当迈克尔·邦恩还是个小男孩的时候，他看着来自南卡罗来纳的阿姨用她的技能把华盛顿的一个花园变成了食物绿洲，他一直很着迷。 邦恩和他的妹妹凯拉·摩尔在完成华盛顿园艺大师志愿者培训项目后，开始通过种植水果和蔬菜来扩大他们的选择。
“One of the main things that the Master Gardener program focuses on is spreading knowledge to support food deserts areas,” Bunn said. “It’s heavily focused on community gardens to help in areas where people have very little access to options other than prepackaged foods with lots of sodium.”
在向华盛顿特区的娱乐部门申请了一个花园位置后，邦恩和他的妹妹在华盛顿特区种植了三个花园，包括西红柿、黄瓜、萝卜、草药和植物。 他的菜园收获了足够的收成，可以出售，并与家人和朋友分享。
“I’m mostly interested in ensuring we have access,” Bunn said. “Most people don’t know what’s in their food or what’s being put on it. The small investment of time of missing one or two TV shows to spend time in a garden to make sure you have fresh vegetables and herbs is worth it.”
邦恩说，他是在寻找更多关于园艺的信息时偶然发现了这个项目。 “I was familiar with CAUSES, but the Master Gardener sparked my interest,” he said. “I’m not a vegetarian, I was looking to eat more vegetables, and I prefer them to be fresh and as chemical-free as possible. Beyond that, it’s an environmental thing. I don’t like to think of the earth being dug up again and again nor the miles required to transport food. We all have to begin to think about where our food is coming from.”
After gaining success as a Master Gardener, Bunn enrolled in the 亚洲博彩网站 Community College and will continue to earn his bachelor’s degree in Architecture and Landscaping at 亚洲博彩网站.
“It’s about credibility,” he said. “When people ask questions, I want to be able to give them solid answers. 我住在一个大多数人都有学位的城市。 I want to have all my credentials to speak officially.”
Bunn says his work as a program manager at a nonprofit, Master Gardener certification and his bachelor’s degree will help him accomplish his long-term goal of owning a nursery in D.C.
“My goal is to have a small nursery in the N.E. community where I was born and raised,” he said. “There isn’t a brick-and-mortar nursery in this community with high-quality plants. My focus is to get as much education as possible to accomplish my goal.”
华盛顿园艺大师志愿者培训项目旨在帮助创建可持续的城市园艺实践，参与者继续在他们的社区做志愿者，并为广泛的园艺项目和活动提供支持。
志愿者们学习园艺实践，解决景观问题，以及蔬菜和观赏种植。 内容是由华盛顿特区居民的优先事项驱动的，所有八个区的居民都可以访问。 学员将学习土壤、植物学、植物病理学、昆虫学、综合虫害管理、园林规划和堆肥、水资源管理和保护、都市农业、水果和蔬菜园艺，以及木本植物和树木的相关知识。
培训分为两个阶段。 第一阶段包括16周的在线学习，最后通过一项考试，参与者必须通过考试才能进入下一阶段。
下一阶段包括获得40小时的志愿者实践经验。 学生们选择他们最感兴趣的话题，并安排在城市周围的志愿者机会。 一旦参与者完成了他们的志愿工作，他们就成为了园艺大师。 为了保持他们的认证，他们每年必须完成20小时的志愿服务和10小时的继续教育。
志愿者的地点包括学校和社区花园、城市农场、公园、非营利组织、青年团体项目和图书馆。 “We’ve gone to embassies, the National Arboretum, Botanical Gardens and spoke to the heads of operations,” Bunn said. We’ve been given great experiences. I’m thankful for the opportunity to make those connections.
“I left the program feeling well informed about agriculture, urban agriculture in particular. It taught us what to grow, where to grow it, what’s native to the area and how to understand timing so we can teach it to others.”