September 11, 1997

Richard McCarthy sparks a growing trend in vegetation

by Robin Dumestre, Office of Public Affairs summer intern

When Richard McCarthy, director of the Twomey Center's ECOnomics Institute, became a vegetarian 16 years ago he had no idea that he would have a hand in making the city a little greener and fresher.

For many people a vegetarian diet is a personal preference. For McCarthy it became a local social movement-Greenville Garden. He began his garden in August of 1993 with the help of his wife and Parkway Partners, an organization which helps start and support community vegetable gardens around the city.

On the corner of Millaudon and Garfield, just down the block from his house, McCarthy found an abandoned lot and started planting. The garden's name maintains a little of New Orleans history, McCarthy notes. The Millaudon and Garfield area Uptown once was named Greenville but has lost its name over the years. However, Loyola's Greenville Hall, also located in the neighborhood, still bears its name. Today, Greenville Garden is often referred to as the "Cadillac Garden," explains McCarthy, because it was one of the first gardens to be built on an abandoned lot and it received great resources from the Parkway Partners.

McCarthy grows fruits and vegetables of all kinds according to the seasons. He often stops at the garden on his way home from work to pick his dinner. He says there is nothing like the satisfaction people can get from growing and cooking their own food.

McCarthy says the neighborhood children also get a lot out of the garden. He believes it gives them a sense of place. "It's something they can call their own." To get and keep the youngsters involved, McCarthy solicited their help in digging and naming the plots and even digging a well. "They have a sense of pride in working with the earth amid the concrete of the city," he points out.

McCarthy's vegetable garden eventually led to the formation of the Twomey Center's Crescent City Farmers Market, which operates every Saturday in the Warehouse District. The market is designed for vegetable gardeners who do not produce enough individually to sell their own goods. The market is fast becoming a local institution in which gardeners have a chance to talk with each other and give the city a taste of fresh food. Greenville Garden and Crescent City Farmers Market have meant a lot of work for Richard McCarthy, but he says with a smile, "It feels good."