Sierra Club’s Nearby Nature initiative connects people to nature close to home by engaging youth and communities to explore, enjoy, and protect public parks, waters, trails, gardens and other green spaces in and around urban areas. The initiative is empowering young people to explore the role school and community gardens play in improving access to healthy foods and nearby greenspace, supporting environmental education, strengthening communities, and protecting our environment. Follow our multi-part blog series as we explore gardens.
Introducing Sierra Club’s Baltimore Garden Intern Besith Pineda, an interview
During the fall academic semester, Sierra Club’s Nearby Nature initiative will work with interns in Baltimore and Los Angeles to learn about and support community and school gardens. I’ll be introducing our Garden Interns over the next few weeks and after that, you’ll get to hear directly from them as they begin to do their own blogging, sharing highlights of their experiences getting their hands dirty, meeting new people, learning about the connections between food and the environment, and identifying some of the challenges and opportunities facing communities in Baltimore and Los Angeles. Hopefully, they’ll also get to try some delicious local veggies. Read on as I introduce Besith Pineda, our Sierra Club Baltimore Garden Intern, through a short interview. Welcome, Besith!
Q: Besith, I am so excited to be working with you this semester to explore several garden projects in Baltimore. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
A: I am a graduating senior at the University of Maryland, earning a degree in English Literature and a minor in Sustainability Studies. I’ve spent the last two years working for small, local businesses rooted in the intersection between sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurship. In my free time, I enjoy poetry slams, watching live soccer, and eating delicious food.
Q: What inspired you to apply for the Sierra Club Baltimore Garden Project Internship?
A: Four years ago, I became interested in food so I set out to experiment in container gardening on the balcony of my apartment. Though most of my tomatoes were ravaged by Hornworms, eating the five peppers I harvested was a glorious feeling! That experiment launched a self-education in concepts such as local produce, organic farming, food access, etc. This inherent interest in alternatives to industrial agriculture has paired well with experiences working in the sustainability industry, as well as my formal education pursuits at UMD.
The Sierra Club Baltimore Garden Project, then, seemed like a great opportunity to serve community gardens and their respective communities, as well as offer educational opportunities about food, access to food, and environmental sustainability. As much as I hope to teach what I know, I am equally excited about the opportunity to continue my journey of learning about food.
Q: Have you ever worked in a garden before?
A: No.
Q: Tell us what you expect to gain from spending time in the garden and working on this project?
A: Through direct work in the communities that these community gardens serve, I hope to observe and listen to identify the best opportunities to add value to Sierra Club’s garden partners. I want to witness gardens’ direct impact on the community, and identify the limitations of that impact. Lastly, I hope to expand my gardening skills.
Q: Tell us about your favorite place outdoors.
A: My favorite place outdoors is the beach, where I can spend hours reading a good book and listening to ocean waves hitting the shore.
Read the next installment: Nearby Nature Gets Gardening: Part 2