LEWISTON, Idaho – Students at Lewis-Clark State College will be getting their hands dirty on Tuesday, as part of an Earth Day project.
Earth Day is Tuesday, April 22, and two of Jeanette Gara-Betzold’s NS150 (Natural Sciences) classes will be meeting outside to put into practice some of the ideas they are exploring as they learn about the natural sciences, ecology, and sustainability.
The work is taking place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in a vacant lot on the west side of 7th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, as a greenspace on the edge of campus becomes a sustainability garden teaching area and learning experience for students, faculty, staff, and the community as an herb spiral is created.
What is an herb spiral?
“An herb spiral is a highly productive and energy efficient, vertical garden design, inspired by nature and created by Bill Mollison, co-founder of Permaculture,” says Gara-Betzold. “A spiral of bricks encloses soil in which many species of herbs are planted. The rock warms and dehumidifies the soil. The extended edge, wrapped in on itself, provides a wide diversity of conditions, creating high productivity in a small space that is easy to water and harvest.”
NS150 students will create a video and scientific poster about this gardening technique that will be accessible through a QR code and smartphones when people visit the garden. Gara-Betzold says the intention for the garden is to demonstrate and experiment with ideas and solutions that promote sustainability. The edible products of this experiment will be available for faculty, staff, students, and community members to enjoy as they visit the garden space.
Along with building the herb spiral, students will be beautifying the green space, sharing food with a sustainability themed potluck, and painting birdhouses for campus. The public is encouraged to join in for some gardening, potlucking, and painting. Students will be bringing potluck items during their class times at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
For more information contact Jeanette Gara-Betzold at [email protected] or 208.792.2179.