Earlier this year, while spending a few days in San Francisco (more about that here and here), I stumbled upon this more-or-less empty lot around the corner from the symphony hall:
Had the sign not identified it as a community garden, I wouldn't have known what was in store for the lot.
It was obviously
still in the early stages, but it was exciting to know that a community
garden was going in right in the middle of the city.
We were back in the city recently, and we passed by the same community garden, but this time it was thriving. (That's a pumpkin!)
I'm really digging the repurposed-pallet chairs.
A day or two later, I was on the bus and noticed an ad for the city's composting services. It said, "We compost in San Francisco because we love community gardens. Toss in the leftover pizza. Local gardens will thrive with the compost generated from the green bin."
The next bus I rode had another ad with the same theme, but referring to the environmental benefits of composting (specifically, that keeping organic material out of landfills reduces methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change):
San Francisco is obviously a green leader, but I'm happy to say that Austin is about to unveil curbside composting services as well. I received e-mail this week saying that my neighborhood is part of the pilot project that will start in December. I look forward to sharing all of the details as soon as I have them.