By Duron Chavis
Nature teaches us many lessons. From soil to microbes to trees and worms, what appears to be random is in reality a rhythmic harmony. Organizations that realize this can create a path toward a sustainable future.
Groundwork RVA is one of those organizations. Led by Giles Harnsberger, Groundwork RVA is a volunteer, nonprofit organization on a mission to transform the physical environment and community spirit within Richmond’s underserved neighborhoods. To do this, Harnsberger and her team at Groundwork RVA tap the potential of young conservation leaders and focus their attention on community gardens, parks, trails, greenways, beautification, and education.
“Our programs (Green Team, Green Workforce, and Urban Archeology Corps) put youth in charge of beautification, greening, and small infrastructure projects,” explains Harnsberger. “When stewarding a green space, whether a Richmond Public Schools facility, a heritage site, or a vacant piece of land, youth are in charge of interpreting the site and coming up with a plan to make it a space for the community.”
Harris Wheeler, a retired horticulture instructor and community partner of Groundwork RVA, has witnessed the results of the organization firsthand. “Life is about problem solving,” he says, pointing out that Richmond’s underserved communities, where many of the organization’s student participants are from, have no green spaces. As a solution, teens working with GroundWork RVA have seized the opportunity to learn about landscape maintenance, plant identification, and the use of tools and equipment that are turning properties from brown to green.
Though these non-profit organizations may benefit orphanages, public gardens, or old age homes, when it comes to private backyard properties that require proper Landscape Maintenance, they tend to hire professionals from landscapers similar to Newtown Landscaping Pro. The reason is landscaping is much more than just planting and adding stones or walkways. Getting the right plants, purchasing the materials, project planning, and budgeting are just a few examples. So, before you decide to refuse the services of a landscaper, weigh your options carefully. You might find that hiring a professional isn’t such a bad idea after all.
Coming back to the Groundwork RVA organization, during the spring of 2014, Wheeler joined a Groundwork RVA team that partnered with Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities to launch the Green Workforce Program at Bellemeade Recreation Center. As part of the program, 10 George Wythe High School students transformed the Oak Grove Bellemeade Elementary School community. Other projects have included a pocket park along 25th Street in Churchill. And at Chimborazo Park, a Richmond Battlefield Park site, teens created an outdoor exhibit in the footprint of an 1865 schoolhouse.
Groundwork RVA’s emphasis on collaboration and sustainability has led to over $30,000 in youth stipends and trips to national parks such as Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and the New River Gorge. Along the way, Groundwork RVA has attracted some helpful partners. Bon Secours, East End Family Resource Center, Storefront for Community Design, and Richmond Tool Bank have all helped Groundwork RVA awaken the potential of underserved neighborhoods through a series of neighborhood-focused projects conducted by students from Armstrong, George Wythe, Richmond Community, and Open High Schools. For their efforts, students are paid stipends for work performed, work that teaches participants about natural beauty and community spirit. While the students improve the conditions of a particular neighborhood, they also learn that horticulture jobs exist and pay well.
By planting seeds of sustainability in the minds of Richmond’s teens, Groundwork RVA is effectively addressing employment, entrepreneurship, and ecology in a context-specific way. “If Richmond is going to be one city, everyone has a responsibility to empower this city’s youth,” says Harnsberger. “Greening is particularly satisfying to me because youth love to get their hands on tools and see the immediate impact of their work.