House Plans: Lackawanna College

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Lackawanna College

Bio 225 Ecology/Evolutionary Biology class has embarked on a journey of enlightening our college about world hunger and sustainable agriculture and how the two intersect to contribute to our community!We are a small two-year college about 1,500 students nestled in northeastern Pennsylvania. Our project is combining classroom learning with giving back to the community we live in. Statistically, 1 out of 10 households in our area are living below the poverty line. The students were more than eager to participate and bring our university to the stage of fighting world hunger!As students returned from summer break, each student was assigned an EarthBox from theEarthBox for World Food Day Garden Kit. With seeds already germinating (Valmaine lettuce) during summer hours, we began the process of assembling EarthBoxes. Then we planted, protected, and looked forward to yielding our crop of lettuce.Back in the classroom we learned the science behind the EarthBoxes and facts about conditions affecting plants. As a class of only nine students, we became excited, educated, and engaged about how our small class could contribute to the fight against world hunger.Students polled and voted on what charitable organization would receive our crop donation of Valmaine lettuce. We decided on United Neighborhood Center, a local agency that helps underprivileged people in our area. They will receive our lettuce crop on October 16,2012, World Food Day.