WMA 18, Lower Delaware

Heart of Camden is a non-profit community development organization dedicated to restoring dignity and quality of life to the historic Waterfront South neighborhood in the City of Camden.  As part of their mission, they have developed a strong environmental stewardship and restoration program focused on urban greening, air pollution mitigation, and the revitalization of contaminated sites.  They are successfully accomplishing this by implementing a comprehensive plan called the Environmental Mitigation and Landscape Master Plan. 

Heart Camden currently has several innovative projects underway including community gardens, an urban tree nursery program called Waterfront South TreeKeepers, and an ecological restoration & air pollution mitigation project. 

Eve’s Garden

Eve’s Garden, established in 2004, is a network of a Community Greenhouse and Gardens that offers all the resources required for neighbors to grow their own vegetables, herbs, and flowers. The mission of Eve’s Garden is to promote sustainable development in the neighborhood through engaging economics, socio-cultural structures, and personal and environmental health through community-based gardening, greening, and ecological education.

Eve’s Garden Greenhouse is located one block away from the community garden on a lot that was historically residential. The Greenhouse has been a location where residents can start seeds for gardens, an outdoor classroom, and a job training location. Throughout the year the students of Sacred Heart School, Creative Arts High School, Sumner Elementary School, various after school programs, and the NJ Work Group Youth Corps job training and GED program participate in ecological and nutritional education focused around gardening. The youth help in the planning of the community gardens and see the power the garden has in neighborhood transformation. The garden is a wonderful educational tool to teach nutrition education and food preparation.

During the agricultural season, Eve’s Garden runs a neighborhood summer gardening program for children, a stand at the Camden Farmer’s Market and works with the NJ Work Group Youth Corps and the Urban Nutrition Initiative (UNI) of Philadelphia on a full array of sustainable living and organic seed to table projects through youth development and job training and green building.

In August 2006, Eve's Garden received the permits from Camden City to install the necessary utilities for proper year-round greenhouse operation. Now Heart of Camden is able to install all the electric, gas and water systems. Camden County Energy Recovery Corporation funds (CCERC) provided the greenhouse structure. Additional funds were secured from the John & Mary Louise Scanlan Foundation and PSE&G for the necessary electrical hardware and greenhouse operation.

Funds are still needed for a host of other capital costs such as an irrigation system, a rainwater catchment system, a hanging pot system, gas heating, a propagation station, a fish pond, educational materials and signage.

TreeKeepers Nursery

Eve’s Garden Greenhouse is located two blocks away from the site of the Waterfront South TreeKeepers Nursery, which was recently purchased by the Heart of Camden from the Camden County Municipal Utility Authority in July 2006. The site was historically residential housing.

The Heart of Camden would like to develop a pot-in-pot (PNP) tree nursery at this site. Trees will be grown for planting in urban forest enrichment, windbreak/shelterbelt/buffer establishment and riparian restoration. The Eve’s Garden Greenhouse will be utilized as the center for propagation of rooting cuttings and seedlings of shade trees, evergreens and other conservation landscape plants until they are ready to planted out in the nursery. The goal is to develop a source of plant material from the TK Nursery to landscapers, gardeners, Camden City and its residents.  Funding is sought for the initial establishment of the TK Nursery. This will include site preparation, containers, equipment, media and signage.

Heart of Camden has already raised over $43,000 to begin this critical project.  A total of $25,000, in addition to what has already been secured, is needed to complete the set up of Eve's Garden Greenhouse.  In addition, $25,000 is also sought for establishment of the TreeKeepers Nursery.