Louisville Grows

Louisville Grows’ mission is to grow a just and sustainable community through urban agriculture, urban forestry, and environmental education. Through our urban reforestation initiative we plant over 700 trees a year with volunteers led by our citizen foresters. Our staff assist neighborhood residents in 20 community gardens including the Hope Farm Refugee Training Farm and CSA. Our programs at Healthy House focus on Environmental Education, Healthy Living, Healthy Eating and Social Justice. Feel free to email us at info@louisvillegrows.org or stop by our main office, the Healthy House, at 1641 Portland Ave for a tour and to learn ways to get involved!

OUR HISTORY
In 2009, Louisville Grows was founded to assist community groups and individuals on their journey towards sustainability. Between 2009-2011, Louisville Grows assisted with the creation of 13 community gardens across Metro Louisville with a focus on food-insecure neighborhoods in West Louisville. In fall 2011, Louisville Grows was officially designated as a 501(c)(3) organization and began working with Metro Council District 5 to develop a vision for a 5-acre mixed-use agricultural site. Located at 536 North 44th Street, this site later transformed into the People’s Garden, which today houses 6,000 square feet of greenhouse space, a 25-member community garden, a fruit orchard, educational programs, and community gathering space. Louisville Grows later worked with community members to start the Shippingport Memorial Garden in Portland, the Community Green School in Parkland, and the Hope Community Garden in Beechmont.

The Louisville Grows Urban Forestry program focuses on rebuilding the urban tree canopy through our neighborhood-based reforestation program. To date we have planted over 2,300 trees and provide routine inspections to ensure the tree’s success in the three years after planting. We also manage several edible food forests that provide access to seasonal and local fruit for neighborhood residents.

In summer 2015, Louisville Grows partnered with Gate of Hope Ministries to create the Hope Community Farm, a 45-member community garden, farm, and CSA. The urban farm is located at 1400 Bicknell Ave and encompasses 5 acres, and participants are refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. The CSA offers 40 shares available to community members with plans to expand in the coming growing seasons. After releasing the Louisville Grows Community Garden Toolkit and Garden Grant in 2017, Louisville Grows continued to grow a greener community by sponsoring seven additional gardens across the city. As of Spring 2018, 15 community gardens have received the Community Garden Grant.

In spring 2017, Louisville Grows opened a new office and community space, Healthy House. Located at 1641 Portland Avenue, Healthy House is an engaging, energy efficient, sustainable community space that connects local residents to health, wellness, and green education. Current programs include our weekly Wednesday night yoga classes, Louisville Grows Film Series held on the second Thursday of every month, the Urban Homesteading program, Zero Waste Workshop and Sprouting Cooks sponsored Norton Healthcare. Healthy House is open to the community for learning and events focused on our core values.

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