Raising the Next Crop

 

Hope Guardenier is the Executive Director of School Sprouts Educational Gardens and one of the three founding mother members of  The Farm Education Collaborative.  School Sprouts, in conjunction with teachers, educational professionals and students, has installed more than a dozen educational gardens throughout the Pioneer Valley. The Farm Educational Collaborative (TFEC) provides agricultural experiences to children and their families.

Hope began her career as an educator some fifteen years ago while working as a naturalist. She had just one hour a week to talk to people who stopped at her garden spot as a part of a guided trail hike. It soon became glaringly obvious that this was a woefully inadequate amount of time to convey the importance of food and its origins to the people that she was trying to reach. After deciding that bringing gardens to the children was the way to solve this problem she headed back east.

Once here Hope attained her masters degree in environmental education from Antioch University. Here she sowed the seeds that would grow into the network and support system that she enjoys today.

The Pioneer Valley is host to a number of inspiring people who are dedicating their lives to bettering their communities and the world beyond. Hope Guardenier is not only one of these people but she is also guiding and molding a future crop of leaders and world changers.