Draw employees outside to plant, maintain, and harvest organic produce from your company’s garden. Green City Growers corporate wellness gardens enhance campus sustainability, improve employee health and wellness, attract and retain high quality candidates, give back to the local community, and garner positive press.
CUSTOMIZATION
The needs and desires of each company are different, therefore no two GCG gardens or programs are the same. We provide raised beds in a variety of options and looks, and education sessions to fit your
company’s schedule.
HANDS-ON EDUCATION
GCG farmers are horticulture experts and passionate educators who teach all skill levels in a relatable way. Programming combines hands-on farming tasks, group discussions, and direct instruction. We teach people to grow their own food at home or in their community. Employees will learn best practices for growing delicious vegetable and fruit crops and gain a greater understanding of what healthy eating really means.
MAINTENANCE
Maintenance services ensure a bountiful, beautiful yield throughout the growing season. Our farmers follow best organic practices to ensure high quality produce is grown. We provide basic maintenance in the “off weeks” between educational sessions, ensuring the gardens always look beautiful and are producing successful harvests. During the winter seasons we offer cold frame installation and maintenance to extend your growing season.
WHERE DOES THE FOOD GO?
Programs allow for various food distribution efforts to be made. Corporate wellness participants have the option to share the harvest and bring a portion home. Produce may also be donated to local food rescue partners to be distributed to people in need within the community, or even used in the company’s dining services.
A TYPICAL YEAR
While weather and other environmental factors mean a garden can never be fully predictable, the following calendar outlines a typical year. The calendar features logistics, types of garden activities participants would engage in, and samples of seasonal crop lists. An average growing season is 32 weeks. With season extension tools, such as cold frames, the season can be extended to up to 41 weeks.
Harvard Pilgrim’s relationship with Green City Growers is essential to the production and quality of our organic farms. Thanks in part to their ability to partner with us, we’ve seen our employee volunteers grow from novices into knowledgeable farmers. GCG educates us on every aspect of farming, from seeds to harvest, bugs to critters. We learn, we thrive, we grow!”
Peggy Malumphy, HPHC Volunteer
Why Would Your Employees Participate?
- Gain new practical skills you can apply at home
- Re-energize and reduce stress
- Collaborate with coworkers in a common interest
- Get outdoors and do something active
- Harvest produce for donation or to take home
“It’s a different feeling than touching my keyboard all day, and it’s nice to get out and see something green and growing and to battle some bugs instead of some technical issue for a little while.”
HPHC Volunteer
Business Benefits
- Promotes healthy employee lifestyle choices
- Provides cross departmental team building opportunities
- On site raised beds “green” your business
- Give to the local community through tax-deductible food bank donations
- Generate press (our programs have been featured in the NY Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, WBUR, among others)
Corporate Client Showcase:
