My Co-op at Green City Growers: A Leader in the Urban Farming Movement

My Co-op at Green City Growers: A Leader in the Urban Farming Movement

By Dan Chamberlain, Environmental Science, 2015

When I first accepted my co-op position at Green City Growers, I had no idea what the next seven months had in store for me. I didn’t know much about urban farming, or really anything to do with agriculture, but as I became more and more involved with the company, I not only gained a lot of knowledge about farming, but I also became passionate about urban farming and sustainable eating.

Green City Growers is a Somerville-based business founded in 2008 by Jessie Banhazl, who was 23 at the time. The company’s mission is to transform unused city spaces into thriving urban farms to inspire self-sufficiency. We serve all types of clients, from residential to commercial. Some of our more recent projects include our 17,000 sq. ft. farm on top of Whole Foods in Lynnfield, Mass., where we installed a garden that we still manage for them.

Another project is our newly implemented school program in Beverly, Mass. With financial aid from the local YMCA, we installed three raised-bed vegetable gardens at all five elementary schools in the town. We now run educational programs with all of the third graders in the district; we teach them about sustainable organic gardening, the importance of eating healthy, and different science- and math-related topics.

Thus far my responsibilities have included everything from client outreach and marketing to spending the day on the roof of Whole Foods tending to the farm (and eating a lot of cherry tomatoes). Green City Growers currently has eight full-time employees, and only had six when I started working in May — which is why my tasks are stretched out to all corners of the company.

Overall, it’s an unreal experience to be part of a company like this. I would suggest Green City Growers to any prospective co-op student. First of all, being part of a start up company is really beneficial. You are not bound to one task that you perform all day everyday. I am constantly all over the place — literally.

Secondly, I suggest getting involved with a company that has some sort of mission you believe in. I leave work everyday feeling like I’m helping the world. And lastly, work somewhere that has unlimited free vegetables in the front yard. You can eat stir fry for days.