MADISON, Wis. -- People from all over the Madison area came to the East Side's Goodman Community Center on Saturday to talk with Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz about sustainability.

Neighborhood leaders shared their ideas on a variety of "green" topics, from recycling to rain gardens to building codes.

The focus also turned to residents growing their own fruits and vegetables – hardly a groundbreaking idea, but now one of the most popular ways to achieve sustainability.

Beth Racette is one of a growing number of participants in community gardens. It's a sustainable trend that Cieslewicz said he hopes finds a wider audience.

"The strength of the city of Madison is in its neighborhoods," said Cieslewicz, "and this is an annual opportunity for neighborhood leaders across the city to get together, hear some new ideas, but more importantly, exchange ideas among themselves."

At the mayor's annual round table, neighborhood representatives discussed ways to save money by going green.

"Some of the things that need to get done in terms of building a community is having neighbors talk to one another," continued Cieslewicz. "That can only be done by the neighbors themselves. The governor really can't do that for them."

That feeling of shared community is found in abundance in Beth Racette’s neighborhood garden.

"It's fun to meet a lot of neighbors and a lot of people are hanging around and people stop by and visit, things like that," Racette said of the garden.

Racette has been working her patch of land for about seven years and said that by growing her own produce each year she's saved hundreds of dollars.

The Goodman Community Center manages 110 community garden plots along the Capital City Bike path between St. Paul Avenue and Atwood Avenue. The plots help gardeners provide fresh food for their families.

Because of demand, there is often a two-year wait for a plot to become available.