Bucknell Scholar Builds Community Garden to Bridge Social, Environmental Justice

Reece Pauling is a Bucknell University Scholar and organizer of the Prison Garden Project, a program in partnership with the State Correctional Institute in Pennsylvania. As part of the program, incarcerated individuals plant, grow and harvest flowers that are then donated to residents of local nursing homes and rehabilitation centers.

“My personal experience working with Bucknell’s farm shaped my passion for this project and guided me in understanding how important gardening can be,” says Reece.

Soon after arriving on campus, Reece began volunteering on Bucknell’s farm. After taking courses in the Critical Black Studies department, she found herself increasingly interested in the overlap between incarceration, nutrition, sustainability and environmentalism. Reece worked with Bucknell’s farm to better understand how important gardening is for food sovereignty, mental and physical health, and environmental justice.

The best part about being a Posse Scholar is knowing that I have been equipped with the tools to advocate for myself and others.

In 2022, Reece pursued a research project with the Coal Township Correctional Institute. She investigated horticultural therapy—the study of how green initiatives, such as farming and gardening, can benefit people’s mental and physical well-being while also helping them to develop useful vocational skills.

The project was made in collaboration with the Bucknell Office of Civic Engagement. With their help, Reese was able to connect with the Superintendent of the State Correctional Institute of Coal Township and plan a project budget. The superintendent, Bucknell Office of Civic Engagement, and Community Partners worked together to secure funding and launch the program.

Today, the Garden Project lives on the inside of the State Correctional Institute of Coal Township in Northumberland County and has blossomed into a permanent fixture at the prison. For her efforts, Pauling was recognized as a 2023 Campus Sustainability Champion by the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium.

“Environmental practices and activities are extremely beneficial and should be available to all people. For those who face time in prison, rehabilitation and successful release should be the goal.”

Reece credits Posse for ingraining in her the importance of involvement and leadership.

“The best part about being a Posse Scholar is knowing that I have been equipped with the tools to advocate for myself and others. I can be a leader knowing that I have the power to create more leaders in the process.”