Central United Methodist Church garden
6030 Albemarle Road | Charlotte, NC 28212
Contact: Karen Carpenter, thecarps3@yahoo.com
In 2011, Central United Methodist Church (CUMC) Charlotte was one of four churches in the nation to win Interfaith Power & Light’s “Cool Congregations Challenge,” awarding effort by faith-based congregations to address global warming at the grass-roots level. The $1,000 award recognized Central in the category of sustainable grounds and water conservation.
Demonstrating ways to reduce its carbon footprint and inspire its members and others in the community, Central started a community garden last spring with 24 plots, including some raised beds. To preserve water and enrich soil, volunteers tilled in 48 cubic yards of compost made from county recycled yard waste with additional dirt removed from construction sites. They created garden paths from mulch recycled from tree trimmers, and converted recycled, neutralized barrels into cisterns for irrigation. They established a compost pile to winterize the garden and prepare for Spring. This year’s harvest provided locally grown produce to congregants, neighborhood gardeners, and the church’s food pantry, which serves 15 families from Albemarle Road Elementary School, a local high-poverty, high-English as a Second Language elementary with whom Central partners.
Three other winners were selected from New Mexico, Connecticut and Indiana for energy efficiency, renewable energy and inspiring congregants to lower energy use at home.
-Lucille Howard, CUMC member
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