What began as a small group of passionate volunteers in 2009 has blossomed into a thriving hub for sustainability advocacy in Waukesha County. Now celebrating its 16th year, the Waukesha County Green Team continues to promote environmental awareness.
Debra Schneider, one of the organization’s founding members and now its president, said the nonprofit first came together around shared interests in energy efficiency, permaculture, and sustainable gardening.
“We wanted to create a space where like-minded individuals could come together to make a difference,” Schneider said. “And we’ve stayed true to that.”
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Today, the Green Team is still fueled by that original passion. Roughly 70 to 90 active volunteers power its programs, supported by a handful of part-time staff.
“You don’t need a background in gardening or environmental science,” Schneider said. “Just a willingness to care and a little time to share.”
Although the organization doesn’t operate its own garden, it serves as a connector, linking people with resources, supporting neighborhood plots, and encouraging education around sustainable growing practices.
A master gardener’s input
One of those supported spaces is the Green Power Garden, S53-W24747 Glendale Road, where Master Gardener and volunteer leader Molly Llanas has turned a 1-acre plot into a powerful example of food justice and sustainability.
Llanas, who has been involved with the garden since its early days, manages everything from planting schedules and harvests to volunteer coordination and distribution.
“From churches and corporate groups to Daisy Scouts and traveling high school missionaries, volunteers just show up,” she said. “You can’t explain it, it just always falls into place.”
Volunteers gather on Tuesday and Thursday evenings throughout the growing season for drop-in work nights.
The focus, she says, goes beyond growing vegetables. Last season, over 6,400 pounds of produce from the garden were donated to the Hope Center.
“People at the Hope Center don’t get to choose what they eat, so the better the food we give them, the less they have to rely on processed items,” she said. “We have the opportunity to make someone’s day better with a fresh tomato or a bunch of kale. That matters.”
For Llanas, the future is as hopeful as the harvests she helps grow. Her advice to new gardeners or curious residents is simple.
“Grow what you love. If you enjoy it, you’ll take care of it. That’s how gardening, and community, grows.”
A legacy at risk
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The University of Wisconsin-Extension has managed the Waukesha County Rental Gardens, 1400 Northview Road, for more than 30 years, coordinating over 100 plots across 2 acres. The gardens serve local nonprofits and county residents looking for low-cost access to land to rent for the season.
“We’ve had people weigh their harvests and find they grew over $900 worth of produce from a $55 plot,” said Jerry Braatz, extension area director. “It’s affordable, productive, and therapeutic.”
But this year marks the end for the Huber garden location. The county is preparing to sell the land, and Extension educators are in search of a new site, ideally 3 to 5 acres, to expand and continue the program.
“We’re exploring county-owned parcels, but we also need sponsors to help fund the infrastructure, gravel roads, water lines, tool sheds,” Braatz said. “Without those basics, it’s tough to start fresh.”
Another helping hand
The Adaptive Community Approach Program, a nonprofit serving adults with disabilities, is also facing its last season at its longtime gardening site at the Waukesha County Rental Gardens. The program relies on the garden for therapeutic, hands-on programming that includes growing vegetables, preparing meals and donating food to partners like The Women’s Center and Hebron House.
“It’s vital for the members to get out and work the soil,” said Marc Engstrom, staff member at ACAP. “It’s socialization, it’s seeing the fruits of their labor, it’s the whole cycle from seed to table.”
The organization’s facility, located at First United Methodist Church, has limited outdoor space, prompting concern over the loss of a fully accessible and accommodating gardening site.
“We need a lot of room, and other garden plots we’ve looked at are just too small,” said part-time community guide assistant Alison Blickley. “This space has been a cornerstone for us.”
Cultivating community in smaller spaces
In the Tower Hill neighborhood, 152 Caldwell Street, a raised-bed garden tucked beside a hospital-owned lot offers an example of how even a small garden space can transform a community.
“Every time we have an event here, we pair it with an educational program,” said Nate Winkler, associate educator and garden coordinator with UW-Extension. “It might be cooking with what we grow or a lesson on soil science, there’s always something to learn.”
Coordinated through a partnership between UW-Extension and ProHealth Care, the garden brings together neighbors, 4-H youths and health educators.
“It’s an intergenerational space,” Winkler added. “You see kids growing up here, and now it’s their grandkids coming to garden.”
For those looking to find or join a community garden, visit sewmg.org, which offers an updated list of garden locations maintained by the Southeastern Wisconsin Master Gardeners.