The Green Center at Kaufman Park in University City, 10.16.24

October 16, 2024
by Victoria Brown-Kennerly, Class of Spring 2024

The Green Center is an art and environmental education organization connecting people to the natural world through experiences with artistic expression and native restoration. It is located at Kaufman Park in University City, and provides events and outreach to local children and families. Theodore is the grounds and restoration coordinator and an ecologist from SLU who directs the projects to restore native habitats in an edibles garden, flower garden, native prairie and adjacent wooded areas. When volunteers arrived at the restored brick house, Theodore had fresh chocolate chip cookies and hot coffee waiting for us.

We cleared a skinny path for walking through a small prairie restoration site, deadheaded some flowering natives in the garden to encourage one last bloom, spruced up some interactive art pieces in the area, and readied a woodpile for their Fire Festival in November. Everyone was very excited about the festival, encouraging me to invite the MMNs! I learned about native asters, and itty-bitty "spoon tomatoes," Solanum pimpinellifolium, originally from Ecuador. The grounds harbor a variety of native and non-native species representing a healthy mix, which is also a fair description of the volunteers. You could hear the warmth toward the local community in their chatter and feel the community spirit as they worked hard to keep the grounds fresh and loved.

Theodore at The Green Center

Edibles Garden

Native Aster

Prairie at The Green Center

Artists in Nature