Floating gardens are a holistic approach to preparing our society for the future of a warming planet. Rooting the development of the floating gardens in historic communities of color, like North Minneapolis, will directly address environmental injustices in the area by regenerating local waterways and creating employment. In extension, our concept of floating gardens will be a unique asset in the community due to the reliance on regionally grown materials for their construction to minimize the embodied carbon and ensure it can be made by the communities the gardens are meant to serve. Bringing the floating gardens out of the ideation phase and allowing them to grow is a climate adaptation and mitigation strategy with great depth in its potential positive effects on the Black diasporic community, setting it apart from many popular technological solutions.

Our concept of the floating gardens is a dynamic tool for climate mitigation and adaptation within communities most affected by environmental harm. Ebel (2019) and Ortiz-Cornejo et al. (2015) suggest that floating gardens can sequester large amounts of carbon as plants grow and store carbon in the soil. Other scholars laud floating gardens’ ability to siphon excess nutrients from bodies of water (The Ohio State University, 2021; Heath et al., 2020). Many leading institutions value the former, but the latter may have more significant benefits due to the potential reduction of algal blooms. Studies show that algal blooms are rising in Midwest lakes due to rising temperatures and run-off from fertilizers (Robbins et al., 2019). These algal blooms come with a litany of harmful effects on people, plants, and animals due to the production of cyanobacteria and their ability to starve lakes of oxygen as they decompose (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). Algal blooms also release methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than CO2 (Environmental Protection Agency, 2023), at an alarmingly high rate during decomposition every fall. By reducing the ability for algal blooms to occur, those who depend on the lake will benefit as the environment maintains a healthy state. I want to emphasize that these gardens are not just a reduction in harm to lakes and community members; floating gardens will be a boon to the health and wealth of communities.

Floating gardens will be a source of food for communities facing high rates of food insecurity. The primary focus is the production of produce. Grassroots organizations like Project Sweetie Pie and Plant-Grow-Share have the expertise to operationalize spaces to grow and distribute produce equitably to community members and food shelves. Once the soils and produce are tested to be safe from harmful contaminants, we will begin the distribution of the produce to community members and increase access to nutritious, locally-grown food. There will likely be an abundance of food through emulating Mexico City. 

Food growers often refer to the chinampas in Mexico City as the most productive agricultural land on earth. Part of this label is due to the food being produced expanding past produce. The fish grow healthier and more robust due to the cleaner, oxygenated water with healthy vegetation. Improving the health of fish will benefit people who depend on them for a source of protein. In particular, the Southeast Asian community, which has a strong tradition of freshwater fishing, will benefit significantly from a safer food source and contribute to the success of the floating gardens (Peters, 2024; Frost, 2019; Shubat et al., 1996). The benefits to communities go beyond the diet and into the social structures of communities.

 Lakes are an essential part of recreation for Minnesota residents and serve as an inexpensive congregation area for people of all ethnicities and ages. A trip to Crystal Lake or Wirth Lake near North Minneapolis shows that city lakes are some of the few genuinely integrated places in Minnesota. When lake access shuts down, people lose access to a precious social resource. We must work to protect and regenerate the lakes so that the community can fully realize cascading effects. The community's ownership and wealth associated with the gardens will be maintained by developing and producing the floating gardens in North Minneapolis with regionally sourced material. This sense of ownership and involvement is crucial for the success and sustainability of the project. 

 I envision a team in North Minneapolis working to refine and build the floating gardens once initial prototypes are developed. The creation of the gardens will be embedded in Project Sweetie Pie. Youth interns and older community members will gain knowledge and skills related to material science, ecology, and horticulture. It will serve as paid workforce development. Although ArcGIS may be a valuable tool to determine the best location for the placement of the floating garden, the low-tech nature of the floating gardens will keep the methods of production accessible to community members. 

Furthermore, these gardens will have a low amount of embodied carbon, unlike many technologically based carbon capture initiatives that require steel, concrete, large fabrication buildings, and global transportation systems. Working closely with North Minneapolis and other communities that will deploy the gardens will be essential for the success and sustainability of the project. If the project does not alleviate some of the environmental injustices communities face, it will be a failure in my eyes. 

Floating gardens may not prevent the leading causes of human-induced climate change. However, they will allow people to store more carbon, clean waterways, and provide communities with healthy food while alleviating poverty through more employment opportunities. The project will not only provide employment in the short term but also create a sustainable economic model for the community in the long run. We must explore any opportunity that will beneficially impact historically marginalized communities in a multifaceted way. Just as it will benefit Minneapolis, I look forward to seeing the gardens expand past Minneapolis to neighboring twins, cities, and states. 

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Harmful algal blooms and your health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/harmful-algal-blooms/about/index.html

Ebel, R. (2020). Chinampas: An urban farming model of the Aztecs and a potential solution for modern megalopolis. HortTechnology, 30(1), 13–19. https://doi.org/10.21273/horttech04310-19

Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). Importance of Methane. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane

Frost, E. (2019, July 17). Photos: A tradition continues as hundreds of Hmong anglers come out for bass tournament. MPR News. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/07/17/photos-hmong-bass-fishing-tournament-tradition

Heath, A. A., Peterson, E. W., Spooner, E. A., & Nicodemus, P. (2020). Assessment of floating gardens to improve the water quality of the Chicago River. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2020am-355783

The Ohio State University. (2021, April 7). Floating gardens as a way to keep farming despite climate change. https://news.osu.edu/floating-gardens-as-a-way-to-keep-farming-despite-climate-change/

Peters, J. (2024, April 16). Passion for fishing leads St. Paul hmong teen to conservation work. Sahan Journal. https://sahanjournal.com/climate-environment/moua-yang-conservation-fishing/

Robbins, J., Robbins, J., Pearce, F., & Pearce, F. (2019, March 27). Worsening algae blooms could significantly increase global methane emissions. Yale E360. https://e360.yale.edu/digest/worsening-algae-blooms-could-significantly-increase-global-methane-emissions#:~:text=These%20algae%20blooms%20are%20also,dioxide%20in%20the%20short%20term

Shubat, P. J., Albright Raatz, K., & Olson, R. A. (1996). Fish consumption advisories and outreach programs for Southeast Asian immigrants. Toxicology and Industrial Health, 12(3–4), 427–434. https://doi.org/10.1177/074823379601200314