Living Earth Center| Sustainability| Education| Community

Featured Programs and Interests

Though our Community Food Connection Program LEC directly connects people to the land and to healthy, organic produce. We are able to confront the issues of food insecurity and sovereignty in our community collaboratively through a multi-faceted approach. From youth educational programming to navigating ways for emerging growers to enter the local food economy, LEC works with our Community Partners to create pathways to food and land access and agency over food choices.

Community Garden

Located on the former farm site of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the Living Earth Gardens provide a beautiful organic space where neighbors and family can gather, grow food, and nurture a self-sufficient empowered community.
Individual gardeners as well as community partners (MY Place, MRCI, and MNSU College of Allied Health and Nursing's Eng-AGE-ment Garden) tend their plots together. Our garden is diverse as Mankato itself – including everyone from native Minnesotans to new immigrants. Ten different languages are spoken by the 120+ gardeners.
Community Farm

Since 2021 LEC has worked in partnership with Blue Earth County to manage the Blue Earth County Community Farm. The Farm is home to our Food Donation Program. All food grown through this program is donated back to into the community to partners such as ECHO Food Shelf, FOCP Summer Food Program, and CADA House. Under the guidance of our Farm Manager, both individuals and groups volunteer their time to tend to these plots.
Events, Workshops and Programs

Living Earth Center provides opportunities where minds can be opened, ideas can be shared, and growth can take place through series of workshops, events, and conferences offered throughout the year. Honoring all spiritual traditions and paths, Living Earth Center also holds gatherings to honor seasonal transitions with ritual and reflection. Find out more.
Get Involved

Living Earth Center believes that each person makes a valuable contribution to the world and systemic change can be traced all the way down to the individual level. Whether you are interested in donating, volunteering, gardening, learning or making meaningful shift, you are helping to create a ripple effect within the local and greater Earth community.
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Sharing Common Ground

Like a healthy eco-system, we believe that everyone has something important and valuable to offer to our local and greater Earth community. We believe in bringing people with different backgrounds and strengths together to share common ground over food, learning and story-telling. We invite you to join us in celebrating nature's abundance and honoring our shared resilience and responsibility in the interconnection of everything.

Historic Big Red Barn

News and Updates

March 15, 2023

Looking For New Board Members

byLiving Earth Center

Living Earth Center is looking for new board members!

We are seeking individuals with board experience who have a passion for food justice, community building, and/or gardening. Living Earth Center’s Board of Directors is comprised of diverse members based in different locations, coming from different cultural, ethnic, gender, and spiritual backgrounds who offer a wide range of knowledge and expertise. Together, they are committed to helping the organization form deep roots to grow and flourish long term.

February 21, 2023

Meet Our New Staff!

byLiving Earth Center

We are pleased to announce that we have two new staff members joining the LEC team! We would like to introduce Cora Uyigue our new Program Manager and Noah Bjork who will be coordinating Marketing and Outreach. We are excited to be bringing them on board and look forward to working with both of them as LEC continues to grow...