Faculty Part of Interdisciplinary EPA Grant Award
The School of Education (SOE) is part of an interdisciplinary team leading a $938,141 EPA grant to drive transformative local initiatives aimed at bolstering food security, advancing sustainable agriculture, and enhancing climate resilience in Waco’s underserved communities. The Baylor award is part of a larger $17.9 million EPA Community Change grant awarded to Mission Waco, the City of Waco, and other local nonprofits. Through a collaborative and innovative approach, Baylor faculty from the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, SOE, and Environmental Humanities minor are regenerating local food systems, reducing waste, and combating climate change with the involvement and leadership of local schools and faith communities.
Over the past year, this city-wide initiative known as the Sustainable Community and Regenerative Agriculture Project (S.C.R.A.P.) has diverted 123,000 pounds of food waste from the landfill, produced 22,000 pounds of fresh, locally grown food, and engaged over 4000 community members including educators and faith leaders. Now, the next phase of this work is underway.
With the grant’s emphasis on education, the SOE is playing a critical role. The project is led by principal investigator, Dr. Stephanie Boddie, associate professor of Church and Community Ministries, who holds faculty appointments in the School of Social Work, School of Education, and Truett Seminary. Baylor co-principal investigators include Dr. Joshua King, professor of English and director of the Environmental Humanities Minor, and Dr. Kevin Magill, associate professor of curriculum and instruction in the School of Education.
Since her arrival at Baylor in 2017, Boddie has made connections with educators and schools. She collaborated with engineering students to build a greenhouse at a local school, launched an Aquaponics project with SOE science educators, and teaches an SOE graduate course, Education from a Gardener’s Perspective.
“Our work is about more than gardening and composting,” Boddie said. “It’s about cultivating a sense of belonging, resilience, and stewardship. The garden is a useful place to explore the concept of ‘refugia’ in urban education. It reminds us to recognize and nurture the small places where students and communities can persist in the face of challenges,
grow, and generate new possibilities
for the future.”
Magill, whose expertise is in social studies and history education, taught middle and high school social studies, English language arts, and opportunity/intervention in Northern California before entering higher education. Since coming to the SOE in 2017, he has taught courses in social studies, social issues, teaching methods, and graduate research methods.
Magill and Boddie are overseeing the expansion of education and gardening programs in local schools and faith-based organizations. The initiative includes expanding and supporting compost and garden projects in at least eight local schools, partnering with social service agencies and congregations to reach underserved neighborhoods in food deserts. New programs will involve opportunities for micro-business development and an interactive exhibit to highlight the impact of food systems and the power of community-led solutions using local stories.
Magill said, “We want to integrate the work with the SOE’s existing school-based partnerships to provide valuable participatory and community-based teaching and learning experiences for local schools and Baylor students. It’s important to build structures that will endure even when a key teacher or staff person leaves a school.” Similar networks will be built within faith communities and agencies involved in the project.