City College’s Sustainability and Environmental club partnered to host a Planting Day on March 1 in the campus cafe to encourage students to consider learning more about planting native vegetation and its benefits.
Students came to interact with one another while learning about the best way to start producing and how to keep the Earth clean by reusing plastic containers to keep plants in.
Lead organizers microbiology Prof. Karen Carberry-Goh and Biology Department Lead Technician Carmen Hirkala demonstrated all the resources to use to begin planting different organic soils, how to keep plants safe and secure, and the natural ways to keep out critters. Carberry-Goh even brought in a variety of different seeds for students to choose from. This was Carberry-Goh’s first time doing community outreach and she hoped to inspire more individuals to care about plants and to learn more about the earth.
In the intimate space, students were encouraged to learn, plant seeds, and interact with one another in conversations about the benefits of planting as well as animals and human health. Students discussed and shared stories about being vegetarian and its benefits for humans as well as the planet. City College student and Sustainability Coordinator Sophie Wheeler attended the event, and added, “For now I am pescatarian, I haven’t fully transitioned to being a vegetarian.”
Students were then able to take home their soon-to-be full-grown plant. According to Carberry-Goh, the goal was to have some plants to sell or give away on Earth Day, April 22, to bring more attention to the benefits of cultivating plants.
Carberry-Goh told students planting doesn’t have to merely be a fun hobby but a mental health boost, and can be a really fun way to reground oneself.
Carberry-Goh has many years of planting knowledge. Her mother came from a farming family and grew up around planting a variety of vegetables. She began to get into the nature of planting when she was in college and it became joyful for her. She said her interest stems from having a sense of control over what she eats by planting, and the overall therapeutic benefits the activity has on her life.
Placing a big emphasis on how she feels society overall is becoming more disconnected, Carberry-Goh said, “Working in the dirt and soil is really therapeutic and part of why society is feeling so lonely, because we are getting divorced from nature.”
Carberry-Goh’s passion is to inform and encourage students to strive to care for the environment, all while understanding the way nature can affect humans. She explained how the world is now, and it is vital to grow things to make society more resilient for the future.
After every student finished planting, Carberry-Goh talked with students and gave instructions on next steps, such as how to keep their plants safe and what areas are best to place them to ensure they get the right amount of sunlight.
According to Carberry-Goh, her ultimate goal was to spread the happiness of planting. “I go to the garden and dig and I’m happy,” she said.
