Features

Open Garden Day comes to Berkeley

Melissa McRobbie
Friday September 20, 2002

If you’ve been curious about community gardens, composting, and urban agriculture, this weekend may be the chance to educate yourself. 

This Saturday, Sept. 21, Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE) is presenting Open Garden Day in the Bay Area. More than 125 gardens are part of the self-guided tour, including school and community gardens, horticultural training and therapy gardens, urban market gardens and demonstration and memorial gardens. 

Gardens are good for the spirit, said SAGE president Sibella Kraus, explaining that green places provide “people a respite from the fast-paced environment of the city.” 

Now in its seventh year, Open Garden Day aims to build public awareness about the necessity of urban agriculture for sustainable urban development. SAGE advocates the many benefits of urban gardens; they produce fresh food, help build communities by bringing people together and teach people about nature. 

Open Garden Day takes place in six Bay Area regions: San Francisco, the North Bay, Berkeley-Richmond, Oakland-Hayward and the South Bay. Special events planned include gardening and cooking demonstrations, composting lessons, produce and plant sales, community craft sales, authors’ readings, presentations by community leaders, and children’s activities.  

 

Open Garden day is scheduled 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maps are available at the SAGE web site (www.sagecenter.org). For more information call 526-1793 

Tours and special activities in Berkeley-Richmond area include: 

Bike Tour- Bikers will meet at 10:30 a.m. at Halycon Commons, on Halycon Court between Webster and Prince streets (one block west of Telegraph Avenue near Whole Foods Market). For information call John Steere 849-1969 

Bus Tour- Bus leaves at 10:30 a.m. from east side of Ashby BART Station. Bus returns to same spot by 2 p.m. For information call Marcy Greenhut 652-9462 

Composting Demo- West Contra Costa County Waste Management Authority will sponsor a compost workshop at Rubicon Garden. For information call Mersina Purlantov 215-3021 

 

-Melissa McRobbie