Princeton School Garden Cooperative

Princeton, NJ 08542

Telephone:(609) 497-0892
Contact: Diane Landis
E-mail: DianeLandis@mac.com 
Website: http://www.prs.k12.nj.us/GardenCoop/

Organization Description and Mission

The Princeton School Garden Cooperative is a group of individuals who believe in garden-based education and in re-connecting students to the earth's bounty in the garden, in the classroom, and in the cafeteria. The goal of the organization is to create edible gardens at every Princeton public school K-12 and to share ideas and lesson plans so anyone who desires can grow edible teaching gardens at schools, community centers and private homes.

With the help of the Princeton School Garden Cooperative, Princeton now has developed outdoor garden classrooms in every public elementary school. The Cooperative has worked with teachers, principals, parent volunteers, and students at each of these schools to design and sustain the gardens.

The Princeton School Garden Cooperative has written a guide to the steps for composting, planning, and planting an edible garden as well as lesson plans and curriculum links for math, social studies, language arts, science, visual arts, and health. The Cooperative hopes this guide will further the introduction of such gardens into the classroom curriculum.  The Cooperative encourages everyone interested in their work to share their ideas, lesson plans, and photographs to contribute to their mission.

Community and Population Served by the Organization

The Princeton School Garden Cooperative serves students in grades K-12 in the Princeton public schools. 

• What does the research say about the effect of diet on school performance?  How does a diet based on processed food vs. fresh produce affect students’ ability to focus and perform well in the classroom? 

• What are the benefits of offering local, whole foods in school cafeterias?  Are there healthy options available to local schools through existing food service companies?

• Is it beneficial to mandate that teachers use the gardens as part of the classroom or should it be left to evolve ‘organically’? What models exist regarding this question?

• The Cooperative would like to know about existing farms in the area.  Which types of locally- and regionally-grown produce could be available to Princeton-area school districts?  What quantities of fruits and vegetables are available and when?

• What would be the effect of a school system spending its food dollars locally? What kind of changes might occur in the local economy and state tax base?   What can be learned from the experience of other nearby schools and districts that have begun to incorporate healthy foods and farm-to-school programs?  How does participation in the USDA commodities program impact decisions about which foods are offered in cafeterias?  (Princeton School District has opted out of the USDA commodities program. How does this compare with others in the area?  What are the impacts of that decision?)

• The PSGC is interested in how other nearby districts and schools have begun to incorporate healthy foods and farm-to-school programs in their cafeterias.  These include Lawrenceville School, Princeton Day School, Hopewell Valley School District, and the West Windsor School District.

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