News from the EarthWays Center

The Sunflower+ Project: STL was contacted this spring by an upbeat and engaged community member looking to network and find support for a start up community garden. Patrice Preston Rogers is this person. She, and her family, inherited a couple of contiguous and large lots in East St. Louis, IL and rather than selling to a commercial developer, they decided to turn it into a community gathering spot for food, fellowship, and education. 

EarthWays staffer, Richard Reilly, who heads the Sunflower+ Project talked things over with Patrice this summer and offered to share sunflower seeds and photographic documentation of the season. Patrice and the many folks who’ve volunteered have done an amazing job getting things started, securing donations of plants and materials, and creating fun and satisfying workdays on site. 

Here are a few additional pictures of the work in progress: 

Preston Community Garden, “Building a greener and stronger East Saint Louis” – Learn more