Garden mural to sprout interest in healthy eating

Alexis Bernstein, an Arts and Humanities Masters student at the University’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, plans to take a bite out of bad eating habits by unveiling a mural to highlight the garden, which was planted last summer.

Located on the edge of campus at Miller’s Wynd, fruit grown on site can be picked and eaten in its natural form or utilised in home cooking. With a bumper crop of berries to be enjoyed following recent summer sunshine, Alexis hopes her work will encourage more local residents to develop an appetite for healthy eating.

The Iowa-native said, “The edible garden is such a wonderful space and an amazing resource to find in the middle of a city.

“A community fridge is installed right next to the garden so I am hoping that people will visit both and be inspired to make healthy, nutritious food. This is something that I am passionate about and hopefully something that others can see an opportunity to explore.

“By highlighting the garden it might inspire them to use the space and enjoy what is grown here.”

Figures produced in December revealed that Dundee has the worst obesity rate for Primary One children in mainland Scotland, while last month new data showed that for the first time in five years children in the city aged 11-16 were being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, an illness linked to poor diet and lack of exercise.

Since arriving for the start of her Masters course last summer, Alexis has championed the edible garden and hopes to see interest in it blossom now that her mural has been unveiled.

She added, “Studying at the University has been an incredible experience. Dundee really does feel like a big village in that the people are so friendly and there is a real sense of community here.

“I am returning to the United States next month but I feel so proud that I have had the opportunity to leave a small mark on a city that has given me so much.”