Gardensmiths
Gardensmiths
 
 

Caring for the Earth,

Caring for People,

and Sharing our Excess

 
 
 
 

Mission

Based in the permaculture ethics of caring for the earth, caring for people, and sharing of our excess, GardenSmiths works to create regenerative gardens and resilient people.  

 

Goals

Using the Phoenix Garden, serving San Mateo County youth in detention, as a demonstration site, we will co-create a beautiful oasis that provides food, respite, and healing for both the youth in the system and the surrounding communities.

01.
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We are building an aquaponics system that will incorporate a skills training program to prepare participants for the future of urban agricultural systems.

02.
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We are building a transformative labyrinth for participants to use in their healing, whether they are residents of the Youth Services Center or community members needing to take a break and mediate. 

03.
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We are building a greenhouse to help cultivate the plants we need to grow out the garden and a nursery to raise oak trees as part of the One Billion Trees Project.

04.
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We are creating a space to keep bees to both pollinate the garden and to provide educational opportunities to teach students about the importance of pollinators.

 
 
 
 

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”

Audrey hepburn |  actress

 
 
 
 

Who We Are

GardenSmiths is a fiscally sponsored program of the Social Good Fund.

Our work is:

  • centered in the soil, drawing on the collective wisdom of our participants, to grow food using regenerative techniques through the prism of permaculture.

  • centered on our hands, relearning skills lost to the generations, to reclaim the soul of our collective cultures.

  • centered in community, building deep relationships with one another.

We believe that access to fresh, local and healthy food is the right of everyone. We recognize the inherent dignity in growing one’s own food and acknowledge that having the time and resources to grow one’s own food is a privilege not shared by everyone in our society. We see locally grown food, whether in a home or community garden or on a local farm as key to reclaiming food sovereignty.

We couldn’t do the work we’re doing without the generous support of:

  • The San Mateo County Health System

  • The San Mateo County Office of Sustainability

  • The San Mateo County Resource Conservation District


 
 
 

Ready to help?

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