Friends of NWTC Magazine Friends Fall 2019 | Page 21

a big compost pile in the back, and I thought those things
were super normal.”
Chu’s students, she said, see sustainable agriculture as part
of a world view, rather than a job, which leads them to explore
topics like the relationship between food and inclusion.
“It seems students who are attracted to sustainable food
systems have a whole lifestyle that reflects their values and
ethics as people,” she said. “It’s more than a hobby or career
choice that way.”
The garden is not the only thing Chu sees growing, though—
students are flourishing. Often she said, she witnesses students
who come into the program a little timid, leave with a new sense
of confidence.
“When you’re working with the soil and working with your hands,
something magic happens,” she said.
It’s a magic Chu hopes more people will get to experience, as the
benefits of sustainable growing, she said, go far beyond food.
“If people were more involved with this sort of enterprise, I think
we’d have a stronger shared sense of responsibility to protect
the environment. We’d feel more empowered to take back some
control over our food that we consume and the time we carve
out in our messy busy lives to prioritize it. We’d support others
who are trying to prioritize it,” she said. “We could be making a
shift as a whole culture to be more supportive.
“If more people could be involved in this, it would just be
a better world.”
Amanda and the students sell
produce in the Commons to help
students build business skills.
Amanda and students in NWTC’s
Sustainable Food and Agriculture
Systems program work together
with small fields, a greenhouse,
chicken coop, beehives and more
to create healthy food products
while maintaining health soils,
livestock and environment.
FALL 2019 / 21