Growing Gardens

1. Growing Gardens Portland
Ian Zehler

2. Garden Benefits
Community Organizing
• Community gardens increase a sense of community
ownership and stewardship.
• Community gardens foster the development of a
community identity and spirit.
• Community gardens bring people together from a
wide variety of backgrounds (age, race, culture, social
class).

3. Garden
 Community gardens build community leaders.
 Community gardens offer a focal point for
community organizing
 Can lead to community-based efforts to deal with
other social concerns.

4. Crime Prevention
• Community gardens provide opportunities to meet
neighbors.
• Community gardens build block clubs
(neighborhood associations).
• Community gardens increase eyes on the street.
• Community gardening is recognized by the many
police departments as an effective community crime
prevention strategy.

5. Cultural Opportunities
 Community gardens offer unique opportunities for
new immigrants (who tend to be concentrated in
low-income urban communities)
 Produce traditional crops otherwise unavailable
locally
 Community gardens offer neighborhoods an access
point to non-English speaking communities.
 Community gardens allow people from diverse
backgrounds to work side-by-side on common goals
without speaking the same language

6. Youth
• Where food comes from
• Practical math skills
• Basic business principles
• The importance of community and stewardship
• Issues of environmental sustainability
• Job and life skills

7. Other Benefits
 Food Production
 Health alternatives
 Green Space
 Recycling and Compost
 Increased property values

8. Strategy Diagnostic
 Coordinate a community garden
 Scout out new locations for gardens
 Support garden/community organizer
 Use truck to transport large items
 Create online forum

9. Feedback from Strategy
 High crime in scouting areas
 Application that need processed
 Scout locations
 Help with school Q&A

10. School Q&A

11. Forum Feedback
 Loved the idea
 Great for ideas
 Communicate with Community
 Events Plans
 FAQs page

12. Forum
 https://muut.com/growinggardenspdx/
 Simple Code that came be embedded anywhere on
website

13. Forum

14. Benefits of Online
Communities
 Communities can draw revenues from transactions
and advertising
 Reduce customer service
 Improved Brand Image
 Instant Gratification from Customers
 Improved customer satisfaction
https://hbr.org/1996/05/the-real-value-of-on-line-
communities

15. Current Website

16. Final Recommendations
 Place online forum on website
 Online request applications
 Ads to increase volunteers

17. Feedback
 Loved the online applications
 Not very tech savvy
 No time for ads
 Can’t keep up with social media
 Wanting to stay more organized

18. What I learned
• There is more
than meets the
eye
• It can be difficult to
provide feedback

19. What I Learned Cont.
 Certain processes are there for a reason
 Safety is always number one
 It takes a village

20. Great Experience
 I will continue to help
 Learned a lot of about it takes to run a non-profit
 Long hours with little pay
 Rely heavily on support from community and
volunteers