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F ive years ago, Justin Pollard traded the golden cornfields of his Indiana hometown for the con- crete jungle of Seoul. But he brought with him a passion for food that nourishes the body, the soul and the environment. After two years of teaching English here, he found himself seeking a new career that would combine his interests in cooking, nature and horticulture while also using his skills, serving a social need and involving something that he enjoys. “I realized that urban sustainability educator was the perfect job for me. The only downside was that job doesn’t real- ly exist,” he said. “Despite that inconvenient detail, I have committed myself to creating it because I feel that there is a real need in the world today for ways of living that can make our lives more sustainable, more fulfilling and help us develop practical skills at the same time.” He took a step toward realizing his new goals in May 2012 at the first meeting of a newly formed sustainability group. While he was there, he and a new friend started talking about the realities of living in Seoul, including the connec- tion they felt was missing in the ritual of going out to drink and the absence of group activities promoting a more ho- listic lifestyle. They invited people to join them and garden at the friend’s space near Umyunsan and the event was a success. But just as the group had gotten off to a good start, his friend moved on, and the group was left without a space. Undeterred, Pollard decided to create a new group, Seoul City Farmers, the following year. The new group had a new www.groovekorea.com / July 2014 56 GROW LOCAL Edited by Jenny Na (jenny@groovekorea.com) Story by Rebekah McNay and Jenny Na / photos by Justin Pollard GET YOUR GARDEN GR OWING S e o u l C i t y F a r m e r s p l a n t s s e e d s f o r s u s t a i n a b l e l i v i n g