The rise in company gardens

[Liberal_in_LA]

The Rise of Company Gardens

HERE at the world headquarters of PepsiCo, the masterminds behind $60 billion worth of Mountain Dew, Cheetos and Rice-A-Roni roam polished hallways.

But a five-minute walk away is the organic corporate vegetable garden, where spreadsheets and performance reviews give way to basil starts and black peppermint plants. Employees can sneak out for a quick lunchtime weeding session and cart home the harvest.

As companies have less to spend on raises, health benefits and passes to the water park, a fashionable new perk is emerging: all the carrots and zucchini employees can grow.

Carved from rolling green office park turf or tucked into containers on rooftops and converted smoking areas, these corporate plots of dirt spring from growing attention to sustainability and a rising interest in gardening. But they also reflect an economy that calls for creative ways to build workers’ morale and health.

“It’s almost as if they are saying, ‘Yeah, we couldn’t give you a pay increase and yeah, times are tough, but this is something we can do to help improve the quality of your life,’ ” said Bruce Butterfield, the research director for the nonprofit National Gardening Association.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/dining/12gardens.html?hp

[ixion]

1. I started a garden this year...I highly recommend it

I work from home, and work-related stress has always been an issue, despite the telecommute. Being able to take a break and go out to the garden is a grounding, and will (hopefully) produce some good veggies. :)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=268x3484

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. good for you!

[butterfly77]

7. I did too..

[nebenaube]

2. We are all share-cropers now... n/t

[mdmc]

4. --

[arcadian]

5. More greenwashing from corporate Amerika

[Motown_Johnny]

6. I work for a landscaping company, last year....

...at my suggestion, we ran a special on installing small vegetable gardens for our customers. Put the special in our monthly flyer. Mailed it to everyone and had one, yes 1, customer decide to have one installed.

Now that does not mean that other customers did not start vegetable gardens without us customizing a portion of their yard for it. It also does not mean that other customers do not already have vegetable gardens (many do).


I am just saying that I thought it would catch on and I was very disappointed in the response.





(point of reference, approx. 200 residential customers and maybe 75 commercial accounts)