On Thurs., Oct. 24 from 3 p.m.- 5 p.m., Sonoma State University’s very own Join Us Making Progress (JUMP) Sustainability invites students to come get their gardening on at the Campus Garden Volunteer Day. Located at the Geography, Environment, & Planning (GEP) garden classroom adjacent to the Environmental Technology Center, this volunteer opportunity will give students a chance to learn more about sustainable gardening practices and to even get their hands dirty. 

Sonoma State’s JUMP Sustainability Club gives students an opportunity for personal growth, leadership, and education through service to the campus and community. Volunteers at the garden help harvest produce used to donate to Neighbors Organized Against Hunger’s (NOAH) Food Pantry, a local organization that contributes in helping feed Rohnert Park citizens. JUMP encourages students to respond to the community’s needs and to make extreme efforts in order to create positive change in the world and the environment around us.

JUMP’s Director of Sustainability, Madison Hayes, oversees all of Sonoma State’s sustainability based volunteer programs, as well as put together Earth Week in April. She mostly works on the ‘behind-the-scenes’ action such as liability, planning and training.

“In a typical day at the campus garden volunteering events, volunteers are given tasks such as weeding, sorting and turning compost and collecting produce to be donated to local food pantries. Volunteers learn how to tend to specific plants and about organic, sustainable food practices such as how to start your own garden and why organic food is important,” said Hayes. 

Because the garden is a part of an agroecology class, JUMP is the reason that students are given weekly opportunities to volunteer. The garden also has interns that help with a majority of the management.

Along with the global climate crisis our world is facing comes a deep sense of responsibility among humans, especially young adults. It is essential that people of all ages, cultures, and communities step up to the plate and begin making changes in their everyday lives that meet the current needs of our planet. It can all start with something as simple as growing your own fruits and vegetables.

Sonoma State Senior, Cody Darling, takes up these practices at the Campus Garden. Darling is a GEP major concentrating in Planning for Sustainable Communities. He is also the Campus Garden Coordinator.

“I enjoy the quiet and peacefulness that the garden brings. While working with the local school community, I like hearing their stories and understanding their passions for the environment,” said Darling.

Sonoma State senior, Mikayla Martin, expresses her deep love towards the garden.

“I love the garden because it brings together a community of students that are passionate about creating sustainable food systems that benefit the greater community, especially those facing food insecurity,” said Martin. “Sustainability connects all individuals and I believe we all hold the responsibility to construct a sustainable system of living for future generations by making conscious decisions, no matter how small.”

Just as Martin said, sustainability is a way of bringing people together and establishing a sense of unity.

Fourth-year Environmental Studies & Planning (ENSP) major, Peter Forte, is concentrating in Conservation and Restoration and is also the Garden Steward at the campus garden.

“My favorite part of the garden is the relationships I have been able to form with the living and evolving plant, animal, and human communities who inhabit the space,” said Forte. “The fact that I can be a part of a system that supports organic agriculture and address food insecurity on and off-campus is an incredible privilege. The movement is only growing, so come out, learn, and partake in food systems change.”

If interested in learning more about how to keep our planet clean, visit OrgSync and register for the Volunteer Day, or feel free to show up. You can also visit the Campus Garden on Mondays from 1 p.m.- 3 p.m., Tuesdays from 10 a.m.- 12 p.m., or Thursdays from 3 p.m.- 5 p.m.