The EMA School Garden Program Paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2019 Garden Luncheon
Presenting Sponsor
We are very happy to announce our brand new sponsorship with City National Bank that will be the official presenting sponsor for our existing gardens, along with the continued support of Kellogg Gardens Products to help refresh our school gardens.
HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM
The Environmental Media Association (EMA) launched its EMA School Garden Program on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at Helen Bernstein High School in Hollywood.
The EMA School Garden Program allows children across the country to benefit from shared urban school garden experiences and inspire students to take action on behalf of nature. Students who can leave the confines of a classroom for an outdoor, environmental experience learn more and test higher than other students. They also make healthier food choices in their lives and have greater self-confidence and leadership skills.
We believe that a disconnect from nature, our soil & water systems, and where food comes from is the root cause of many of our modern environmental issues. We hope by getting kids outside and planting vegetables and herbs, we can start to change that disconnect.
Since inception, EMA has directly supported 20 LA school gardens through corporate and public funding and celebrity mentoring.
Please help us put a school garden in every major city in the country!
Schools Participating in the EMA School Garden Program:
Check out our EMA School Garden Program Gardens:
MISSISSIPPI:
CALIFORNIA:
186th Street Elementary School
Arts & Services for the Disabled
Brooklyn Early Education Center
Calvert Street Elementary School
Carson Senior High School
Carthay Center Elementary School
Cochran Middle School
Eliot Middle School
Hancock Park Elementary for the Grove Park
Helen Bernstein High School
Heritage Museum of Orange County
Marvin Avenue Elementary School
Metropolitan High School
North Hollywood High School
Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy
Queen Anne Elementary School
Saturn Street Elementary School
University High School
Venice Senior High School
Westminster Avenue Elementary School
“City National Bank & EMA, thank you so much for considering University High School Charter School and honoring our students garden by awarding us a 2020 EMA Garden Grant. We will be the first school in the county to install a responsive drip irrigation system that is bioengineered to water plants only when they need it.”
- Uni High Wildcat Garden Team
“This grant allows us to continue our expanded garden classes by providing funds for bird nesting boxes, in particular Barn Owl boxes (a native bird to Los Angeles), as well as smaller boxes, feeders and water fountains to attract even more local birds. We are grateful for the support of EMA and City National Bank.”
- Westminster Elementary
“We are overjoyed to receive this grant, which will bring Carthay students’ environmental education and interactions to the next level. The EMA grant funds allow us to expand native pollinator gardens and provide interactive experiences, which will be accessible to all students throughout the school day.”
- Carthay PTA President Caterina Mercante
“The EMA school garden grant will allow us to install an outdoor sink so students can safely wash hands, clean and produce for food preparation and wash utensils before and after use. We have been working toward this goal for over five years and we are so excited about this opportunity and how we can expand students exposure to nutritious healthy food they have grown in their garden.”
- Playa Del Rey Garden Team
Resources
Download these tips for students to learn how to go green!
How to start a School Garden
Check out this great blog at fix.com to learn how to start a school garden!
