Guam Green Growth Hagåtña Community Garden

About

Serving as an educational hub, the Hagåtña G3 Community Garden showcases innovative practices such as natural pest control, composting to divert waste from landfills, and cultivating diverse pollinator-friendly plants. This once underutilized urban space green space now contributes significantly to community health and food sovereignty by providing opportunities for physical activity, stress reduction, improved mental well-being through connection with nature, and direct involvement in local food production.

Categories Program Adults Children & Youth Community & Advocacy Educational / Vocational

Program Details

Mission

The Hagåtña G3 Community Garden, a vibrant cornerstone of Guam's capital city, emerged from the collaborative efforts of the island-wide Guam Green Growth (G3) initiative. This public-private partnership, facilitated by the University of Guam's Center for Island Sustainability and supported by the Office of the Governor, aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Designed and maintained by Guåhan Sustainable Culture (GSC), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable practices and food security, the garden serves as a living laboratory for environmental sustainability and food sovereignty. Its mission is to cultivate sustainability, food security, and community well-being through hands-on education, innovative urban agriculture, and collaborative stewardship of shared green spaces while promoting physical and mental health through nature engagement and empowering the community to take control of its food system.

At its core, the Hagåtña G3 Community Garden showcases innovative practices such as natural pest control, composting to divert waste from landfills, and cultivating diverse pollinator-friendly plants. It serves as an educational hub, offering workshops and tours on topics ranging from food production to upcycling, focusing on engaging schoolchildren and community members in hands-on learning experiences. The garden transforms an underutilized urban space into a productive oasis that provides fresh, culturally appropriate produce for needy families and offers a serene retreat for visitors and residents alike. This green space contributes significantly to community health and food sovereignty by providing opportunities for physical activity, stress reduction, improved mental well-being through connection with nature, and direct involvement in local food production.

The garden serves a diverse population, including residents, schoolchildren participating in educational programs, families in need who benefit from produce donations, community volunteers interested in gardening and sustainability, visitors to Guam's capital seeking a peaceful green space, and individuals attending workshops on sustainable practices. Through its multifaceted approach, the Hagåtña G3 Community Garden is nurturing a more sustainable, food-secure, and connected community in the heart of Guam, contributing to local food sovereignty, environmental education, and public health for the broader Guam community. The garden fosters healthier lifestyles, more robust community bonds, and greater control over the local food system. It promotes access to fresh, locally-grown produce, provides a space for social interaction and physical activity, and empowers residents to grow their own food.

Staff Composition

Education Programs Manager
Garden Supervisors
AmeriCorps GSC Staff and Members
Community Volunteers

Contact Marlyn Oberiano marlyn@gusustainable.org (671) 687-6713 www.gusustainable.org

Services Offered

Educational Workshops and Tours

Gardening workshops for local residents
Guided tours and field trips for school groups on sustainable agriculture

Community Green Space

Providing a peaceful area for meditation and stress relief for residents
Hosting community gatherings and cultural events in the garden
Volunteer opportunities for garden maintenance

Chamoru Language and Culture Preservation Activities

Teaching residents how to grow culturally significant crops
Labeling plants with their Chamoru names to promote language learning
Hosting workshops on traditional Chamoru farming practices and their modern applications

Cost to Participate

Most programs at the garden are free and made possible by various grants from the government, private foundations, and donations from community members.

Six people stand around the vegetable beds in the garden. In the background, there is a low building as well as a large fully leafed out tree overhanging the plants that provides shade.

A young person wearing a sun visor and holding a garden tool kneels at a raised vegetable bed in full bloom.

Elementary students in school uniforms of green shirts and light tan shorts take notes as they investigate and explore the plants in the garden.

Children wearing school uniforms and sun hats lean over a table reading laminated charts of plants and their common garden pests.

A table is laid with three baskets of vibrant, colorful fruit, including bananas, pineapple, dragon fruit, and star fruit. Beside them are stacks of colored cups and plates, and the Guam Grower’s Calendar.

A man pots seedlings from a tray into some plastic cups held by a woman on the other side of the table. In the background, other people also carry cups of seedlings.

The garden contains raised vegetable beds full of plants, covered on top by an elevated shade canopy. In the background, potted plants are spaced out along the pavement.

Ongoing Research

In 2021, with funding from Humanities Guahan and the National Endowment for the Humanities, GSC launched its project titled Ginen i Gualo’—Histories of Farming and Agriculture on Guåhan. The project provides the island’s community with knowledge of past and current agricultural practices, preserves and shares stories of our island’s local farmers, and, most importantly, encourages profound connections to the land and island. The project can be viewed at https://www.gusustainable.org/ginenigualo

Recent Case Studies

A child in a blue shirt and a child in a red shirt are playing the game Twister outdoors, on a surface of dried grass and leaves.

Program

Integrative OT

The Integrative OT program model provides nature-based occupational therapy services for children in the Birmingham, Alabama area. Integrative OT also co-hosts free Heeling Cancer hikes with a local massage therapist for adults undergoing cancer treatment or who are cancer survivors of any kind.

Four sticks are bound together by twine, creating a frame around pink-colored leaves and pink paper hearts that say “I LOVE YOU MOM” in a child’s handwriting.

Program

Bearfoot Occupational Therapy

Bearfoot Occupational Therapy provides nature-based pediatric occupational therapy that combines expert guidance with transformational sessions to unlock the best version of a child's most authentic self.

A large group of participants line up for a photo at the edge of a hill. They are all dressed in biking gear and have their arms thrown up in the air as a sign of triumph; some also have bikes by their sides. The background is a beautiful shot of a vast canyon, with rolling green hills that disappear far into the horizon. The clear sky overhead is lit up by a bright sun.

Program

The Cycle Effect - Building Belonging on Bikes

The Cycle Effect uses mountain biking as a catalyst to mentor riders and foster belonging, physical wellbeing, mental health, community engagement, leadership skills, and fun outside. The Cycle Effect provides bikes, gear, transportation, bilingual coaching, and low-cost programming to eliminate barriers to entry for an otherwise exclusive sport.