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MUSC Urban Farm
was recently recognized as a "Charleston
Friendly Yard" by the Keep Charleston
Beautiful Committee for creating and
maintaining an environmentally-sound
garden.
Charleston Friendly Yards is an
interactive program designed to
recognize those in the community who are
creating and maintaining sustainable,
environmentally conscious yards and
gardens. It also acts as a resource for
the community to share ideas and
experiences regarding sustainable yard
development and maintenance. Charleston
Friendly Yards focuses on five major
categories pertaining to yard care:
plants, water, soils and chemicals,
waste and pollution, and
wildlife.
Charleston Friendly Yards encourages
natural beauty and diversity with
limited negative impact.
 Members of the
Urban Farm Leadership Team are presented
with a cedar bird house and a Charleston
Friendly Yard sign by Jennifer Scales,
far left, from the City of Charleston.
MUSC Urban Farm promotes sustainable
urban agriculture through the following:
- Organic
gardening methods: insecticidal soap;
compost (demonstrating four to six
methods); integrated pest management;
encouraging beneficial insects such as
honey bees, frogs, lady bugs, etc.
through the use of bee hives,
attractive flowers and plants, and no
pesticide use; crop rotation; raised
beds; various species are used, no
monoculture; training of staff,
volunteers and general public; no
chemical fertilizers; trap crops; good
garden hygiene; and mulch
- Weed barriers
(newspapers): using reused or reusable
items and recycling
- Water
conservation: drip irrigation using
timers (adjusted as indicated by
crops); hand watering of plants
unreachable by irrigation system; weed
barriers reduce competition to water;
weed control; plant placement; ideal
soil and compost; and selective
watering of planting beds
- Reduce, reuse,
recycle: all gloves were donated and
are reused by whomever comes to work
in the farm; some seeds are started in
compostable containers; compost all
plant waste and coffee grounds from
cafeteria; recycling bins for
plastics, glass and steel cans are on
site for events; permanent recycling
bins are located just outside the
garden; and reuse newspaper as a weed
barrier.
- Keep
Charleston Beautiful's mission is to
promote the cleanliness and
beautification of the City of
Charleston through education, public
awareness and community involvement.
MUSC Office of Health Promotion is in
the process of creating a "Keep MUSC
Beautiful" campaign to support the
efforts of the City of Charleston.
For information,
email Susan Johnson, Ph.D., at
johnsusa@musc.edu.
MUSC Employee Wellness events
- Fitness
series: A spin class will be held from
4:15 to 4:45 p.m., Dec. 19. The class
will include a guided workout in
phases from warm-up to sprints and
climbs. Participants may control
resistance on the bike to make the
pedaling as easy or difficult as
needed. Email musc-empwell@musc.edu to
register for this free class for
employees. A free day pass to the
Wellness Center will be provided to
all participants.
- Farmers
markets: Fruits and vegetables are
available from farmers on Thursday at
Ashley River Tower, and Friday from 7
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Horseshoe and
Ashley River Tower.
- The next
Weight Management Center's Lunchtime
Losers class begins Jan. 10, 2013, and
will meet for 10 weeks from noon to 1
p.m. every Thursday. The program is
designed for employees and offered in
partnership with MUSC Employee
Wellness. Email browjosh@musc.edu for
information or to register.
MUSC Urban Farm
Work and Learn
with child-friendly activities from 9 to
11 a.m., Dec. 15. The Urban Farm will be
closed Dec. 16 through Jan. 6, 2013.
Friday, Dec.
14, 2012
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