They re also growing learning opportunities and seeding a trail to provide fresh produce in inner-city neighborhoods.
The indoor gardens grow vegetables without soil in pockets of beanstalk-like towers up to 6 feet tall. They re part of a pilot program underway to determine if the university can provide produce for the campus community year-round and encourage new learning in public health, nutrition, botany, chemistry, education and other academic disciplines.
The pilot program also is looking at how community organizations might use such indoor gardens to provide vegetables in city neighborhoods where residents have limited access to fresh foods. This is a journey. We don t necessarily know the destination yet, but we re getting feedback along the way, said Colin Hurley, the university s executive director of community engagement. Hurley doubles as Mercyhurst sustainability manager.