A Peek Inside
The tour took place on a cold Saturday afternoon, which felt more like the start of winter than the start of fall. In a room full of eager-to-learn gardeners, plant-lovers, first-time farmers and the simply curious, the tour guide began with the history of Growing Power.
The warmth of the greenhouse caused many to unzip their jackets and remove extra layers. Numbered wooden beds filled with thousands of red wiggler worms working hard to break down the decomposing food waste sat next to rows of buckets with plants.
The serene surroundings distract the visitors. Sounds of rushing water, the smell of wood chips and fresh soil, pots and trays overflowing with greenery and familiar vegetation filled the room.
Growing Power uses the leafy greens they grow in a salad mix to distribute with food from the Growing Power-initiated Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative and produce purchased through wholesalers to create Market Baskets. These baskets are food-stamp eligible and offer people a good mix of fruits and vegetables in their communities.
Outside, the cold returned, but much more lay ahead. Crossing over mounds of soil, it seemed like everything that should have been a weed was a plant. Yet, as most may be surprised to see a greenhouse on a busy Milwaukee street, pens of livestock prove even more shocking.
Growing Power raises goats for their composting benefits, chickens for the 300 eggs they collectively lay each day and bees for their honey. These products are sold daily within the Growing Power store and in the local farmers’ markets.
Photo by: Kendra Dawson
Allen was also interested in getting this fresh produce into the Milwaukee public schools. He was inspired to start a farm-to-school program in which 24 Milwaukee schools purchased produce from Growing Power to use in their school lunch programs. In schools where french fries were a vegetable, getting fresh produce onto the students’ plates was important.
The tour ended at the main entrance, where the walls were covered with newspaper and magazine clippings. One article was titled “Homegrown Hero” and the other was Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People of 2010.” Countless pictures and awards were scattered across the room.
On one section of the wall, frames housed a letter from Michelle Obama thanking Allen for his hard work, a picture of him in a tailored suit shaking President Obama’s hand and a letter from Bill Clinton. It is clear to see that Allen is not only making a difference for the Milwaukee community but throughout the country as well.
Inspiring Others
After attending a two-day Growing Power seminar back in 2008, University School of Milwaukee’s (USM) seventh grade science teacher Kip Jacobs was inspired to start a sustainable garden at the school. “I knew of composting, but Will Allen really had a great way of saying ‘This is not hard. It’s really quite easy to do, and it’s really fundamental,’” says Jacobs. “Putting food in the hands of people and to be able to utilize that good, fresh food is just an amazing concept.”
Jacobs says Allen’s concepts of urban gardening inspired him to push it into the school setting. He says that the beauty of Allen’s model of sustainable food production is that once you know how to go about the process, you can adapt it to your situation. “Whether it’s in a family situation, whether it’s in a school situation or corporation,” Jacobs says. “I think it’s going to be important going into the future and taking a look at where our food comes from and the things that we’re eating.”
Jacobs, along with the help of a few other USM teachers over the years, started a garden on campus for their students. The school’s Environmental Action Team, a student organization, works to maintain the garden along with Jacobs’ seventh-grade students. Students have the choice to place their food scraps in designated containers during their lunch period to be later used in composting. The food that is grown in their garden goes to the kitchen where it’s served as a part of their hot lunch program.
Watching Jacobs empty five large buckets of food scraps into the school’s compost pile is reminiscent of the trip to Growing Power. The methods are similar and their passion is the same.
“Will’s influence has reinforced the whole notion of composting and where we get our food,” says Jacobs. It’s a notion that Jacobs has taken into the classroom with him to share with future generations.
