Season 1 Episode 6
On this episode of All Things Grinnell, we dig into how the Grinnell College Garden is putting sustainability into action. The garden is thriving in its newest location, largely due to improvements in the garden's infrastructure. With raised beds and a drip irrigation system, the garden is now able to supply Grinnell College Dining Services with spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other produce throughout harvest season. We talk with the student workers and volunteers who contribute to the garden's success, as well as Jon Andelson '70, Rosenfield Professor of Social Science and the director of the Center for Prairie Studies, who has been at the helm of the garden's resurgence. For photos of the garden, check out their Instagram or see photographer Justin Hayworth's gallery below.
Following the theme of sustainability, we then talk with Heather Swan, a beekeeper, poet, and lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about honeybees, the threats facing them, and efforts to maintain them around the world. Swan visited campus in the fall to talk about her book, Where Honeybees Thrive, a beautifully illustrated mosaic of visual imagery, stories, and science, which explores efforts to ensure a sustainable future for honeybees – and ourselves. Swan's book won the 2018 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award. In our conversation, we talk about the severity of these threats, the current and potential ramifications, and responses to these challenges. You can read other writing by Swan in Edge Effects, Belt magazine, and the Center for Humans and Nature.
