<p>Can someone please critique my essay? I don't have the conclusion yet. </p>
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<li><p>If you were given $10,000 to invest in a project you are passionate about or a business you want to start, what would it be and why? Who would benefit and how would you spend the money? Be specific about the goals you hope to achieve.</p>
<p>Organic community gardens foster a sense of community that is vital to the health and overall well-being of an area’s residents. Gardens have the capability to bring people together, encourage teamwork, and provide an intimate relationship with nature. Abraham Lincoln once said, “The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.” His statement is true; as an avid gardener who knows both the challenges and the beauty of gardening, I would like to share the art of gardening with others. I would spend the $10,000 showing community members that a garden’s bounty could benefit their health and well-being in addition to providing healthy choices to underprivileged students in urban areas.<br>
Growing a garden is a long process that like a work of art, takes time to come to form. Community members will better themselves by being challenged to plan meticulously and work tirelessly in the season long quest to grow produce at a minimal cost. Teamwork and a deeper sense of understanding will develop as a result of working side by side for hours. In addition to hard work building students’ characters, they will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge by designing an effective irrigation system, planning the layout of the garden, and assisting in financial record keeping. Urban students will benefit by receiving fresh produce in their school lunches that often lack nutritional value. The less fortunate in the community will have the opportunity to volunteer in the community garden in order to receive shares of produce. Healthy choices will be easier to make when produce is affordable for everyone, so a source of revenue is needed to offset the expenses that allow for the produce to be affordable.
Three farmers market stands will be rented out during the growing season for a total cost of $500. This will help to offset the cost of buying seeds and fertilizer each spring. Every spring a farmer will be paid $200 to plow the garden. Organic pest control will account for approximately 10 % of the yearly budget. Purchasing an irrigation system would require a substantial amount of money (30 % of the budget) but cut down on the amount of labor needed in the long run. Garden tools will be purchased using 10 % of the total budget. Most importantly, 40 % of the total budget will be used to expand the project beyond the community and into schools. A contest for the best school garden plan will be held and the three schools that submit the best plan will each receive $750 worth of supplies to start their own garden. The rest of the 40 % will be used to transport produce to urban schools the first two years the garden is in operation. The long term goal is that schools will decide to purchase produce and therefore support our initiative and small farmers. </p></li>
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