[0:05] [music]
[0:08] » I've always wanted to work in a field
that was community oriented. I think
[0:13] that that is for me my purpose.
My name is Karen Ibarra. I'm a project
[0:20] management assistant and I am with the
office of environmental programs for the
[0:23] city of Phoenix.
>> I oversee the resilient sustainable
[0:27] grant and the food food systems grant.
>> We do come out there and will do site
[0:32] visits, we'll do media visits.
>> And then this was the first garden we
[0:36] planted.
>> Gorgeous. Look at those sunflowers. Oh
[0:39] my god.
>> We're doing all of this in order so that
[0:42] the grantees can be successful because
when they're successful then our
[0:48] community is successful.
>> To squash family. [music]
[0:51] » I think my favorite is going out and
doing site visits and getting to see the
[0:56] recipients and how they've benefited and
just seeing those success stories in
[1:00] real life. To be able to grow up here
and then also serve the same communities
[1:07] that I grew up in is very rewarding.
>> Um this is a desert lavender.
[1:13] » Resilient and sustainable agriculture
grant is one of the programs that we
[1:17] offer for our local farmers and its goal
is to help provide funding for local
[1:22] producers so that they can adapt better
to extreme heat and climate change so
[1:26] that they can continue to provide food
for our local community.
[1:30] » Karen and the rest of my team are just
wonderful people. They all care so
[1:35] deeply about serving the community and
helping to improve our local food
[1:39] system. I see her career continuing to
grow because she's so committed to this
[1:43] work and improving our local food
system.
[1:46] I love Karen. She's great.
>> The space that you're seeing here we
[1:51] call Casa Caracol which means snail
house. Through this program we're able
[1:56] to teach people how to reconnect with
the land through growing their own food,
[2:02] teaching them how to utilize the things
that they grow, not just
[2:06] » [music]
>> as food, but also as medicine, also to
[2:09] reconnect culturally to their roots. And
the project also
[2:13] » [music]
>> just helps us also learn the importance
[2:15] of like we live in a desert, and how do
we conserve water?
[2:20] And it's a space for people to connect,
to heal, and [music] to grow.
[2:25] Kind of fits perfectly with this this
program that we're in now.
[2:29] » I think it's very fulfilling being able
to be so hands-on with our programs and
[2:33] being able to really see the way that
our programs have impacted and benefited
[2:39] people. I'm happy to work with the City
of Phoenix because um there are so many
[2:43] great resources and programs available
to to residents.
[2:47] » Do work that makes Phoenix work.
[2:52] » [music]