At a ceremony on Friday, September 27th, students, staff, and community stakeholders gathered at the Charter School to celebrate the opening of the Vineyard’s first public food forest. The food forest, a garden that grows perennial food-producing plants in ways that mimic and support natural systems, was developed by Roxanne Kapitan for Island Grown Initiative through a grant from the Cedar Tree Foundation.
The garden features unique food sources including Sea Kale, Myoga Ginger, and Pilgrim Cranberries, which are planted once and come back every year. Charter School teachers and IGI educators will use the space as a classroom for students, community members, and island organizations to learn to create sustainable, fully perennial, and edible food forest gardens in their own locations.
Scott Goldin, Assistant Director of the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, shared, “We celebrate this incredible opportunity for our students to further connect with this land.”
Sunny Wolverton-Harcourt, an 8th grade student who worked on the Food Forest last year with IGI School Educator Sam Greene, explained: “It was cool because we saw it when it was being made. The students are excited that it is now complete. I look forward to eating food from right outside our classroom!”
Kapitan is hopeful and enthusiastic about what the garden will provide for the students, the school, and the wider community. “With climate change challenging modern ways of living, this garden of the future will demonstrate a way to produce food while working with nature rather than fighting it.”
The food forest is the first of what planners hope will become a series of perennial food producing gardens in municipal locations across the island. Noli Taylor, Co-Executive Director at Island Grown Initiative, explains: “One of the goals that we set in the Food Security component of the Climate Action Plan was to secure and establish perennial food production areas in public spaces in every town. We are thrilled that the Charter School welcomed the first of these onto their campus, under the guidance of Roxanne and with the input and help of the students. Increasing sustainable food production in homes and public spaces will help us move towards food security and stability for all on our island now and into the future.”
Earlier this year, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission secured a state grant through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program to support this Climate Action Plan goal, and hired Mary Sage Napolitan to oversee the effort. She is now working in concert with towns and community members to identify other public locations that could be suitable for gardens like the one now at the Charter School, and to install another perennial food forest in Aquinnah in 2025.
For more information, please contact:
Noli Taylor, IGI: noli@igimv.org
Peter Steedman, Director at MVPCS: psteedman@mvpcs.org
Roxanne Kapitan: gardenwisdommv@gmail.com
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