Profile: Steve Gay
Steve first got involved with CGC after he discovered our Community Garden Development Training program, and says he remains committed to CGC because of its school garden and community garden programs. Steve was a regular volunteer at our community garden workdays, and a favorite memory is making some raspberry trellises at the Carthage community garden. He says he enjoys being able to meet new people and learn about different neighborhoods during the workdays. "I really love seeing how community gardens allow for the creation of social ties and build a greater feeling of community. CGC is important to our community because it gives all people, especially low income citizens an opportunity to learn about and access nature."
However, Steve believes CGC's biggest impact has to be through its school garden program. "Many children in cities have never seen seeds sprout or understand how vegetables develop. By their nature, schools gardens encourage teamwork, individual responsibility and a commitment to success."
Adventures in Composting
Steve also got quite interested in composting after he participated in the sustainable agriculture management program at Cincinnati State. He learned about the critical need for urban soil improvement and how composting is the recommended way to amend soil. After purchasing truckloads of compost from local suppliers, Steve recognized how expensive it was for small scale growers. His hope was to find a way to provide small scale urban growers access to high quality compost at an affordable price.
In the fall of 2018, when the CGC was working with GoZero to pilot a food waste drop-off project, Steve stepped in to staff the drop-off day every Monday at CGC. Recently, Steve joined with about two dozen other community members for a two-day, small-scale community composting training sponsored by Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District and other partners, including the CGC.
Steve uses his compost expertise to serve as a guide for our Compost Kids field trips. Field trips provide an opportunity for diverse groups of students to see a planned and manicured 'natural' environment that provides them a sensory adventure that they may not get to experience much in their every day lives. For Steve, "these field trips vary in every way imaginable. Some are high energy and some aren't, some are well behaved and some aren't, some are interested in the subject and some aren't . There is great potential when all their energy is allowed the freedom to explore and create. What I think is most valuable about the experience is that many of the children get to visit a place like CGC that is like another planet to them."
Past and Future
Steve grew up in Hamilton and thinks being outdoors as a Boy Scout is what made him so interested in the environment or maybe it was how much he loved climbing trees. Steve graduated from Miami University. A committed lifelong learner, he has also attended Northern Virginia Community College, Ogeechee Technical College, Cincinnati State, the University of Cincinnati, and completed a certification in disease management through the Certified Medical Representative Institute. While he's had many jobs, he says his favorite was as a research clinical analyst at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Steve likes to travel, and especially enjoys road trips. "I've visited every major national park in the USA. There is just something about the awesomeness of the natural world that has always invigorated and inspired me," he said.
Recently he headed south on a road trip, not sure if he was going to end up in Florida or in Texas. He promised us he'd be back in time for our spring field trip season.