Selby Gardens to expand programs with Operation Eco Vets, Easterseals

Selby Gardens has received a grant through The Urban Agriculture Resilience Program that will support expanding its partnerships with Operation Eco Vets and Easterseals Southwest Florida.

The United States Botanic Garden and American Public Gardens Association are awarding support to 26 public gardens and their community partners engaging in urban agriculture, food-growing, and related education work. The awards total $445,600 for public garden partnerships across the United States.

A partnership with Operation Eco Vets to design, plant, and provide ongoing maintenance of the Andrew and Judith Economos Rooftop Edible Garden is a significant component of Phase One of Selby Gardens’ threephase Master Site Plan. The on-site rooftop garden provides edible gardens to supply the new restaurant, The Green Orchid, and is an extension of Selby Gardens’ mission to understand and appreciate plants.

Selby Gardens has long partnered with Easterseals Southwest Florida to help maintain the Permaculture Garden at the Downtown Sarasota campus, and the award will allow Selby Gardens to expand the program to include hands-on learning in the Rooftop Edible Garden from the team at Operation Eco Vets, which provides veterans with personal, educational, and professional growth opportunities.

UARP has awarded $1.57 million to 80 collaborations in 30 states and D.C. in the past four years. These programs have grown and shared over 690,000 pounds of produce, distributed more than 260,000 seedlings, and provided more than 46,000 hours of urban agriculture training to students, interns, and trainees. For more information, visit USBG.gov/UrbanAg.

Submitted by Nancy Seijas-Kipnis