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Augie Acres

Augie Acres. Presentation by Bryan Schmid and Stephanie Dilling Sustainability Summit 4/21/09. Description. Four vacant, blighted parcels Located one block northwest of main campus Unbuildable due to soil subsidence Adjacent to five similar parcels owned by the City of Rock Island.

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Augie Acres

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  1. Augie Acres Presentation by Bryan Schmid and Stephanie Dilling Sustainability Summit 4/21/09

  2. Description Four vacant, blighted parcels Located one block northwest of main campus Unbuildable due to soil subsidence Adjacent to five similar parcels owned by the City of Rock Island

  3. Bryan Schmid 4/20/09

  4. Bryan Schmid 4/13/09

  5. Beginnings • Environmental Learning Community final project • Interdepartmental coordinated research • Biology • Business • Geography • Help from Jim Johansen, one of Augustana’s Farm-to-Fork farmers

  6. Academic Tie-ins • Learning Community • Two related courses centered around the environment • Class projects • Local Culture house • Work at Wesley Acres • Potential for other departments to utilize the site

  7. Goals • SUSTAINABILITY • Augment existing programs: • Farm-to-Fork • Buy Fresh, Buy Local Quad Cities • Augustana’s Environmental Action Plan • Spread knowledge of simple agricultural processes • Benefit numerous academic departments

  8. Goals • Develop a fiscally responsible project • Keep project costs to a minimum • Provide Food Services with a less expensive product • Connect Augustana and the surrounding community

  9. Short-Term Goals • Turn the following sets of crops this year: • Early: Spinach, lettuce, Swiss chard, cabbage, radishes, beets, peas, herbs, potatoes, onions • Middle: Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, carrots, green beans • Late: Spinach, lettuce, raspberries, garlic (harvested in spring), • Generate interest from student body • First-year courses • Environmental courses • New major: Environmental studies • Create a student group to sustain interest

  10. Current Status • Group had a clean-up in early April • Tilled April 17th • Planted numerous crops since • Student group being chartered • Developing marketing • Addressing ongoing concerns

  11. Long-Term Plans • If successful, expansion is possible and encouraged • Orchard from heirloom rootstock • Campus-wide involvement • Edible rain garden • Cyclical process of supplying food for campus

  12. Sustainability Aspects Reuse of blighted, vacant property not fit for building Local produce  Minimal carbon footprint Organic agriculture Fiscally self sustainable in the long-term Catching runoff in rain garden Stabilization of a compromised slope

  13. Learning Experiences • Get things started early • Communicate clearly and regularly • Think creatively • Use any available resources on campus and online • Reciprocity – Give and receive • Persistence • Set reasonable goals

  14. Acknowledgements Jim Johansen of Wesley Acres Drs. Charles Mahaffey and Jason Peters Mary Chappell, City of Rock Island The Augustana administration Sustainability Committee of Augustana College All who have given time to the project

  15. Thank You

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