Denver Urban Gardens
Help DUG Grow Gardens Across America
Linda Appel Lipsius
Executive Summary
DUG believes that community gardens should be in every urban neighborhood.
DUG intends to lead the movement to bring community gardens to communities across America, but we have a lot of work to do to determine the best, most impactful and sustainable way to do this. This capstone project will support DUG in building the foundation for growth with research and recommendations for the best path forward.
There are currently 35,000 community gardens throughout the US with varying levels of sophistication and organization. We believe that DUG’s robust Top-Down/Bottom-Up (TDBU) + Organize/Design/Build/Manage (ODBM) model works, as evidenced by our enduring garden network, and should be expanded.
A bit about DUG.
Our 190 community gardens produce 650,000lbs of organic fruits & veggies AND they do SO much more…
● DUG Gardens REGENERATE & REBUILD precious soil, capture carbon, minimize water usage and create hyper-local, food systems;
● DUG Gardens provide a platform for LEARNING & SKILL BUILDING with our school gardens being a much-needed respite for children who have been through so much this past year;
● DUG Gardens are vehicles for FOOD ACCESS & FOOD SOVEREIGNTY, feeding people who might not otherwise be able afford fresh fruits and vegetables or have a grocery store on the corner;
● DUG Gardens INVIGORATE & HEAL OUR MINDS, BODIES & SOULS; ● DUG Gardens STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY by connecting neighbors from all walks to come together in common cause to grow food and dig in the dirt.
DUG IS A BEACON OF HOPE.