Community garden coming to CSULB

The Cal State Long Beach community garden is one step closer toward its fruition nearly 10 months after it was first proposed by a former Associated Students Inc. vice president candidate.

Following months of behind-the-scenes planning, senior engineering major Vincent Holguin and ASI Vice President Jonathon Bolin said that CSULB has finally given permission to develop a pilot program for a community garden on campus.

“We’re in the planning process,” Bolin said. “We’re still fundraising [and] looking for sponsors.”

Bolin said the idea for the community garden came from the 2013 ASI election campaigns.

“[Holguin] had this idea when he ran for office last year,” Bolin said. “I love community gardens. It’s a great way to get a community of people interested in where our food comes from.”

When Holguin ran for ASI vice president in 2013, he told the Daily 49er that his “main focus would be to create an organic garden.”

“I’ve found much joy in gardens and to share it with others is enough for me,” Holguin said.

When Bolin won the vice presidential position, Holguin said the garden wasn’t addressed again until summer 2013.

Holguin said that Bolin contacted him over the summer and asked if he was still interested in the community garden project.  Holguin, who was serving as a congressional intern, said he was.

“I learned a lot about bi-partisanship [at my internship,]” Holguin said. “If people don’t come together, nothing will get done.”

Holguin and Bolin said the proposed community garden will sit atop the sand volleyball court adjacent to the CSULB Housing Office, although the intended location for the garden was on the sacred Gabrielino-Tongva tribal land on campus.

“[After] meeting with the administration, they decided to offer us another parcel on campus,” said Holguin, who is also a member of the Gabrielino-Tongva tribe.

Bolin said he hopes to bring approximately 40 4-by-10 foot garden boxes to the proposed garden site. He said woodchips will cover the sand that already sits on the volleyball court.

There is a meeting scheduled Friday to further discuss the community garden and how responsibilities will be divided up for its making. Campus organizations like 49er Shops Inc. have already expressed interest in growing vegetables in the community garden, Bolin and Holguin said.

“We want to get students involved at all levels,” Bolin said. “The overall goal is to break ground by end of April.”

The purpose of Friday’s meeting is to meet with student leaders and launch a student steering committee, Holguin said.

“We’ll take everyone’s opinions into consideration,” he said. “[Bolin] and I are making it very clear that this is not an ASI-driven [project]. It is a student initiative.”

Bolin said the informational meeting will take place on Friday at 11 a.m. in USU-311, the Student Government Conference room. The meeting is open to all students.