Teaming Children and Elders to Grow Food and Environmental Consciousness

Fueled by concerns of a pending global crisis, environmental educators ask the question: How can we promote a responsible attitude and caring view of the planet among young people? Although nurturing an emotional connection with nature is a prominent theme and goal for environmentalists (Berry, 1987 Berry, W. 1987. Home economics, San Francisco: North Point Press. [Google Scholar]), little is known about how to translate environmental philosophies into education practice. To address this challenge we designed the Intergenerational Landed Learning Project, which brings together community elders, elementary students, and their teachers on an urban farm to explore how farming practices can be integrated with school curriculum to foster environmental knowing and care. In this article we provide empirical evidence that an intergenerational learning experience that involves working with the land can be powerful in promoting environmental concern and discuss the challenges we encountered in carrying out this initiative.