A key component of our Neighborhood Food Hub Project is Air Quality Monitoring at 3 long established garden sites: Wildcat Blooms School Garden, Le Jardin Verde, and Loma Linda Community Center and siting 3 air quality monitors at busy intersection of our newly established community gardens: East Central Ministries (Central and Vermont), Kaseman Community Garden (Intersection of Constitution place and Wyoming), and All Nations Health and Wellness (Intersection of Zuni and California).
We hope to answer the question: Do established gardens (over 10 years old) improve Air Quality and Soil Health and Biodiversity in the International District? Do established gardens reduce the heat island effect in the International District? Each site is also the recipient of 4-5 fruit trees from Tree New Mexico. HEC will partner with the City of Albuquerque Air Quality Environmental Health Division to continue to measure Air Quality in the ID in year two of their grant. (see figure 1.3 for Air Quality Monitor Site map).
