By Christine Cheng
Staff Writer
Just several miles north on Pacific Coast Highway, is the creation of environmental visionaries — Debra Bianco, Remy O’Neil and others — whose hearts are faithful to nurturing both plant and human growth.
Cornucopia Farms, a three-year-old non-profit organization of the Malibu Agricultural Project, strives to create a beautiful garden environment where people of all ages gather to share stewardship with the earth, exchange ideas and come away nurtured and inspired.
Pepperdine students were given an opportunity to participate in the cultivation of their demonstration garden Sunday, when the Progressive Party and the Pepperdine Volunteer Center transported about 20 students to the vast beauties of the Malibu hills and canyons.
The trip took place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., during which volunteers performed yard work such as planting, pulling weeds and digging ditches in the three gardens at Cornucopia Farms.
The Fire Garden was created as a protective measure against unpredictable brush fires that frequently occur in the Malibu hills. Its white clusters, also known as succulent plants, were planted across the lower hills surrounding the property.
The Butterfly and Bird Gardens featured vibrantly colorful herbs, flowers and plants for the fostering and feeding of butterflies and birds. Nutrients for butterflies and birds are grown and blossom year round, enhancing the health of the creatures.
“The time spent at Corn-ucopia couldn’t have been a more delightful and inspiring experience,” junior Monalisa Galang said. “It was so heartening to watch my peers joyously take part in the enhancement of our environment.”
In addition to its demonstration garden, the Malibu Agricultural Project is also responsible for the Malibu Farmer’s Market, through which they wish to prolong and support heirloom seeding and local farming businesses.
Composting — the recycling of green wastes for soil nourishment — is yet another on-going project for the organization. This not only provides the soil with abundant nutrients, but also condenses the city’s landfill build-up and hauling trips.
“We have taken enough from the lands, and it’s time to give something back,” Cornucopia founder Debra Bianco said.
In their giving back, students also received. Their volunteer time at Cornucopia was not limited to yard work. During their six-hour experience, they were educated in the art of nature and soul replenishment.
Students explored cutting-edge practices such as the black water conservation system, straw bale construction, irrigation techniques, and pesticide and chemical-free growing.
Seminars, workshops, explanatory tours, exchange programs and field trips are offered to the public in hopes of extending and inspiring a more natural preservation of the environment.
“It was hard work, no doubt about it,” junior Jean Chang said. “But it’s more fun than anything because I was working alongside with other Pepperdine students who shared the same values and concerns for the environment.”
January 24, 2002
