Growing fresh produce for a cause at our U.S. headquarters
We recently brought a garden to life at our U.S. headquarters in Ridgefield, Connecticut. In June, about 70 employees signed up to plant rows of nutritious vegetables in the garden, which is located near the lake on our campus and isn’t too far from the beehives we added to the site last year. Employees will continue to care for the garden as we grow the vegetables.
All harvests are being distributed in partnership with Cornerstone Home & Gardens. Each Wednesday, a team of two to three Boehringer Ingelheim employees pick the produce from the garden and then make a delivery to Cornerstone. From there, Cornerstone distributes to local organizations, like Ridgefield’s Department of Social Services - Dirty Hands, Full Plates program, that support families in the community in need of fresh produce.
What we're growing
We’re growing a selection of produce that thrives in the climate in Connecticut, including carrots, basil, chives, kale, green beans, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, and tomatoes.
Benefits of tending to a garden
There are many reasons that we chose to have a community garden on our campus.
- Gardening allows employees to get outside, be more active during the day, and connect with their colleagues and nature.
- We’re bringing greater access to fresh, healthy food options; supporting pollinators; and promoting biodiversity on our 300-acre campus.
- We’re helping carry out priorities of our Sustainable Development - For Generations Strategy, which is our commitment to continue providing good health for people and animals, the planet, and society.
Our work with Cornerstone helps 15 families a week
We’ve donated squash, cucumbers, lettuce, green beans, chives, tomatoes, carrots and kale to Cornerstone who has provided the produce for distribution at Dirty Hands, Full Plates community events. One average, the community garden helps about 15 families a week!