Behind the Scenes: Overview

Public-facing programs of the Princeton School Gardens Cooperative –– Edible Gardens, Garden State on Your Plate, and PPS Cooks+Gardens –– are created and presented with equity at the forefront and in the context of modeling good citizenship as we navigate climate change and finite planetary boundaries.

We are working behind the scenes to ensure that our programs:

Celebrate flavor and pleasure of good food and the community of the table;
Connect to each other and create continuity, K-12
Amplify and illustrate curricular connections;
Support transformation to sustainable procurement;
Empower forage-worthy organic groundskeeping; and,
Connect our programs to school meals and other foods served and/or sold on campus.

In the community, we are working to ensure our programs:
Connect students and their families to sustainable land practices;
Link farmers and artisan producers to chefs and to families; 
Celebrate the diversity of crops grown in our beautiful Garden State; and,
Draw students to prospective mentors across myriad aspects of sustainable food systems –– as subjects of study and attention. 

Foundational work includes conceptualizing the creation of a PPS Food Systems Literacy Coordinator who approaches the subject holistically; ensuring that all foods sold/served by the schools fit within planetary boundaries and match curriculum; and advocating for immediate transformation to a zero-waste policy and forage-worthy grounds.