Left to right: U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-OR, Dr. Sybil Kelley, Environmental Leadership and Policy faculty, and Dr. Susan Jeffords, Provost of Portland State University, April 21, 2023, at PSU's Learning Gardens Laboratory in SE Portland.
PORTLAND, Ore. – United States Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) from Oregon’s First Congressional District, visited Portland State University (PSU) on Friday. As a champion of science education policy and the 2023 Farm Bill, she is interested in community food projects as an opportunity to improve food and nutrition security in Oregon and the U.S.
“Addressing food insecurity is so important,” said Rep. Bonamici, discussing her work in Congress with PSU students, faculty and staff during her visit to the university's Learning Gardens Lab. “The challenge now is to try to fight back from proposed cuts, making sure people are fed and healthy, raising awareness and breaking down barriers,” she added.
“The Learning Gardens Laboratory (LGL) has been a critical component of recreating sustainable food systems and addressing local food justice,” says Dr. Sybil Kelley, who co-leads the Leadership for Sustainability Education program at PSU with Dr. Heather Burns.
This is where students in the College of Education come to grow into holistic community educators. This is also a place for STEAM teaching and learning across the Portland Metro area, and where undergraduate students complete service learning Capstone projects.
In all more than 75 PSU students work in the Learning Gardens Lab, perhaps best known for growing fresh produce for the PSU food pantry and local area organizations, but it is also a place for sharing research and the healing earth with the community. Dry farming, outdoor classrooms, weekly gatherings, and volunteerism are invitations to learn more.
“I’m a believer in hands-on knowledge,” said Rep. Bonamici, who is the senior member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. She noted the physical and mental health benefits of gardening, while chatting with people in the garden during her visit, including Mike Stoner, 85, a longtime volunteer.
“I get my exercise and my lunch, growing for my wife and I, and giving away the rest through the PSU Food Pantry,” he said.
“The pillars of sustainability are the environment, equity, and education,” says Dr. Kelley, who is Associate Professor of Science Education and Sustainable Systems. She teaches Urban Farm Education, a class in the College of Education. The 12 acres of gardens are community-engaged, shared with Portland Parks, Oregon State University, Black Futures Farm, and other partners in a strong network that expands access to the land, while lowering costs for PSU.
The 2023 Farm Bill, if passed, proposes a greater role for community food projects and sustainability education. Drs. Kelley and Burns have a clear idea of how that funding could be best leveraged to the greatest good at the Learning Gardens Lab:
- A space to provide educational activities
- Paid internships for community development
- Research funding for climate-adaptive farming
- STEM, Health, and Wellbeing education for K-12 students
- A multi-institutional high-efficiency greenhouse with a community-commercial kitchen.
“Climate justice is an umbrella that encompasses ecological crisis, building, economics, and education,” says Dr. Kelley. “Sustainability means different things, about the way we advocate for ecological and social justice, which are incontrovertibly linked.”
Dr. Burns is an expert in transformative pedagogy that is community-engaged, justice-forward, and action-oriented. Her scholarship focuses on sustainability, including the roles of transformative learning, contemplative inquiry, experiential learning, and community-based learning in creating sustainable change.
There are only a handful of such programs in the world, so PSU's Leadership for Sustainability Education program draws an international audience and student base, including two recent Fulbright scholars. With holistic, experiential learning, internal learning and growth, the faculty create a community among the students, who represent many cultures, and a cross-discipline of professional backgrounds.
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On Earth Day (Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.), the Learning Gardens Lab will host its annual outdoor Spring Festival with garden tours, booths, plant sales, and activities for all ages to join. Address: 6745 SE 60th Ave, Portland, Ore.