The Benefits of Urban Gardens!!!!!!

http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/urbanag/steps.htm

Needs & Concerns

• Most people are not aware of how to work a garden or the benefits of a garden
• Lack of education 
• A way to empower people
• Concern that there may be contamination in the soil of urban gardens because of the pollution in urban landscape

Societal Benefits

• Increase a sense of community ownership and stewardship
• Foster the development of community identity
• Create unity across a vast variety of backgrounds
• Builds community leaders
• Effective crime prevention
• Educational tool for youth
• Food Production
• Green space reduces stress and increases a sense of wellness

Environmental Benefits

• Heighten appreciation for living things and nature
• Filters rainwater keeping streams, rivers, and lakes clean
• Restores oxygen to the air reducing air pollution
• Recycles natural foliage and waste back into the soil
• Creates an oasis from urban life