In South L.A., CSU Helps Students Learn and Practice Sustainability

The Veggie Bus, parked at Normandie Avenue Elementary School, where students have an edible garden and a solar-powered irrigation system. Photo Credit: Lawrence De Freitas

Community Services Unlimited, (CSU) is a South L.A.-based organization that envisions a healthy, environmentally aware. self-reliant community. To encourage grass-roots activism among young citizens, CSU instated an internship program, in which youth from the community are trained to work to help change the community for the better.

Interns might work in CSU's after-school programs held at John Muir Middle School and Normandie Avenue elementary where students ages 10 to 14 learn how to grow their own food and also learn about cultural food heritage and food systems. To combat the influence of the glut of fast-food establishments in South L.A., CSU designed this program to broaden the palates of the participating students, who are encouraged to try a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Interns also grew fruits and vegetables in a small garden located in their community. They were able to see how easy and fun growing their own food was. Every Thursday after school, they sold the food they grew to the community at prices much lower than at neighboring produce stands.

We sell whatever is in season so right now our list consists of spring and summer produce such as squash, greens, and berries. Summer produce that is coming in includes peaches, plums, nectarines, potatoes, and blackberries. We also have jams that we sell made from blackberries and apricots, and we sell dried herbs such as rosemary, lemon verbena, white sage, and chamomile.

We also sell fresh made smoothies made form blackberries, strawberries, bananas, and peaches.

The produce stand saved shoppers money and gas (and carbon emissions!) because they were close to their home and because they were organic.

We transport our produce using our Veggie Bus, a diesel bus converted to run on waste vegetable oil from neighboring fast food establishments. The bus has taken us on different field trips such as the South Central Farm where we learned how farmers produce food with acres of land. In addition, in March, we partnered with the Angeles Chapter and donated the use of the Veggie Bus in the March for Water.

Wesley Watkins is in ninth grade. Sarika Duren is in eighth grade. Chaundi Ellis is in tenth grade, and Redet Beyene is in eleventh grade.