This project aims to address sustainability on the University of Pittsburgh campus and in the wider community through the university’s living laboratory initiative. The project undertaken will be a community garden growing vegetables. Fundamentally, the aim of sustainability is to protect ecology and that is hoped to be addressed through reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other ecology-based metrics. Most of the students have no idea how their food is produced and whether the procedures are sustainable or not. Through this project, interested students can understand different principles of sustainable agriculture and farming by studying the relationships between organisms and their environment. The lawn area outside of Benedum Hall will be used as the location for the community garden which is a term that will be used interchangeably with “urban farm” throughout this article. The garden will be, researched, designed and maintained by students in an engineering subject elective we hope to have implemented into the curriculum. Hopefully, this garden will be versatile enough to implement classes across other schools at the University. We believe this project is not only practical and educational, but it will also contribute to the aesthetic of Benedum Hall.

Introduction

Motivation

The primary motivation behind this living-learning laboratory is to enhance the sustainable infrastructure on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus by engaging students in a hands on learning experience that would count for course credit in the Swanson School of Engineering. Providing a course where students learn about sustainability, agriculture and community through gardening will give them the ability to make tangible and meaningful change whilst creating a beautiful space and bringing together the wider community of Pittsburgh. Through this visceral and cerebral engagement the concept of sustainability is hoped to be cultivated.

Food deserts or areas where there is little or no access to fresh food in Pittsburgh are concerning and as a secondary motivation the living learning laboratory could be a centre to educate and assist those young and old in such communities to start their own urban gardens with the aim of improving their lives and promoting sustainability.

Ultimately the aim of sustainability is to protect and preserve our vulnerable planet and through promulgating urban farming in Pittsburgh a meaningful reduction in GHG emissions and ecological decline in other respects is sought.

Figure 1: University of Pittsburgh students in another project (University of Pittsburgh, Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation 2014

Since the 2014-2015 school year has been named the year of sustainability at the University of Pittsburgh, the motivation to conduct a living learning laboratory was already present from the University’s initiative (University of Pittsburgh, Sustainable Pitt 2014). After referencing the University Registrar, it was determined that for the 2014-2015 academic school year there is no course being offered in the field of sustainable agriculture, or agriculture at all for that matter (University of Pittsburgh, Course/Class 2014). Due to this fact, the motivation to implement a living laboratory into Pitt’s campus extended further to aid the engineering program in providing an additional sustainability course that could also teach students about agriculture. According to Pitt Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patricia Beeson:
“Sustainability is a topic that engages and excites our students both inside and outside the classroom, and one that gives our faculty the opportunity to have a powerful local and global impact through their research”
(Robinet 2014). This was the exact sentiment that inspired the idea of creating a garden in the centre of the Benedum Hall lawn that could be used as part of a course in sustainable agriculture where students could be engulfed in the course curriculum. It also lends a hand to the idea that the Provost brings up of “exciting” students about sustainability outside of the classroom, because it gives them a clear look at the University of Pittsburgh’s commitment to increasing the presence of sustainability on campus.

Background

The idea of a living laboratory is to implement a sustainable project on a college campus that can engage students, faculty, and the surrounding community in a collaborative effort to promote the general welfare of the area through sustainable action. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) defines a living laboratory as:

“A given place where problem-based teaching, research and applied work combine to develop actionable solutions that make that place more sustainable. These living labs accelerate transitions to a more sustainable place through joint commitments from students, faculty, staff and local residents to design, implement, adapt and teach new approaches that address issues of equity, economy and ecology” (AASHE 2014).

AASHE goes on to outline the criteria of what constitutes as a “living laboratory” so that interested universities have a reference guide to plan their own laboratories. The criteria that the association set involve a focus on location, sustainability, real-world learning, fit, adaptation, collaborative action, and finally the opportunity for evaluation and continuous improvement. They go further to explain that the location of the lab needs to be located somewhere on the campus that will that will improve the University and grant access to the community. Additionally, the focus of the project should remain one that has a positive impact on the area’s sustainability efforts and engages participants in a task that is cause and effect based with learning opportunities and room for improvement and change (AASHE 2014).

Another source of information describing what makes up a living laboratory is the Sustainability Education and Economic Development (SEED) Centre. SEED published a guide for community colleges entitled The Campus as a Living Laboratory: Using the Built Environment to Revitalize College Education which describes what constitutes and how to build a living laboratory. The guide is focused on community colleges, but can be applied to larger universities. Along with the SEED Centre, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and The Centre for Green Schools also contributed to the guide. The plethora of resources available have been used to construct the fundamental assumptions, goals and methods in delivering this project although the below list of elements in building a living laboratory provided by SEED was found to be particularly comprehensive and actionable. (Cohen 9-21).

8 Elements to Building a Living Lab from SEED:

1. Engage the right campus participants

2. Identify key collegiate programs

3. Build credibility through engagement and data

4. Integrate it into the curriculum

5. Expand beyond individual programs of study

6. Build partnerships with industry

7. Engage support beyond the campus

8. Open your labs to the community

There are already a lot of college campuses across the country that are implementing these elements into their own living laboratories. One school in particular that does an exemplary job of utilizing living laboratories on their campus is Duke University. Duke has a comprehensive list of sustainability projects that students and student groups can engage in. The list of projects covers topics such as energy and water, waste and recycling, carbon offsets, transportation, materials management, food and farming (Duke University, Sustainability : Campus as a Living Laboratory 2014). Students and other community members can take on these projects independent from their studies, or select from a number of courses that the University offers that utilize living laboratories on campus. One such course that the school offers is called “Sustainability in Theory and Practice” that is run similarly to how a course at the University of Pittsburgh could be run if living laboratories were implemented. A good model that could be used for this project is the Duke Campus Farm. Duke Campus Farm is a one-acre living laboratory farm on Duke’s campus that is committed to sustainability. The student run project produces lots of fruits and vegetables for the community and has been used as the focus in a variety of courses offered at the school. The farm is not only used for a variety of food studies classes in departments such as environmental science, public policy, history, writing, chemistry, biology, cultural anthropology, physical education, and even the law school Stretching across a multitude of departments at the school, this farm proves the extent to which a living laboratory can impact a community (Duke University, Duke Campus Farm 2014).

Another thing that many colleges and universities across the United States are involved with is the American College & University President’s Climate Commitment. As of 11/13/14 their website showed that there are 684 signatories to the climate commitment, and the University of Pittsburgh is not among them (ACUPCC 2014). Many well-respected universities are a part of this group that have submitted a combined 2,151 GHG inventories, 533 climate action plans, and 364 progress reports. The purpose of the climate commitment is to reduce GHG emissions by 80% by the middle of the century. If the University of Pittsburgh were to implement a community garden, a class similar to “Sustainability in Theory and Practice” offered at Duke could be started in conjunction with it. The class could be used to teach students about sustainability and then use the practical knowledge gained from starting up the garden. As the course progresses, students could continue to maintain the garden as part of the curriculum. They could study many facets of the garden, from what type of soil and compost to use, to the types of crops that would grow at certain times of the year. Additionally, students could coordinate when and how the produce would be harvested. The community garden living laboratory offers many options to the teacher and students alike, such as assigning certain areas of the garden to different groups to work with. It is the plan that as the community garden became an established part of the university, that other disciplines outside of sustainability and engineering could utilize the laboratory. Similar to Duke, other schools including the Business, Arts and Sciences, Law, and many others could expand the possibilities that the community garden has to offer. There are limitless possibilities to take advantage of in implementing a community garden on Pitt’s campus.

Project Goals and Selection

Goals and Objectives

We plan to build a garden as a replacement to the lawn on Benedum and develop a Sustainable Agriculture class that will tend to it during the summer semester. A meaningful reduction in net GHG emissions is sought to be achieved by spreading urban farming in the city of Pittsburgh.

Provide a sustainable food source

Reduce GHG emissions through the organic food produced in the garden
Reduce the use of fungicides, pesticides and artificial fertilisers

Teach sustainable agriculture to students taking the proposed course and to students and staff passing by the garden
Involve the wider community in sustainable agriculture

Obtain a far greater net environmental benefit through wide spread implementation of community gardens

Have some effect in reducing Pittsburgh food deserts
Promote a healthy diet and regular exercise through gardening to all those involved and engaged with the project.

As hospitals account for 8% of GHG emissions in the USA (Meltzer and Chung 2009) indirectly reduce GHG emissions through reduced diet-related problems requiring hospitalisation

Work with Einstein Bros in offering fresh food from the garden to engineering students
Make Benedum hall a more beautiful and interactive place

Living Laboratory Alternatives

Our first choice of project was to expand on the University of Pittsburgh’s green roof program. This would increase carbon sequestration, reduce heating and cooling costs and supply the building with grey water that could be used to flush toilets or water plants on campus. It would not address other goals of the living laboratory such as in engaging students. Additionally it would be costly and have high maintenance costs.

How We Selected Community Garden- Description of Project Choice

We decided to choose the community garden project because we believed it would be a more effective use of space in the Benedum courtyard in promoting sustainability on campus. We believe this plan satisfies the requirements and definition of what a living laboratory is based on the description given in the background section of this paper. As well as a host of other benefits as previously outlined, the combined effect of engaging students and the broader community would lead to net GHG emission reduction with potential far greater than implementing green roofs alone. Spreading awareness which leads to tangible change as opposed to tokenistic eco-consumer habits that act more as a band aid solution to consumer guilt

It would raise awareness and help to educate the student body about sustainable agriculture. Many students, and Americans in general, have a large disconnect between themselves and their food. Through the class that will be offered in the summer and the information signposts that will be installed in the garden we hope to educate the student body about how their food is produced and its resource intensity as compared to commercial farming practices; it will be informative in how industrialized agriculture contributes to global climate change and other negative ecological outcomes.

Community Garden

Preparation of soil

Due to Pittsburgh’s industrial past, soil tests for heavy metals such as lead should be taken before beginning planting. This could be undertaken by UMass Amherst soil and plant testing lab for a small fee. With those results a decision to remove and import local soil if high levels of lead were found would need to be made but a more likely circumstance would require adding certain fertilisers and compost to achieve a healthy growing medium.

The acidity or PH of the soil should be tested which can be done quite easily using inexpensive and easily obtainable testing equipment. Whereas there is an easy option available in a simple PH meter, if the garden was used to teach the wider community about urban farming the process could be made more enjoyable for children using a vinegar and baking soda method. Adjusting the PH requires adding organic matter such as peat moss for a PH over 7 and lime for a PH below 7.

Fertilizer

We aim to use organic fertilizers such as compost and manure as artificial fertilisers are energy intensive and have been shown to damage ecology (Kramers 2006)[C1] . Nitrates in soil run-off into the water supply and lead to ocean eutrophication causing various environmental problems. With organic fertilizers we could reduce embodied energy and protect our water systems.

Figure 3

Types of Vegetables and Eco-Friendliness Analysis

Choosing suitable species of plants to grow in the engineering community garden is a fundamentally important step in the design of the project and the teaching of the class and community. Planting exotic species or species not suited to the Pittsburgh environment such as bananas for example which typically grow in tropical environments would result in a sad looking vegetable patch bereft of aesthetic, nutritional and pedagogical value.

According to the USDA agriculture research service, Pittsburgh is located in hardiness zone 6B which classifies the regions agricultural suitability for certain species of plant (USDA 2014). The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature.

Figure 4: Pittsburgh, Oakland, 15213 Zone 6b: -5 to 0 (F)

Growing produce that suits the local environment combats the problem of high embodied energy associated with eating foods grown a greater distance away such as produce imported from Mexico. Embodied Energy is the sum of all the energy required to produce goods or services. The increasingly well-known term of “food miles” has graduated into the modern lexicon which addresses the transportation aspect of embodied energy however the issue is more complex.

One of the goals of this living learning laboratory is to reduce ecological harm through reduction of metrics such as greenhouse gas emissions however the blanket assertion that eating locally grown produce is always better for the environment is proven to be false (Edwards-Jones et. al 2008). The study by Edwards-Jones et. al demonstrate that life cycle assessments (LCAs) are needed to accurately determine the environmental effect inherent in creating all products and services. The vegetables chosen for our community garden should reduce global warming potential and other sustainability metrics however locally grown potatoes were shown to have an increased global warming potential (CO₂e/lb) of 242% and tomatoes 382% in one study (Fisher and Karunanithi 2014). This is an area for future improvement in the program as these results were for an area in Boulder, Colorado. A life cycle assessment would need to be undertaken here in Pittsburgh comparing industrial agriculture produce to that locally grown.

Hence the types of plants chosen as recommended by the online resource “Grow Pittsburgh” that are suited to our beautiful but occasionally overcast, wet and cold Pittsburgh environment are listed below and chosen for nutritional value and health concerns such as TRACI Human Health Carcinogens., gastronomic enticement and ecological friendliness which entails global warming potential and other eco-centric metrics (Grow Pittsburgh).

Figure 5: Leafy Greens

· Broccoli
· Carrots
· Garlic
· Kale
· Lettuce
· Cucumber
· Onions

The community garden will also provide an example for other communities that are interested in implementing a garden of similar nature. Cities across the United States, which has land shortages are debating when to replace green space for other uses. Meanwhile, many cities are looking for new ways to finance green spaces. According to Ioan Voicu and Vicki Been community gardens have significant positive effects, especially in low income areas. (Voicu and Been 2008).

Partnering with Einstein Bagel Bros

Partnering with Einstein Bagel Bros which is located on the ground floor in Benedum Hall in close proximity to the community garden will give the program a place to channel any fresh produce. The aim of such a partnership would be to spread awareness of the positive effects of the community garden and further the popularity and standing of the project in the University of Pittsburgh’s engineering community. We would seek to provide leaflets in the store educating readers of the health benefits of the food they are eating, the aim and goals of the program and how they can get involved.

Maintenance

Maintaining the garden would be a combined effort of primarily the students with assistance and guidance from staff trained in agriculture. To keep costs low most of the responsibility would be placed on the students with hired staff taking on a very relaxed custodial role. A caretaking roster for students would be implemented at the start of the semester. Over the weekends staff working at the front desk of Benedum Hall could be employed in looking after the garden in some minor role such as watering. Another option would be to invest in smart watering technology that could dispense water as needed with the use of moisture sensors, weather information and other pertinent inputs connected via network. This technical option could expand the breadth of the course and thereby increasing the subject appeal to students.

Teaching Value

As a critical part of this project, we are planning on creating a class that will be taught over the summer semester, which will educate students on the various aspects of the garden and sustainable agriculture in general. It will be a very hands on class in which students will get to enjoy some time outside, get their hands dirty, and get to see firsthand how their food is grown.

During the first part of the class, the students will be educated on the problem with food deserts in Pittsburgh and other communities. It will teach how community gardens can help feed people in need, educate people, and foster a sense of community. The students would then work with the wider Pittsburgh community through inviting public school children to work with university students in creating the area. We would be able to educate children from Pittsburgh food deserts on how to start their own urban farm. Removing economic disincentives for marginalised communities to start their garden will be addressed in ways such as directing school children, teachers and parents to subsidised or free services like the snap gardens projects where seeds can be purchased with food stamps (Snap Gardens 2014).

The class will teach students how to start the garden. This will include preparation of the soil, and the proper soils and fertilizers to use. The class will teach the use of a completely organic process. All organic fertilizers, planting mix, pesticides, and fungicides will be used. Also, only non-systemic pesticides will be used. The other important consideration when teaching how to start the garden is teaching the students how to properly plan the garden. Hydro zoning, which is grouping crops together based on their water needs to reduce the total water usage of the garden, will have to be considered when planning where the crops will be planted.[C3] The class will continue to work with schools about the positive effects of all these sustainable actions.

As the semester progresses, the students will actually plant the crops and tend to the garden. While the seeds germinate and the crops begin to grow, not much maintenance will be needed. Therefore, that would be an excellent time of the semester to teach the students about sustainable agriculture and the problems of industrial agriculture. The students could do a project in which they create posters showcasing what they have learned, and they could be posted in the garden to educate passers-by on the garden and the agriculture system.

At the end of the semester, the students will harvest the crops and donate them to a local food bank. This is just one more way in which this garden will foster a sense of community. The students will then learn about sustainable ways to replenish the soil, including planting a cover crop like clover to protect the soil over the winter. By the end, the garden and class will have had many beneficial effects for the students participating and the Pittsburgh community in general.

Future Work and Recommendations

For this garden and class to be seen as an engineering project, it will need to develop an attitude of constant development and growth. Expanding the project into more areas around the University of Pittsburgh campus would allow for more aspects of sustainable agriculture to be studied. Each new set of planters could be set up in different ways allowing for varied diversified view on the factors that go into sustainable agriculture. Expanding beyond the borders of Benedum Hall will also expose the project to other students and non-students, other than those that would see it if it stayed on the Benedum lawn.

As well as expanding in size, the project can also grow in its sophistication. A further study into different types of plants and garden systems could lead to a more sustainable garden and a stronger class experience for the students. Graduate students from the Life Cycle Assessment class taught on campus could perform an LCA on certain vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes and onions to see if implementing those types of popular vegetables in the garden would lead to a decrease in GHG emissions and other environmental metrics. As a by-product of making the community garden a cross-subject program, enrolment into the main subject run over the summer could increase. It may also be appropriate to incorporate native species such as a shrub or small tree into the garden with signs indicating that it is native. The sign could also include the benefits that native plants bring to the garden such as attracting native wildlife and being less vulnerable to insects and fungus.

Figure 6: Ohio Spiderwort, a native species

A Benedum engineering composting initiative could be started if a suitable area was found. Composting would mean a further reduction in waste, reduced costs for growing medium and fertilizers as well as increased yields. It would also enhance the teaching experience to Pitt students and school children by introducing a “cradle to cradle” system. The compost itself would be constituted of green matter (organic food scraps, garden clippings) and brown matter (paper, cardboard).

References

AASHE. (2014, November 17). Developing a Campus Sustainability Living Lab. Retrieved from Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE): http://www.aashe.org/events/workshops/developing-a-campus-sustainability-living-lab

Defines and outlines what constitutes as a living laboratory

ACUPCC. (2014, November 13). Signatory List by Institution Name. Retrieved from American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment: http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org

This source was used to reference some of the initiatives that the University of Pittsburgh could be taking as an effort to become more sustainable.

Cohen, T., & Lovell, B. (2014, November 13). The Campus as a Living Laboratory. Retrieved from The SEED Center: http://theseedcenter.org/Special-Pages/Campus-as-a-Living-Lab.pdf

This source gave examples of living laboratories on other campuses and what elements are essential in implementing a living laboratory.

Duke University. (2014, December 2). Duke Campus Farm. Retrieved from Duke Campus Farm: http://sites.duke.edu/farm

This source provided an example of an existing on campus community garden at Duke University that is used as a living laboratory.

Duke University. (2014, November 13). Sustainability : Campus as a Living Laboratory. Retrieved from Duke Sustainability: http://sustainability.duke.edu/academics/livinglab.html

From Duke University, this provided a variety of examples of living laboratories and classes offered at the school that use them.

Edwards-Jones, G. (2008). Testing the assertion that ‘local food is best’: the challenges of an evidence-based approach. Trends in Food Science & Technology.

This source shows the complexity of accounting for the ecological effects (GHG and other metrics) of urban farming showing that there is not always reduction in emissions in urban farms for all vegetable types

Fisher, S., & Karunanithi, A. (2014). Contemporary comparative LCA of commercial farming and urban. Boulder: University of Colorado.

Grow Pittsburgh. (2014, November 11). 2013 Crop Variety List. Retrieved from Grow Pittsburgh: http://www.growpittsburgh.org/wp-content/uploads/2013-Crop-Variety-List.pdf

This is a reference to the type of vegetables suitable for Pittsburgh

Just Harvest. (2014, November 12). Food Deserts. Retrieved from Just Harvest: http://www.justharvest.org/advocacy/food-deserts

This provided definitions and examples of food deserts.

Meltzer, D., & Chung, J. (2009). Estimate of the carbon footprint of the US health care sector. Chicago: University of Chicago.

This source shows the effect the health sector has on GHG emissions

One Country. (2014, October 28). One Country. Retrieved from The importance of Agriculture: http://www.onecountry.org/story/importance-agriculture

History of agriculture and its importance.

Robinet, J. (2014, November 4). Provost Beeson Names 2014-15 “The Year of Sustainability”. Retrieved from Pitt Chronicle : http://www.chronicle.pitt.edu/story/provost-beeson-names-2014-15-“-year-sustainability

This is another source to reference Pitt’s commitment to sustainability this year with direct quotes from the Provost.

Snap Gardens. 2014. Snap Gardens. 8 December.

This source references the free seed initiative run by Snap Gardens

University of Pittsburgh. (2014, November 11). Course/Class. Retrieved from University of Pittsburgh Office of the University Registrar: http://www.registrar.pitt.edu/courseclass.html

This source was used to reference the current and past courses offered in sustainable agriculture.

University of Pittsburgh. (2014, November 11). Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation. Retrieved from http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/MCSI

This source references Figure 1. which was taken from the Mascaro Centre for Sustainable Innovation webpage regarding a project that was done by Pitt students previously (not an urban farm)

University of Pittsburgh. (2014, November 4). Sustainable Pitt. Retrieved from University of Pittsburgh Sustainability: http://www.sustainable.pitt.edu

This source is used to reference the initiatives that Pitt is taking to work towards a more sustainable campus.

USDA. (2014, November 28). USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Retrieved from United States Department of Agriculture: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb

Used for determining what plant hardiness zone Pittsburgh is and what a plant hardiness zone is

Voicu, I., & Been, V. (2008). The Effect of Community Gardens on Neighboring Property Values. Real Estate Economics.

This source shows the effect of increasing property value with the implementation of urban farms

[C1]Add to sources.

[C2]Add citation

[C3]Citation

Engineering and Sustainable Development

Monday, December 8, 2014

University of Pittsburgh Engineering Community Garden

Executive Summary

Introduction

Project Goals and Selection

Preparation of soil

Future Work and Recommendations