Benefits of Community Gardens:
* Improves the quality of life for people in the garden
* Provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development
* Stimulates Social Interaction
* Encourages Self-Reliance
* Beautifies Neighborhoods
* Produces Nutritious Food
* Reduces Family Food Budgets
* Conserves Resources
* Creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education
* Reduces Crime
* Preserves Green Space
* Creates income opportunities and economic development
* Reduces city heat from streets and parking lots
* Provides opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections
“THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL associated with greening the country is nothing to scoff at. Studies have shown that if the United States were to make a meaningful investment in clean energy and efficiency, 40 million new jobs could be created by 2030, making one in five jobs in the country some shade of green. But most people working in green technology today fit the environmentalist stereotype--white college graduates who drive Priuses and buy organic--and without a conscious effort, this new green economic sector stands a chance of passing by low-income people of color, much like the dot com boom did. ”
-Kate Sheperd, American Prospect
