Coastal Carolina University held a grand opening celebration for its new Community Garden and Food Waste Drop-Off on Tuesday, April 2, on campus at 3803 Elvington Loop. The space, which is a collaboration between CCU’s Grounds and Sustain Coastal, opened with enthusiastic support from the University’s students, faculty, and staff.

Made possible through the Sustainability Grant program, the Community Garden and Food Waste Drop-Off promotes sustainability, food access, education, wellness, and togetherness. It is open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Friday, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.

“This project contributes to the institution’s commitment to sustainability by encouraging members of the campus community to engage in sustainable practices, including small-scale gardening for personal food production and waste mindfulness,” said Cassandra LaValley, CCU’s assistant director for Sustain Coastal. “It’s our hope that this space will increasingly become a part of campus life and encourage students to adopt more sustainable practices early on, creating lifestyle habits they can carry with them beyond their time at CCU.”

The Community Garden offers individuals and groups the opportunity to secure garden beds for seasonal planting. Available to all students, faculty, and staff, the Community Garden has basic garden tools and water available for use on site. The garden beds are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The managing team in Grounds provides seasonal plant recommendations for all growers who secure garden beds.

“We are so excited to open the Community Garden for our campus community,” said Dominique Werboff, Ph.D., CCU’s director of arboriculture. “As part of the CCU Arboretum, this garden supports our mission to be a place of education, research, discovery, and wellness for CCU students, faculty, staff. We look forward to watching this garden blossom into a beloved space on campus through its promotion of community engagement, collaborative learning, and sustainable living.”

The Food Waste Drop-Off offers receptacles for personal food waste and certified compostable materials. CCU students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to grab a personal compost bin (offered free through Sustain Coastal), separate food scraps and waste from regular trash, and empty the bins once a week at the Food Waste Drop-Off. Sustain Coastal provides complimentary compostable bag liners to keep all compost bins clean.

Written by Rachel Abarbanell, Division of Auxiliary Enterprises