Garden Goodness

How good can this get? I ask again and again. How good can this get?

Good fortune, kind acts, and community-changing efforts are all hallmarks of the Garden of Etna. Just as crops are harvested from one growing season to the next, good intentions are ever present, building from one to the next.

For years, the Borough of Etna and its residents have known the goodness of community and the fabric of ever-renewing generosity. Long before my proposal of establishing an urban growing space, the Borough of Etna knew the goodness of a garden. The parcel of land was available. An army of volunteers was ready. Through a blitz of hard work and community spirit, the foundation of the Garden was built.

A garden raises spirits. A garden creates pride, not bound by age or generation. "This is my garden bed," a father told his young daughter upon a visit to the Garden. An adult son spoke of his visit to the Garden with his elderly mother. He recanted her pride in adopting a 4 x 10 foot raised bed, creating a space where she could learn to grow and harvest.

Loyalty finds reward in Etna, at the Garden. After years of volunteering, a high-schooler practiced his desired vocation as he prepared a meal for Garden visitors on a day of celebration.

The stories of people reaching out to help has been constant throughout the years. How good can this get?

On our very first planting day in 2011, a truck loaded with vegetable plants mysteriously appeared. A nursery operator learned from a friend of our initiative in Etna. He loaded his truck with all the plants we needed. Community leaders knew nothing of the delivery. The truck just appeared.

As a contractor installed solar panels near the Garden, he called to ask if he could replace a few missing shingles on the shed. He did not want paid, he just wanted to help.

How good can this get? This is a question I will not stop asking, but perhaps I should accept the inherent goodness of the Garden of Etna and the surrounding neighborhoods. The Garden of Etna is a good place. People are drawn to the Garden with good intentions. New gardeners and volunteers step forward, with the desire to help.

Good intentions find good intentions; it is inevitable. Just as the goodness of the community spilled into the Garden, that same spirit now flows into the Borough from outside of its borders. Etna's core values attracted the attention of like-minded, civic-minded transplants and regional leaders. Through the established culture of acceptance, the people of Etna welcome the ideas and efforts of newcomers. A community garden, rain gardens, a neighborhood pool is now becoming so much more.

How good can this get? It's only getting better!

The continuing renewal of goodness is being brought forth by these new friends. Through a grant, the Triboro Ecodistrict and the Etna Ecodistrict gifted a solar canopy and delivered electricity to the Garden of Etna. Power tools and gardening equipment will be powered by the sun's energy. The electrical infrastructure will allow for cooking demonstrations, drawing more of Etna's neighbors to the Garden.

As I accept the goodness of the Garden of Etna, I might just be understanding how good it can get. The ambition of building vibrant, sustainable communities is sweeping along the banks of the Allegheny River. The Ecodistrict initiative has brought forth an eye-opening potential of collaborative impact; one group helping another. Through the efforts of ambitious and caring people, the Garden of Etna is expanding beyond a singular place or entity. The Garden is becoming interconnected to all the goodness springing forth not only in Etna, but Millvale and Sharpsburg as well. How good can this get?