systems, what costs are associated with these practices, and what alternative approaches are available for generating the food resources we rely on. Then, with a much deeper understanding of the complicated systems by which we receive the foods we consume, students on the Holder/Santos team applied this learning in a hands-on way during a collaboration with Explorer Elementary. With the elementary school that many of the students working on the project attended serving as an authentic client, we designed, built and installed a green learning space aimed at helping to foster a greater sense of community amongst the students, plants and insects in and around their school.
By way of client interviews, careful measurements, design iterations, rounds of prototyping and a great deal of cutting & sanding, students on our team we able to deliver an impressive array of urban farming learning spaces that will foster community, a connection with foods, learning and a collaborative spirit between High Tech High and Explorer Elementary for years to come.