Veronica, I love that your idea steamed from observations during college tours. Great things to consider for all college students who are looking at the best fit for schools. The income disparity seen between some communities and major colleges is always interesting to look at. I wonder if communities see any tax benefits from the schools. Having a garden and space for people at the universities and local community members to get together and work along side each other is a great way for them to get to know each other and build empathy. People are much more willing to help when they are invested in a community. I would like to see more of a plan of what you had in mind. what would be advertised to get the idea going? How would the community get this started? Love the idea.

Felicia, I love that you liked gardening so much that you centered your idea around it! Yes, there is a lot of research that supports the benefits of gardening and the benefits of having plants where you live. Not only do they remove toxins from the atmosphere they also are carbon sinks! I love that you open the program to a broad community where people can meet others, learn from others, and possibly learn about each others differences to better understand each other. The idea of a kit or a replicable model is great and can be easier to implement than having to go to a specific garden. When dealing with lower income groups you may want to consider a program that continually replenishes supplies to keep the program going.

Vanessa, I love how your idea builds community, is personal to you, and is easy to do within one community and the model can be transferred to other communities. I love that the idea could be a way to introduce new students to each other at the school level but also in the community that people actually live as well. If people don't realize they live close together they might not have the opportunity to spend times with their neighbors but if they are aware that would be their local community and the school community too. I like the idea of a survey or questionnaire to help people connect and find rides. Social media might also be a good place to do so. I wonder if upper division students would be able to drive others, I know there are regulations regarding who students are able to drive an when they are able to drive them, so that would be something you would have to look into.