Title
To Commemorate the Ohio Community Gardening Conference and Celebrate the Importance of Community Gardens.
Body
WHEREAS, Ohio Community Gardening Conference brings participants together from across Ohio who are engaged in all aspects of community gardening and greening; and
WHEREAS, this year's theme of "Nourishing Neighborhoods" exemplifies that gardens perform important functional, ornamental and therapeutic roles in our communities, as a place to relax, play, create and nurture, a place that can inspire or soothe; and
WHEREAS, Franklin Park Conservatory's community gardening program, Growing to Green, is the host and site of the conference with major Ohio Gardening Organizations and the American Community Gardening Association partnering in the programming of this conference; and
WHEREAS, Growing to Green promotes community gardening in central Ohio in numerous ways, including providing resources for horticulture and plant selection needs, information on funding and grant resources that support community gardening projects, and a free eight-week Urban Garden Academy course sponsored by the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company; and
WHEREAS, Growing to Green has facilitated the start-up or rejuvenation of 15 community and school gardens annually and has served as a resource for over 100 neighborhood greening projects since the programs inception; and
WHEREAS, Growing to Green has increased community access to better health and nutrition through neighborhood gardens and has provided much-needed fresh, local, seasonal produce to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank and neighborhood food pantries; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That the Columbus City Council commemorates the Ohio Community Gardening Conference and celebrates the importance of community gardens.