Sustainability in Bloom: Scout’s Community Garden
Working in clean energy and holding a passion for anything environment-focused often go hand-in-hand, and gardening is no exception. Enter Scout's recently formed Garden Committee, an employee-run group focused on promoting eco-friendly gardening practices and a greener workplace. Inspired by her passion for gardening and educating others on the benefits of a green workplace, Senior GIS Associate Leah Elkaim launched the committee with the creation of Scout's first office garden. The new shared space offers a place for employees to de-stress and interact with nature in a meaningful way.
A Good Garden Takes Planning
Gardening in the volatile Colorado weather posed challenges to the committee, from harsh winds to stubborn starter seeds. To compensate, Leah and her team did what any good developer needs to do and created a polished garden maintenance plan. From extensive research on companion planting to perfecting a watering schedule, the Garden Committee determined the space and resources required to ensure a thriving green space. Currently, the Scout garden includes basil, tomatoes, peppers, jalapeños, onions, cucumbers, parsley, oregano, and mint. Volunteers and committee members are responsible for watering the garden to produce fresh ingredients for homemade recipes like pesto and salsa. Members of our Boulder-based 24/7 Remote Operation Center get in on the action, watering the garden on the weekends.
A Shared Purpose Fosters Community
The garden has sprouted into a space in the office for Scouts to learn about and engage in eco-friendly and sustainable gardening practices. By practicing sustainable and organic gardening techniques that eliminate the need for pesticides, the committee naturally minimizes pests and hopes to work with our Sustainability Initiative Committee to implement sustainable composting in the garden.
By involving employees in gardening events and maintenance practices, there have been opportunities to foster connections between employees across different departments. Garden Committee members have described the community garden as therapeutic, satisfying, and a great way to connect with coworkers they might not interact with regularly on a much smaller scale. The inaugural planting event on June 5th drew in nearly 30 Scout employees and encouraged many to join the committee. "I am most proud of how the garden has brought employees together," said founder Leah Elkaim, also mentioning how it is "incredibly rewarding to see colleagues, some of whom never interacted before, bond over their shared appreciation of nature. I am happy to have been a part of something that adds tranquility to people's workday, whether watering the garden or simply enjoying the green space."
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As the committee and garden grow, so do plans to integrate sustainable composting practices while continuously educating employees and members on biodiversity and companion planting. Looking ahead, the committee hopes to expand the garden enough to create themed sections and ultimately hopes to get involved in the local Boulder community to enhance the garden's impact. The immediate impact of the garden has connected Scout employees through interacting with nature, producing delicious ingredients for homemade recipes to share across the organization, and helping Scout become a greener, more sustainable workplace.
