Happy Earth Day! On this special day when we recognize the importance of protecting the Earth and our natural resources, we brought together two individuals at St. Vincent de Paul who both care about this mission. Sebastian, an inquisitive and earthy-friendly student from our family dining room Dream Center, sat down to interview David Smith, SVdP’s urban farm director, about the importance of Earth Day.
Sebastian: Mr. David Smith, these are Earth Day questions I have for you. Here’s the first one -- listen carefully. What do plants do for us and the Earth?
David: Well, they feed us and provide oxygen for the air so that all the animals can breathe. They do the same thing under water in the ponds and oceans. They provide oxygen for the fish and animals in the sea. When they decompose, the matter from their decomposition makes new soil. We couldn’t live on this planet without plants!
Sebastian: That’s a very good answer Mr. Smith! My next question is, why is Earth Day important?
David: It’s a reminder of how important it is to be a good steward of the Earth. A steward means someone who takes care of something else. So everyone should be very good stewards of protecting the natural processes of Earth. That’s what this day signifies – that it’s both your responsibility and my responsibility to take care of this planet.
Sebastian: Mr. David Smith, this next question is very important. What can I do at home to be more earth-friendly?
David: First of all, you can learn as much as you can as a young man about how the Earth works and about what you can do as a person to help sustain it. if you’re interested in things like gardening and farming, learn how to do that. Maybe have a little raised bed garden at your house that you get to take care. And when the plants get ripe, you can have your mother use them to make dinner and you can show your family how much fun it is to eat fresh food right out of the ground that you grew yourself.
Sebastian: How is St. Vincent de Paul’s farm an environmentally-friendly farm?
David: We don’t use any poisons at all to get rid of bugs or plant diseases, so it’s completely free of any sort of chemicals. Chemicals are not good for bugs, and they are definitely not good for people. You don’t want those chemicals in your body. You’re better off if you can work with nature to grow things and have good bugs take care of the bad bugs, and have the plant immunity defend itself from disease.
Sebastian: Yeah that sounds really dangerous.
David: Yes absolutely, it can be very dangerous.
Sebastian: Here’s a fun question for you! What are your favorite vegetables?
David: I really like carrots, broccoli, different kinds of lettuce and different sorts of green beans. I also love cucumbers, tomatoes and watermelons.
Sebastian: Mr. David Smith, the last two vegetables you mentioned are fruit aren’t they?
David: (Laughing) That’s true, they are!
Sebastian: This question was not on my list, but I’d like to ask you one more question. How do you feel about St. Vincent de Paul’s Dream Center?
David: I think it’s a wonderful program that helps you look at possible opportunities at a very young age. You can start to think about being almost anything in the world that you could possibly want to be. Dreams like that are free. It just takes work to get there. But nobody can stop you from having a dream. And that’s what the Dream Center teaches you – you can begin to plan and work toward an amazing future for yourself. Sound cool?
Sebastian: Yeah, that’s a really good, great, SUPER answer! Now let’s start the tour!
Did you know SVdP's Urban Farm grows and harvests hundreds of pounds of fresh produce each week for use in our kitchen and food boxes to help feed those in need in Arizona? And you can join us in our work -- sign up today to volunteer in our farm!
