This is written for the archive of DKU by Xing Shi Cai.
The Garden in Jan 2025
As the faculty adviser for Plant Futures since 2023, I’ve had the privilege of working with students passionate about plant-based living and environmental sustainability. In spring 2024, while brainstorming new initiatives for our club, several students with gardening experience proposed an exciting idea: creating a community garden.
We discovered there had already been a garden between the IB and WDR buildings, adjacent to the campus’s southern boundary. At the time, only a handful of people were utilizing this space, leaving much of it untended. With optimism and perhaps a touch of naivety, I envisioned a simple approach to starting our community garden: create a grid system using Excel, where each cell represented one square meter of land, and let community members claim their plots.
The response was overwhelming. Within 24 hours, every available plot had been claimed as eager community members rushed to start their gardens. However, this initial success soon revealed unforeseen challenges. Without physical plot markers, boundaries became confused. Some gardeners expanded beyond the designated area, while others who had registered plots left them unused. Despite these setbacks, several dedicated gardeners emerged as stewards of the space, nurturing their plants and helping the garden flourish.
During this period, we made several improvements with the help of volunteers, including installing fences, adding a wooden tool cabinet, and setting up an irrigation system. However, we faced an unexpected challenge when a large bee colony made the wooden cabinet their home. Concerned about potential allergic reactions among community members, we attempted to remove the bees by burning tissues in the cabinet. This decision, which resulted in significant bee casualties, is one I now deeply regret. In hindsight, we should have sought help from professional beekeepers who could have relocated the colony safely.
A turning point came in autumn 2024 with the arrival of Xingxue Wang, a master’s student with expertise in community garden design. Her vision included raised planting boxes, which offered multiple benefits: clearer plot boundaries, easier maintenance for novice gardeners, and an organized aesthetic. Thanks to financial support from DKU’s Climate and Sustainability Initiative and assistance from the Operations Office, we installed 36 planting boxes during winter 2024-2025.
Looking ahead to 2025, we’re planning workshops, volunteer opportunities, and social events to transform the garden into a community hub. Our goal is to create a space where people can connect, experience the impacts of climate change firsthand, and develop a deeper appreciation for agriculture and food production.
Answers to Some Questions
I got some following up questions regarding this article.
- How would the initiative increase engagement and foster sustained interest in the DKU community?
Our initiative creates meaningful connections between people and the earth beneath their feet. Currently, our campus produces 200 kg of food waste daily, with only 5% being composted. By expanding our composting capacity, we transform what was once ‘waste’ into nourishment for new growth.
In these times of climate uncertainty, developing practical skills in food cultivation and waste management isn’t just environmentally conscious—it’s essential wisdom for our changing world.
More fundamentally, this initiative bridges the disconnect between modern campus life and the natural world. Through hands-on gardening experiences, our community members rediscover their relationship with the soil, the seasons, and the cycle of growth. This direct experience cultivates not just plants, but a deeper sense of environmental stewardship.
- How does the CG garden relate to sustainability on campus and plant futures?
The Community Garden embodies our vision of living sustainability through direct action. As an initiative of the Plant Future Student Club, it represents a growing collaboration between students, staff, and faculty. While currently staff and faculty-supported, we have seven dedicated student participants, marking the beginning of our transition toward student leadership.
The Climate Sustainability Initiative (CSI), under Professor Coraline Goron’s guidance, has provided crucial support, funding 36 planting boxes and initial compost supplies. Executive Vice Chancellor Dr. John Qulech’s leadership has been equally vital, mobilizing campus operations for site preparation and demonstrating administrative commitment through his presence at our opening ceremony last month.
- What are your goals in the garden?
Our vision for the garden encompasses both practical improvements and community growth. We’re seeking funding to enhance accessibility through paved pathways, ensuring the garden remains workable in all weather conditions. We’re also expanding our composting capacity to process food waste from the canteen, student dorms, and faculty housing—creating a closed-loop system of nourishment.
A key educational initiative in our planning is a series of sustainable gardening workshops in collaboration with Yuefeng Island organic farm. These workshops will provide hands-on learning experiences in organic farming techniques, seasonal planting, and sustainable pest management.
The garden’s governance is evolving alongside its physical growth. Our current ad-hoc committee includes: myself (Faculty), Meng Wang (Faculty), Luisa Li (Staff), Jiawen Cai (Staff), Xinxue Wang (Graduate Student), and Maya Slack (Undergraduate Student). By year’s end, we aim to transition to an elected leadership structure with increased Plant Future Club involvement, ensuring the garden’s legacy continues through student stewardship.