Glendale, CA
Fort Knox Builds a Military Community Garden Through a Keep America Beautiful Lowe’s Community Improvement Grant Program, Kentucky Clean Community Program built a one-acre vegetable garden for the Fort Knox Military Community. The garden was planted on semi-established vegetation that had formally been mowed by landscape personnel at the military base. There were 220 volunteers who invested their time to permanently repurpose the land into a community garden. The project was inspired by the Governor’s Garden Initiative of Kentucky, which, in this case, brought together military families from several different neighborhoods who are living on the post. Many of these neighbors were not previously connected, as their service had separated them into different companies, battalions and brigades. The military community has a very special and unique culture and the garden project has provided a sense connection among those in the community. As a result of this program, military families have been introduced to gardening, fresh produce, environmental education and nutritional education. In addition, the garden program manager has reached out and connected with two on-post elementary schools and additional schools that are planning their own gardens for 2013.
Keep Charlotte Beautiful Beautifies Girl Scout House As part of its Great American Cleanup effort, Keep Charlotte Beautiful (KCB) in Port Charlotte, Fla., restored the flower beds surrounding the Girl Scout House in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the USA. The house, a plain block building, serves more than 440 girls each year and needed some “sprucing up.” Local Girl Scout Troop 433 helped with the project by painting a rain barrel, which provides water for the plants and native species during the dry season. The troop also helped by planting and continued to water the plants often until they were established. Additionally, KCB provided the Girl Scout House with a cart filled with books, games and environmental activities. Keep Charlotte Beautiful believes that the garden will increase the Girl Scouts’ awareness of beautification, and the educational cart will provide them with plenty of fun and information to help earn badges for many girls in the years to come.
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