Long Beach, Calif. - November 4, 2014 - Associated Students, Inc. in partnership with the College of Health and Human Services and Grow Beach student organization will be hosting a soft opening ceremony for the Grow Beach University Garden on Friday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. The ceremony will take place at the University Garden located next to the Housing and Residential Life Office and the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center.
This event will include a blessing of the land conducted by the Tongva tribe, a ribbon cutting ceremony with ASI executive officers, founders of Grow Beach and the University President Jane Conoley. An announcement will also be made regarding the planning timeline for the community garden.
Vince Holguin, chair and co-founder of Grow Beach, stated that a University Garden located on California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) would provide a significant environmental and sustainable impact to the students, staff, faculty, administration and members of the Long Beach community. "These parties are committed to the development and preservation of a vibrant community and firmly believe that the staff, faculty, administration and community will play a vital role in this effort," he said.
The garden will allow students to grow their own produce as well as learn sustainable gardening practices. Grow Beach will be providing the water, soil, and fertilizer necessary for the plants. ASI Executive Director Richard Haller also noted there will be eighty-seven plots; these plots will be distributed based on a lottery system. "This is one of the most well done student-initiated projects I've ever seen," he said.
The official grand opening of the University Garden will be in January 2015.
