2003 - 2013: B Street Farm 

​

Project Description

A school farm situated on a 3.5 acre site along Gales Creek. 3/4 of a mile from Pacific University, at the edge of Forest Grove.

​

Role in the Community

Though originally concieved as a community-based sustainability education site, the farm has become primarily focused on the university population and production organic farming. In this capacity, the farm produces thousands of pounds of vegeatables for the school kitchen and provides jobs for many students. Under the auspices of the Center for Civic Engagement, the farm continues to play an important role in the University program.

​

My role

In the beginning, it was a chicken tractor and me out standing in a field of trash and blackberries. But once the students found us, the project quickly took off. Over the years the farm has moved from the Humanitarian Center to the Department of Environmental Studies, and then to the Center for Civic Engagement. In my 10 years of directing the project, it has incubated the Adelante Mujeres' Sustainable Agriculture program, served as an outdoor classroom for K-12 and University classes, offered summer camps for Latino youth, hosted a Northwest Permaculture Convergence, and provided a secluded haven for hundreds of students looking for a place to relax and enjoy nature. Students built a cob building, earth oven, green roof, greywater system, aquaponics system, and so much more. In addition to managing the farm and its projects, I worked to help adminstration and faculty understand the value of the farm in relation to the university mission. In 2010, I secured funding to hire Mark Lakeman and Communitecture to develop a master plan for the site. The design process included a meeting with 40 participants from schools, the community, and Pacific University. In 2013, the farm was brought under the roof of the Center for Civic Engagement and granted 2 positions and a working budget. Given that it continues to grow and thrive without my involvement, I consider this to be one of my more sucessful works.