When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March 2020, the order came down to get rid of all the plants in the Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse on 性视界传媒鈥檚 Fairfax Campus.
It was out of an abundance of caution, said Doni Nolan, the program manager.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 know what the risks were,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e were so terrified that if we tried to donate the greens, they might have COVID.鈥
Eleven months later, the vibe is completely different.
The Greenhouse and Gardens Program鈥攚hich runs the Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse, the Innovation Food Forest and the Potomac Heights Organic Vegetable Garden鈥攊s building off a successful fall semester that provided students with a hands-on learning experience, thanks to the diligent efforts of Nolan鈥檚 staff in creating safe spaces to work.
Nolan said the program, which had no known COVID-19 transmissions, saw about 100 volunteers鈥攑rimarily students鈥攃omplete about 500 shifts and put in about 1,000 hours of service during the fall 2020 semester.
She said 16 students have signed on as interns for the Spring 2021 semester, a record for the program.
鈥淪tudents are still required to do hours, and they want to do hours in person,鈥 Nolan said. 鈥淎nd they feel safe doing it with us.鈥
For Nolan; Hala Elbarmil, who coordinates the Innovation Food Forest; Alexa Hines, who coordinates the Potomac Heights Vegetable Garden; and Lynn Ruffa, who coordinates the Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse, the must-do list to make their areas safe was extensive.
At the greenhouse, which already had a ventilation system, other equipment was removed to create space for social distancing. Doorknobs and faucets are sanitized, hand sanitizer is available, masks are required, and students are asked to sanitize their phones.
In the gardens, gloves are given to the students in a plastic bag. The gloves are theirs for the semester, no sharing. Tools are sanitized as are the pens on the sign-in clipboard.
A maximum of 10 people, including two staffers, are allowed in the greenhouse at one time, Nolan said, and up to 15 people, including staff, can be in the gardens.
The听Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse gives students a rare opportunity to participate in a sustainable farm-to-table operation as the fresh greens鈥攂asil, cilantro, lettuce and microgreens鈥攁nd tomatoes are grown there and sold to Mason Dining. The money helps sustain the greenhouse.
The Innovation Food Forest teaches students about sustainable agricultural design, outdoor composting, and the importance of preserving natural, outdoor green spaces. Plus, whenever volunteers are听hungry,听they can forage for strawberries, paw-paws, and medicinal herbs, all of which grow naturally.
The听Potomac Heights Organic Vegetable听Garden is听co-managed by the GMU Organic Gardening Association (GOGA).听Students at听this site learn about outdoor composting,听maintaining听garden beds and听harvesting produce such as peaches, kiwi fruit and figs.
Make an impact at Mason today. Join hundreds of on-site and virtual volunteers by听听on the Office of Sustainability鈥檚 . Please remember masks and social distancing are required.听Additionally,听Mason听students can participate in the 听to earn course credit while gaining听hands-on skills.听听
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