In the "Faith and Values" section of the Santa Barbara News-Press on Sat., Dec 11, 2010, a 2 page article by Ted Mills was published: "Garden of Eden: Mesa church plants to turn small plot of land into community bounty".  Unfortunately the article is behind a subscriber wall, but the jist is that Holy Cross Church, on the Mesa in Santa Barbara, California, now has a new permaculture food forest called "Mesa Harmony Garden" which is "set to become several things: a way to feed those in need, an exciting example of permaculture and a gift from a local church to the Mesa community." 

 

The project involves church members (including Holy Cross priest, Father Ludo DeClippel, deacon Randy Saake and the area bishop), local business people, Santa Barbara City College, and Permaculture Guild of Santa Barbara members.  The food from the garden will be harvested by the local Food Bank and will feed those in need.

 

Permaculture guild member Loren Luyendyk, a local permaculture designer and teacher, put in three days carving out the earthworks for the project, which will have 300 fruit trees on berms above swales, and will include a banana circle. Guild co-chair Larry Saltzman and other guild members have been involved in the food forest design, fruit tree choices and land preparation as well. Permaculture guild, garden club, church and community members, plus SBCC students were all active in the digging and fruit tree planting.

 

Project members hope that this story will inspire other faith groups in our community to transform their extra land into community gardens and food forests.