The Environmental Action Lab
Syracuse • Puerto Rico • Brooklyn
Victory Gardens
Our mission is to redefine urban spaces, transforming vacant lots, chemically treated lawns, and ornamental landscapes into thriving, edible gardens. Through this shift, we will strengthen communities, promote self-sufficiency, and create green spaces that nourish both people and the planet.
Location
Westside, Syracuse, NY
Project Overview
Mission & Vision
The Victory Garden project reimagines how urban land can serve communities by transforming unused and ornamental spaces into vibrant, edible landscapes. Rooted in food justice and ecological care, our mission is to cultivate resilience by promoting local food production, community self-sufficiency, and the regeneration of healthy soils. Through this initiative, we seek to reconnect people with the land, while building greener, more nourishing neighborhoods.
Community Impact
By turning vacant lots, chemically treated lawns, and decorative landscaping into productive gardens, we are reshaping the urban environment from the ground up. Inspired by the original Victory Gardens, community-run plots that once fed millions, we focus on creating spaces that serve as both food sources and community gathering places. These gardens help address food insecurity, reduce dependence on industrial supply chains, and strengthen neighborhood bonds through shared care and collaboration.
This approach supports not just physical nourishment, but also ecological and social health. Gardens provide habitat for pollinators, improve soil quality, reduce urban heat, and offer opportunities for residents to learn, gather, and grow together. Each garden becomes a living expression of mutual aid and environmental responsibility.
Educational Programs
Our Victory Garden programming teaches community members how to grow and maintain their own gardens, while exploring why access to fresh, local food is vital for healthy communities. Through hands-on activities and shared learning, we empower people to become active participants in building a more resilient food system.
Community Composting at Westside EcoFarm
Westside EcoFarm is turning food and yard scraps into healthy soil for our garden beds—and for our neighbors to use at home!
We use a hot composting system, which mixes the right balance of green and brown materials. This creates the perfect environment for heat-loving bacteria to break everything down into nutrient-rich, seed-free compost.
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If you live in the Westside, we’d love your help!
How to Help:
Step 1: Separate your scraps before dropping them off.
Green Materials (high in nitrogen)
These are “wet” items that break down quickly and provide energy for microbes.
Fruit & veggie scraps (peels, cores, rinds, etc.)
Coffee grounds & filters
Tea bags (without staples)
Fresh grass clippings
Houseplant trimmings
Brown Materials (high in carbon)
These are “dry” items that balance the compost and create airflow.
Dry leaves
Small sticks or twigs
Shredded paper & cardboard (non-glossy)
Paper egg cartons
Sawdust or wood chips (untreated wood only)
