Create a food forest with design elements such as fruit tree guilds surrounded by self-supporting, low-maintenance plants.

Ensure that food forest is well utilized by planting things kids like, keeping it open to the community, and using food locally such as in the school cafeteria.

Ensure sustainability by engaging the community to help with summer maintenance or providing employment opportunities for community members.

Include a working farm that is managed by a nonprofit organization.

Develop educational curricula with school such as integrating STEM education and gardening.

Promote chemical free farming/gardening.

Use the outputs of the food forest to teach entrepreneurial skills.

Create Emerson farmers market for children to incorporate all aspects of education into small business endeavors.

Utilize sustainable storm water techniques, such as rainwater tanks, underground cisterns, and bio swales.

Improve environmental friendliness by utilizing solar power and/or wind turbines.

Reduce impervious surfaces and harmful environmental effects of parking lots through use of pervious pavers and/or a parking lot garden.

Create an ongoing educational program that brings young farmers from many cultures and cities

Perform asset based mapping to bring in the resources and culture throughout the community

Create a summer school and after-school gardening program.

Provide opportunities for outdoor recreation such as a park area, log swings, water pump teeter-totter, and moveable tables and chairs.

Provide messy area for unstructured, creative play with natural elements such as logs, bamboo etc.  

Incorporate natural beauty through elements such as wildflowers, a labyrinth, and arbors.

Plan plantings based on opportunity for year round color and production.

Create environments conducive to bees and butterflies.

Develop educational materials to teach students and community about water, soil, composting, and harvesting.

Increase diversity wherever possible.

Develop curricula for learning about nature (bugs, birds, worms, etc).

Encourage all forms of nature with bug hotels, possible small farm animal area, etc.

Connect walking trail to existing neighborhood sidewalks.

Promote shared use of the track and playground equipment.

Host community events to engage and educate the community.

Promote neighborhood use through a community garden and shared compost area.

Ensure safety and protection from vandalism by keeping it well-lit, working with TPD, and a neighborhood watch.

Develop cooking class program to show students and community how to prepare food from the garden. Teach people about calories and healthy eating.

Have community events focusing on the garden such as garden lunches or garden potlucks.

Build an outdoor kitchen and pavilion for events.

Identify grant opportunities both nationally and locally.

Develop sponsorship opportunities for local businesses.

Work with other community groups to identify partnership and funding opportunities.