The Permaculture Park Project in Ithaca, NY demonstrates ecological landscaping practices in a public park. The park is a model for other cities to create beautiful and sustainable parks while addressing hunger.
Leader
Sam Bosco
Location
Alice Miller Way Ithaca, NY 14850
The Permaculture Park Project in Ithaca, NY is a a neighborhood shared green space along the Cascadilla Creek in Ithaca's Northside community. The Park is a community effort which demonstrates ecologically sound landscaping practices in a public setting. Featuring a wide array of native and lesser known edible plants free for anyone to enjoy, the park is intended to be a model for other cities to create beautiful and sustainable park lands while also addressing hunger.
Through this fundraising opportunity the Park can enter Phase 2 of its design and development to add:
1) Raised beds featuring international vegetables
2) An herb spiral
3) Arbors from locally sourced black locust
4) Interpretive signs
Raised Beds. Up to 7 raised beds are built from sustainably harvested and locally sourced black locust lumber. The beds lie adjacent to the main walkway and designed for wheelchair access. They are filled with high quality compost and planted with a wide variety of annual vegetables, herbs, and fruits that are part of the cooking traditions of the many and beautiful international communities that live in and around Ithaca.
Herb Spiral. A vertically rising, spiraling garden bed framed with stones. Herb spirals create multiple micro-climates in a small space. The combination of stones, shape, and vertical structure offer a diversity of growing spaces for a diversity of plants.
Arbors. Greeting visitors and biding them farewell, 2 4-post arbors straddle the walking path at the north and south access to the park. The arbors are made of sustainably harvested and locally sourced black locust trees as a sound structure to support perennial and annual vines bearing edibles fruits, nectar for pollinating insects, and shade for park visitors. Inside each arbor is a kiosk for the park to communicate with its visitors including a map indicating what plants are where and updates about park happenings such as volunteers opportunities and social events. An additional kiosk will be included for neighbors and visitors to leave poetry, photos, and phenology (blooming, ripening) information.
Interpretive Signs. 7 weatherproof aluminum signs will be placed throughout the park to explain how permaculture ethics and principles are demonstrated in the plantings.
We are doing this because we believe the role of public parks includes supporting community and ecosystem needs simultaneously including food, medicine, and connection to each other and the natural world. We also believe that food insecurity can be addressed when there is a culture of sharing to support people in need.