Students at the Hillsborough Community College Brandon Campus are planting seeds for a sustainable future.

  • College students have turned an overgrown plot into a sustainable food forest
  • The food forest has fruits, vegetables and spices
  • The foot forest is open to the public

The Student for the Environment Club has transformed an overgrown plot of land on campus into a thriving, sustainable food forest.

"Lots of times we buy our food in the grocery store, it’s already been grown, it’s already gone through the process of being prepared to be bought, but one thing this shows students what that process is like, you get to put time and sweat into what you’re growing,” Greg Thompson, the Student for the Environment Club advisor, said.

The food forest has various fruits, vegetables and spices, including bananas, peppers, cinnamon and mangos.

The students collect the food for festivals and events on campus. They have also already donated some of the fruit to a local homeless shelter.

"It makes me feel good knowing that this will help with homeless shelters or food drives or anything else that needs food,” student Michael Ehlers said.

The food forest is not only open to students, but the public is also welcome to visit and help maintain it.