We are a community of people all over the United States who are passionate about the environment. Here’s a short and sweet introduction to our mission, purpose, and history.
Mission
To cultivate passion for the environment through sustainable community gardens.
Vision
To create a world where people are connected with each other, their food, and their land.
Why Community Gardens?
Wikipedia gives a good summary:
Community gardens improve users’ health through increased fresh vegetable consumption and providing a venue for exercise. A fundamental part of good health is a diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and other plant based foods. Community gardens provide access to such foods for the communities in which they are located. Community gardens are especially important in communities with large concentrations of low socioeconomic populations, as a lack fresh fruit and vegetable availability plagues these communities at disproportionate rates.
The gardens also combat two forms of alienation that plague modern urban life, by bringing urban gardeners closer in touch with the source of their food, and by breaking down isolation by creating a social community. Community gardens provide other social benefits, such as the sharing of food production knowledge with the wider community and safer living spaces. Active communities experience less crime and vandalism.
History
Three Green Birds started in the spring of 2000 when a small group of people came together to beautify what was known as the “trash curb” in their neighborhood. The “Trash Curb” was full of discarded household items and other litter. Over the course of several weeks, neighbors cleared the curb (recycling what could be recycled), laid down new soil, and planted shrubs, flowers, and herbs. Within a year, it became a thriving community garden, with active community involvement, not to mention fresh herbs and flowers for the neighbors. Other neighborhoods were inspired to do a similar thing, and before long, the project grew into the nation-wide organization that is now known as Three Green Birds.
Where did the name Three Green Birds come from?
When we first became an official organization, we needed a fun name! Because this is a community-driven project, it was only appropriate that the community should name us. So, we held a naming contest and collected hundreds of submissions from individuals, businesses, and schools all over the country. Neighborhood chapters cast their votes on shortlisted names, and mailed them to our central office. Three Green Birds was the winner, with over 60% of the final vote!