Growing Sustainably: Garden Club & Garden Education
Garden Education inspires children to grow their food while cultivating meaningful connections to nature, nutrition, climate change, and sustainability. Through hands-on experiences, students learn how growing plants can nurture the environment, our community, and one’s self-efficacy. Prior research shows that interactions between humans and nature promote emotional and physical well-being.
During the 2024-25 academic year, CommUniverCity collaborated with Dr. Robert Rinck’s PH 104 Community Health Promotion class to deliver a science-based six-week environmental education program to local participating schools.
In this six-week series, students at participating schools learned the essentials of successfully growing fruits and vegetables.
Weekly workshops included introductions to gardening and the L.A.W.N.S acronym (light, air, water, nutrients, soil). Students engaged in hands-on activities like planting, weeding, and composting, and reflected on their experiences through journaling and post-activity surveys.
Project Impacts
92% of students showed an increase in appreciation for nature
70% of participants gained new pro-environmental skills, such as composting, seed planting, regular watering, and general plant care
Research conducted by SJSU’s Department of Environmental Studies using a treatment and control group shows the pogram increased pro-environmental attitudes and awareness in 4th grade students
Participants*
Community Engaged Learners*
Cumulative Hours
Investment Value*
Sponsors
Faculty Lead
Dr. Robert Rink
What people say?
* Community Participants include K–12 students engaged in educational activities and workshops, along with residents attending neighborhood events and celebrations.
* Community Engaged Learners (CEL) include SJSU students who apply course-based knowledge through activities and presentations for K–12 students, as well as Public Health, Communications, and Educational Counseling interns who work directly with the CommUniverCity team to implement projects.
* Investment Value encapsulates the total monetary worth of the CEL volunteer hours contributed to the project.