Public Libraries are Offering Free Seeds to Foster Community and Sustainability
From Georgia and California to Maine, Arizona and Colorado, public libraries across the US have begun offering seeds for patrons to take home and plant. The initiative is multifold: it builds community, fights food insecurity, champions biodiversity and promotes a connection to nature. “The library has become so much more than just a place to come in and get books. It’s becoming a community center, and the seed library fits right into that,” says Leslie Weber, the youth services associate at Connecticut’s Mystic & Noank Library, which offers more than 90 different types of seeds. The program sources seeds from non-profits, donations or a take-some-leave-some system. Patrons can take as many seeds as needed to grow a garden at home or plant in a community garden, which many libraries have started building. Providing resources on urban agriculture and encouraging donations to food banks, these libraries are bolstering communities via foodways. Learn more about it at Civil Eats.
Image courtesy of Tina Aityan/OPL
Via civileats.com link opens in a new window
