RUNNING HEAD: HOW GARDENING IS LIFE CHANGING 1

How Gardening Is Life Changing

Emmy Schoening

Saginaw Valley State University

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Introduction to College Life

Living the life of a college student can be chaotic, stressful, and exhausting. Students’

days consist of going to classes, studying, clubs and sports, working, and finding time to be with

friends and family. Students also need to find time for themselves to relax. This busy schedule

can take a toll on college students’ mental and physical health. It’s common for students not to

get proper nutrition and to have irregular sleep habits. Students will often find themselves

indoors most, if not all, day, and may not be getting as much exercise as they should. It may be

difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle while being in college, but it is possible. It is important

for students to live healthy because it will encourage them to do well in all areas of their life,

including their studies. Being able to get outside and living a healthy lifestyle helps students

deal with the demanding and stressful days college brings. Because of this, I propose that

Saginaw Valley State University starts a community garden to promote healthy living.

Analysis of Lifestyle Issues

College campuses are great places for meeting new people, educating and inspiring

young adults about their future, and to have new experiences. It seems like college is the place

to be, that students have everything they need to be successful in life. However, that is not

always the case. Most universities do not promote a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. Instead,

college campuses are usually surrounded by all the big fast food franchises. A lot of universities

even have fast food options on their campuses, making it even easier for students to

continuously eat unhealthy. Here at SVSU, our on- campus dining options are somewhat

limited, so it can be difficult to find a healthy meal. Some of the only healthy food options on
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campus are at the Cardinal Café, such as Greens To Go and Freshens. The problem with this is

that it isn’t open on the weekends and for the majority of the day during the week. These

limited hours force students to eat the unhealthier options on campus such as Papa Johns and Commented [KL1]: Listing the hours would help your
readers understand your perspective

at the Marketplace, which are open most of the day and on weekends. The Marketplace

consistently offers unhealthy options such as pizza, burgers, and fries all day, every day. This

contributes to the unhealthy lifestyle of college students.

Another major problem on SVSU’s campus is that there are not manyfew outdoor

facilities for students to use. Students are stuck inside all day studying, going to classes and

meetings. SVSU has many nice study areas, like the library, where many students spend a lot of

their time. However, this means students are not getting outside nearly as often as they should

be. This is a big problem on campus that and contributes to the unhealthy lifestyle of college

students. SVSU doesn’t have any nice, designated study areas outside for students to use.

Being outdoors, breathing fresh air can sometimes reduce stress. College students have long

stressful days, that causes them to have irregular sleeping habits. This contributes to their

unhealthy lifestyle as well, because they are always tired and don’t have much free time to

themselves. The time they do have is often spent on their phones or watching tv, not outside

or getting exercise. This means most students really are only going outside to walk to their

classes, which is not enough for a healthy lifestyle. All these factors are causes of why the

college life can be so unhealthy and unbalanced. Commented [KL2]: Using research here to validate these
claims would be helpful.

This college lifestyle is well known, and most college students expect it going into

school, but. However, what they don’t expect is the negative effects this lifestyle can have on

their mental and physical health. Students, especially freshman, are known to gain weight
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throughout college. This is because of their unhealthy eating habits, including eating

irregularly. The busy class and studying schedules students have, and the set hours of food

available on campus, makes it difficult to get three healthy meals a day. A study done by Zhang

Xiaohua at the Sias International University (2013), studied college students and their lifestyle

habits. The study showed that “They had irregular eating and stomach because they stayed

indoors for too long, and some of whom even affected their normal life.” There are many long

term physical and mental health effects of unhealthy eating. An article from the Washington

Post says, “Eating a poor quality diet high in junk food is linked to a higher risk of obesity,

depression, digestive issues, heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and early

death.” (Brissette, 2018). Healthy eating is extremely important for a healthy lifestyle, as well

as proper exercise and getting outdoors in the fresh air. Students work hard and cram in all of

their homework, meaning they often get a lack of sleep beginning the cycle of irregular sleep.

Another study done on college students and their lifestyle showed, “Many students declared Commented [KL3]: Remind readers what you’re
proposing. This would help put this research into
perspective.
that they consumed tea and coffee to avoid sleepiness and remain alert in class” (Hafsa, Asma,

Zaheer, 2018). The students lack of sleep affects their mental health through their studies, and

their physical health through exercise. Students who don’t get enough sleep find themselves

spending their free time inside, on their phones or computers. Xiaohua’s study found that

“In spare time, students spend much time in enjoying computers and playing with their Commented [KL4]: Missing a word
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cellphones, and few students doing physical exercise. If things go on like this, their

physical fitness will decline. Once they come across emergency things, they will feel

exhausted. Besides, their eyesight will also go down during their enjoying computers

and cellphones” (2013). Commented [KL5]: Any quote over three lines needs to be
indented.
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The negative effects of college life are obvious. Students feel these effects of college life

through exhaustion, stress, weight gain, and in some cases depression. It doesn’t have to be

this way here at SVSU. There are solutions to this problem.

Plan to have a Community Garden

An idea to start a community garden here at SVSU was inspired by Ron Finley, who did

the same in South Central LA. The idea is the garden will get students outside, moving, and

inspired to eat the healthy fruits and vegetables they are growing. These are all important

factors of a healthy lifestyle. Ron Finley says, “I have witnessed my garden become a tool for

the education, a tool for the transformation of my neighborhood” (Finley, 2013). A community

garden can do the same here at SVSU. It has the potential to transform college life to be a

healthier and happier lifestyle.

The first step to implementing a community garden at Saginaw Valley State University is

to find an approved location for the garden. The university has plenty of unused land that

would be perfect for gardening. The garden could have different kinds of fruits and vegetables

in the different seasons, such as apples, strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, squash,

cucumbers, along with many more options. The school can get students as volunteers to

maintain the garden, and to do all the start up work. Many students enjoy gardening and being

outdoors and could start a registered student organization on campus. This contributes to a

healthier lifestyle by getting students active outdoors and taking productive mental breaks from

schoolwork to interact with likeminded peers. Ron Finley says, “Gardening is the most

therapeutic and defiant act you can do” (2013). It is important to have an effective way to
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release stress, in order to live a happy and healthy life. Gardens have a positive effect on the

whole community, “You just couldn’t imagine how amazing a sunflower is and how it affects

people” (Finley, 2013). A garden on SVSU’s campus would benefit all students, by brightening

up their long, stressful days.

A community garden would not only improve the mental health of students, but their

physical health, too. By adding a walking path through the garden, students will be able to get

moving outside even if they are not involved in the gardening itself. According to Stanford

Medicine website, “Findings published in the latest issue of Preventive Medicine show that

increasing the amount of time you spend outdoors can improve sleep quality” (Steakley, 2015).

Students who spend time outside because of the garden will ultimately get better sleep, leading

to more productive and focused days studying and in class. It is a chain reaction from here.

Students that get better sleep are less tired and more likely to find themselves spending their

free time exercising or being outdoors, rather than on their phones and computers in their

rooms. Overall the garden is promoting a healthier lifestyle for all students on campus.

Cost-Benefits Analysis of the Garden

One of the best parts of the community garden is all the wonderful, fresh fruits and

vegetables it will produce. Students studying agriculture, nutrition, and other related fields can

use the garden as a study and research tool. They can learn all about the harvesting of different

fruits and vegetables throughout the different seasons. These fruits and vegetables can then

be given back to the students in the form of a fresh produce stand, to give students another

healthy eating option on campus. Students could have the option to spend their declining
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balance at this produce stand. Instead of getting a quick snack out of a vending machine

between classes, students would have the option of getting a fresh apple, strawberries,

cucumbers, carrots, or whatever other fruit and vegetables are in season. Offering students

another healthy food option on campus promotes healthy eating, which leads to a healthy

lifestyle.

The idea of selling the fruits and vegetables to students on campus is that the garden

will pay for itself. Ron Finley said, “Growing your own food is like printing your own money”

(Finley, 2013). The profits the produce stand will make, would out way the start up costs of the

garden and the cost of hiring employees to manage the produce stand. All the gardening work

can be done by students who form an RSO, by students looking for community service, or by

students in related majors looking to do research and learn more. In the end, the benefits of

having a community garden that promotes a healthy college lifestyle will out way the costs it

will bring.

Conclusion

It is possible to change the college lifestyle to a healthier and happier way of life.

College students are always busy, stressed, and tired, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Incoming college students shouldn’t have to prepare themselves for that “freshman fifteen.”. A

community garden here at SVSU will get students moving outside, which will start a chain

reaction that leaves students feeling positive and productive. The garden on campus will

encourage students to eat healthy, spend time outside in the fresh air, get more exercise, and

take productive mental breaks from schoolwork. This can change the way college life is viewed
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and give students a more well-rounded experience, leaving them even more prepared to

handle life after graduation.

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References

Brissette, C. (2018, March 1). This is your body on fast food. The Washington Post. Retrieved from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/sneaking-a-little-junk-food-doesnt-mean-

all-is-lost/2018/02/26/828b75fa-1b36-11e8-9de1-147dd2df3829_story.html

Finley, R. (2013). Retrieved November 12, 2019, from

https://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerilla_gardener_in_south_central_la.

Asma, A., Hafsa, K., & Zaheer, A. (2018). effect of internet addiction on dietary behavior and

lifestyle characteristics among university students. Annals of King Edward Medical University,

24, 1–9. doi:10.21649

Steakley, L., White, T., & Hansen, A. J. (2019, July 30). Having trouble sleeping? Research suggests

spending more time outdoors. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from

https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2015/08/24/having-trouble-sleeping-research-suggests-

spending-more-time-outdoors/.

Xiaohua, Z. (2013). Investigation and analysis of “Zhai” lifestyle’s effects on college students’

physical and mental health. World Journal of Education, 3(4), 26–34. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com

Grade: A