BENTON TOWNSHIP — When Wightman & Associates cultivated the idea of a company garden in 2015 at its Benton Harbor office, there was tremendous enthusiasm. But, would that spirit persist?
The community garden idea germinated among members of an internal group called The GREEN team whose focus is on developing sustainable and environmentally conscious purchasing and operational practices within the company.
Team members tossed around the idea of creating a garden as an educational tool centered on sustainable practices, and senior management agreed to give it a try.
By the end of last year’s growing season, the company and employees not only realized a bountiful harvest but experienced better workplace communications and boosted morale.
Those involved gave input about their experience. Most said they would do it again because of the positive impact it had on them during their workday and because of what they learned about sustainable practices. In short, it was a resounding success. So much so, other employees were asking how they could be part of it.
In 2016, the garden became a line item in the annual budget, ensuring a second year of the popular workplace activity. With the allocated money, more garden beds were added along with a few new features.
“It didn’t take much to convince our leadership team to approve the garden for a second year,” said Ben Baker, landscape architect and garden project coordinator. “They saw how it improved communication between cross-functional areas of the company and how it fostered office camaraderie. A few of the leadership team members even got involved this year by planting and caring for their own plots.”
This spring, the expansion included four, 4 foot x 8 foot raised beds — bringing the total number of beds to 12 — and three apples trees expected to begin producing fruit in a few years. To handle the organic waste from the garden at the end of each season, a compost bin was added, which will provide natural nutrients for the beds in the future.
“This year participation nearly doubled with 24 gardeners, up from 14 last year,” Baker said. “A few people managed a garden bed on their own while others created teams of three for the added support in caring for their plot. Otherwise, we mostly saw pairs of people working together.”
Some thought was given to having more than 12 plots to allow more people to garden independently. However, experience from last year showed that teams naturally developed support systems, making success and ongoing commitment more likely.
The team environment also allows experienced gardeners to be paired with those with less gardening background to create a learning environment.
“Having others on your gardening team creates a sense of accountability on those days when you think you are too busy to take five minutes to pull a few weeds, water the plants, or pick the produce ready for harvesting,” Baker said. “Having a reason to step away from your desk to get some fresh air can help you clear your mind and give you that needed break so you can be more productive when you return to your work.”
What WAI is doing with its company garden is part of a growing trend in corporations throughout the country. Companies including Google, Yahoo, Pepsico and Kohl’s have all tried their hand at workplace gardens.
In urban areas where most company offices aren’t situated on excess land, rooftop gardens are popping up.
The movement is rooted in two major factors: an increased awareness and pull toward conservation and sustainability and giving employees more freedom to create a workplace where they can be more productive.
For WAI, which was named 2015 Green Business of the Year by Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce and Cornerstone Alliance, the garden aligns with its commitment to green practices and sustainability. Additionally, the second year of workplace gardening has continued to enhance communication and teamwork between employees who might not normally work with each other.
Of course, with increased gardening skills comes more to share at harvest time. This year, more teams maximized their plots by collectively planning what to plant. This reduced an overabundance of a particular food while promoting greater food variety, increased collaboration, and an emphasis on healthy eating.
“The teams share among themselves as well as with their co-workers who aren’t part of the project. They also send produce to the WAI Allegan and Portage offices. It’s another way for staff members at all locations to feel connected, no matter where they work,” Baker said.
Staff members of all gardening skills levels benefit from participating. The experience has increased awareness among those new to gardening about where food comes from. Avid gardeners are using the opportunity to experiment with plants they normally wouldn’t grow in their home garden. Others who have failed at gardening are learning what it takes to be successful at growing plants.
As the growing season winds down, plans are already underway for next season. Employees will once again be asked for their input, observations, and interest in participating next year. Based on that feedback, recommendations will be made about potential expansion in year three of the project.
To learn more, please call Wightman & Associates, Inc. at 269-927-0100 or find us online at www.wightman-assoc.com.
Wightman & Associates, Inc. is a civil engineering, architectural, and survey firm that has been serving Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana since 1946 with offices in Benton Harbor, Portage, and Allegan, Michigan.