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Long Beach really wants to be the greenest city in the country. They are working towards being a truly walkable city, complete with a large bicycle network. Another sustainable goal of theirs are community gardens and urban farms. To date, there are 15 of them with a 16th to be announced on Monday.
For Meredith Reynolds, the city of Long Beach's Sustainability Coordinator, the city's approach to gardens is found in their history. "This was all a farm," she explained over the phone. "It's getting back to that deep seeded history of what Long Beach used to be."
In October, the Trust for Public Land -- that's the group behind saving the Hollywood Sign -- ranked Long Beach as the number 3 city in the country for most urban gardens per capita. And come Monday, they might edge out the competition for a higher ranking spot.
Over at Long Beach Boulevard and 15th Street, a 13,000 square foot piece of land at the New City School will officially be announced as the city's latest urban farm. It will be developed to be a working, education farm for students, parents, and the community at-large.
For the charter school, this is especially important and unique to their goals. Because New City primarily serves low-income students, the farm will be used to enhance core subjects like math, history and English literacy. Other subjects will include nutrition, environmental biology and conservation.
More details about the new farm will be released Monday at a press conference with Councilmember Robert Garcia.
