SCN News and Views January 2009
Community friends,
We wish all our dear friends a Happy New Year ….
and best Wishes for continued good health and purposeful work towards creating sustainable communities!!
SCN NEWS AND VIEWS
Community Food Systems issue
In this issue:
1. Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community
2. BPGC Food and Sustainability Team
3. Bluegrass Urban Garden Society(BUGS)
4. Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
5. Community Farm Alliance's 24th Annual Meeting
6. Lexington Community Food System conference
7. Terra Madre/Slow Food
8. First Thursday sustainable food gathering
9. Lexington community food assessment
10. Bits and pieces
11. American Community Garden Association……..
12. Community Gardens in Parks and Recreation Departments
13. Growing Food and Justice
14. Will Allen, founder of Growing Power, 2008 MacArthur Fellow in Lexington April 13-14
15. Breaking the Silence conference
16. Speaking engagements
1.Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community(BGPGC)
The Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community was formed in 2005 by LFUCG, UK and Fayette County Public Schools as
an initiative aimed at stimulating greater regional commitment to
environmental issues by government, schools, businesses, private
citizens and young people. This exciting partnership provides Lexington
with a unique opportunity to conserve our resources, protect the
environment, and minimize waste and pollution. Since 2005 the partnership has welcomed new members and now includes many organizations/individuals that work in ten project teams: 1) Green Buildings,2) Reduce Reuse Recycle, 3) Green Purchasing, 4) Environmental Education, 5) Transportation, 6) Outreach & Communication, 7) Water & Stormwater, 8) Foods & Sustainability, 9) Green Space & Sustainability, 10) Green Equestrian Games. All citizens and community organizations are encouraged to join a project team and help create a strong, united front to sustain and improve the quality of life for all Bluegrass residents. Call Carol Hanley at (859)257-3780 to join a team or for more information visit the website at: www.uky.edu/sustainability/greencities.
2. BGPGC Food and Sustainability Team
Next meeting Tuesday January 27 10am-12 noon (Feb 24, March 24)…all are welcome!
The Foods & Sustainability project team during
the May 2006 planning sessions adopted four areas of focus: 1)
Sustainable Land Use & Conservation Education, 2) Creating a
Locally Grown Food System, 3) Community & School Gardens, 4) School-Based Activities That Connect Students to Food & Place.
During 2008 the Food and Sustainability Team worked on these initiatives:
1) co-sponsored events: a) March 1- Green Schools
Summit & Green Schools Community Forum; b) July 10 -Community
Garden Tour; c)October16-18- Closing the Food Gap Conference;
2) Supported community/school garden projects at
these sites: Winburn Community Action Council, Booker T Washington
Elementary , Dunbar High School, London Ferrill, Nelson Ave, Southland
Community-Hill n Dale Park, La Roca Methodist Church/Arlington School;
3) gave presentations at: Bryan Station High
School, Hadassah, Maxwell Presbyterian Church, Unitarian Church, Black
Church Coalition, classes at UK, Transylvania, Georgetown College,
BCTC, Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership, Frankfort 4-H;
4) Participated in Conferences at: Community
Farm Alliance-Frankfort, Sustainable Agriculture Research
Education(SARE)- Kansas City, Local Food Healthy Farms- Louisville,
Governors Conference on Environment-Lexington, Terra Madre-Torino,
Italy;
5) Media coverage-KET Connections w/Renee Shaw,
WUKY radio, ACE Weekly special issues-Green Schools, Community
Gardens, Closing the Food Gap, Key Conversations w/Patrice Muhammad,
Lexington Herald Leader, Southsider, Chevy Chaser, LaVoz, CKCPJ
newsletter, WKYT-TV 27 Noon news, WRFL;
6) wrote grants to: USDA Community Food Project, Lowes, Partners for Youth
7) completed community food assessments –UK sociology department… see below
8) served as community service site for students
from ML King Academy, UK, B CTC and Transylvania, referrals from family
court, Boy Scouts.
9) provided tours of community garden sites to
Stu Silberman, Supt of FCPS; Javier Munez,director of Fair Trade
agricultural cooperative from Guatemala; World Hunger Year staff
members; Phd student from Germany; UK, Berea and BCTC students.
New initiatives in 2009 will include: 1)
development of Food Policy Council, 2)Community Food System conference,
April 17-18, 3) farm to school efforts , 4) conference attendance:
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group(SSAWG), SA RE, American
Community Gardening Association, 5) develop Bluegrass Urban Garden
Society(B UGS), 6) develop master plan for Lexington community garden
movememt.
The Foods & Sustainability project team… Next meeting Tuesday January 27 10am-12 noon, 112 North Upper St… meetings
are held every fourth Tuesday at 10:00 AM. Everyone is welcome to
attend these meetings and join one of these subcommittees: 1) bluegrass
urban garden society(BUGS), 2) food policy council, 3) farm to school,
4) community food conference, 5) Community food assessments, 6) farm to
faith,….. or create new subcommittees that match your passion!
Developing a sustainable and just community food system is the
foundation of a sustainable community.
3) Bluegrass Urban Garden Society(BUGS)
Next meeting Saturday January 10 10am-12 noon, Community Action Council, 1169 Winburn Drive ...spread the word...everyone welcome. More info call..859-312-7024
BUGS is a subcommittee of the Food and Sustainability Team and was formed in October 2008 at the Closing the Food Gap Conference. BUGS aspires to 1) provide structure and resources
for greater coordination and collaboration among all the people,
agencies, institutions that are involved with community\school
gardening, 2) inspire, educate and promote community gardening as an
essential part of a sustainable community Foods System.
BUGS initiatives for 2009 include: community
gardening conference April 17- 18, develop seed and plant exchange
programs, establish gardens in other city parks, support all garden
initiatives, attend the American Community Gardening Association
Conference Aug 6-9, organize the community garden tour, launch a
citywide campaign “everyone grow a tomato plant”, develop salsa as a
value added product at the Winburn Art Garden, serve as host
organization for a Berea College intern, participate in the 4th of July parade, develop a logo…. And much more!
4) Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group(SSAWG)
Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference
January 21-24, 2009
Chattanooga Convention Center
Chattanooga, TN
Southern SAWG's exceptional conference will provide you with the practical tools and solutions you need to be successful in your farming enterprise, your community foods projects and your advocacy and outreach work.
It will provide sustainable production and direct marketing information
for horticultural and livestock producers, enterprise management
lessons, farm policy education, community food systems development
information, plus the opportunity to meet and learn from peers from
across the region. With 1,200 participants, this event draws the most
forward-thinking people in the field. Come see why so many participate
in this conference year after year!
Complete details at http://www.ssawg.org/conference-.html
Jim Embry, of Sustainable Communities Network will be presenting a workshop on Faith and Food at
this conference and is seeking information about the various programs
initiated by the faith community in Kentucky to support local farmers,
community gardens and other food related issues. Please send information to him at embryjim@gmail.com.
5) CFA's 24th Annual Meeting
January 24, 2009, at the Capital Plaza Hotel in Frankfort
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Community Farm Alliance is a grassroots membership organization with
over 2,000 members in 75 Kentucky counties. From creating new Farmers'
Markets in underserved urban communities, to developing
Farm-to-Cafeteria programs that link local farmers with institutional
buyers, to promoting family farm-friendly policies in the halls of the
State Capitol, CFA provides a grassroots voice for Kentucky's
citizens-farmer and non-farmer, urban and rural alike-on farm, food,
and economic issues. http://www.communityfarmalliance.org/
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6) Growing our Community Food System ..from the Ground Up
Growing our Community Food System ..from the Ground Up, a regional conference, will be held April, 17 – 18 in Lexington, KY. The
Friday workshops will address general topics about creating a more
sustainable community foods system such as food assessments, farm to
table, CSAs, food and hunger. The Saturday workshops will focus
primarily on providing practical tools and resources for creating
community gardening. Call for workshop presenters… Interested in
presenting a workshop? We encourage interested persons to submit
proposals for workshops at this 2-day conference. Sponsored by
Bluegrass Partnership for a Green Community Food and Sustainability
Team .Other organizations are encouraged to become a co-sponsor of this
conference. Sustainlex@sustainlex.org., 859-312-7024, www.sustainlex.org
logo from Growing Power....www.growingpower.org
7) Terra Madre/Slow food
About
20 delegates from Kentucky attended the fabulous Terra Madre gathering
in Torino, Italy October 23-38 2008. With over 8000 delegates from
150 different countries and 800 from the USA, Terra Madre was a grand
experience and an inspiration for enhancing our work here in Kentucky.
The 20 delegates from Kentucky are available for speaking engagements
about our experience at Terra Madre and the international movement for
local foods systems. Please contact us to arrange presentations in
2009 and we encourage other Kentuckians to plan on attending Terra
Madre in 2010. embryjim@gmail.com , www.terramadre.org., www.slowfood.com., www.slowfoodbluegrass.org.
Sunday, January 25, Lexington, Main Library, 6-9 p.m. “Bringing Terra Madre Home to the Bluegrass”. Co-sponsored
by Good Foods Co-Op, Lexington. Kentucky attendees of the Slow Food
Terra Madre world food gathering will share their experiences in Italy,
and discuss how we can apply the lessons learned to our communities.
http://www.goodfoods.coop/
8) First Thursday Local Sustainable Food Gathering
What: Local Sustainable Food Gathering and Potluck
Where: 112 West High Street (park beside the house)
When: Thursday, January 8th, 6:30pm - ?, every 1st Thursday in Feb, Mar, Apr etc
Details: As
always, this will be an informal social time to enjoy each others
company and take part in lively conversation with other like-minded
folk (and hopefully meet new ones!). There are no specific agendas;
just gathering and communing with great food. Please bring a dish to
share, and other beverages you might enjoy beyond juice, soda, and
water. That Special Focus: BRING A FRIEND - let's help this movement GROW! For more information contact Rebecca Self at: rebecca@selfservices.com
9) Lexington Community Food Assessment
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CLD/lcfa
The Lexington Community Food Assessment is
on-going integrated research, teaching and outreach project, which aims
to examine and address key challenges Lexington residents face in
accessing nutritionally and culturally adequate food at affordable
price. The project was originated by Dr. Patrick Mooney (Sociology) in his special topics course, SOC 350: Food Security in the Fall of 2004. Since then, under the supervision of Dr. Keiko Tanaka
(Community & Leadership Development/ Sociology) students from
various levels have participated in the effort to collect data.
Moreover, this project has helped us build stronger collaborative
relationships with various community organizations as project partners
to update the project design and develop outreach tools. We hope that
the outcome from this project will play an important role in shaping
future activities of the many community organizations working on issues
of food security, sustainable agriculture, and local food economies in
Lexington and/or the Bluegrass Region. For more information contact:Tanaka (田中敬子),UK Dept of Sociology ktanaka@email.uky.edu
10)
Bits and pieces
------Representatives
from B UGS will meet this week with Jerry Hancock, director of LFUCG
Parks and Recreation about increasing the number of community gardens
in city parks like Castlewood, Coolavin..and more!
------Chrysalis
House Community Center has asked for BUGS support in developing a
community art garden for the children. WE NEED EVERYTHING: Tools,
plants, gloves, seeds, volunteers and donations….. ALL contributions
will be greatly appreciated for this new garden project.
-------the American Horticultural Therapeutic Association held its annual conference in Lexington Oct 30 - Nov 1, 2008 - AHTA's 36th Annual Conference: Connecting People with Nature… www.ahta.org/events, www.chta.ca, , www.htinstitute.org..... Chris Strecker attended and came away very inspired!
------The Bluegrass
ADD District, Chrysalis House, family court judge Lucinda Masterton and
the Ridge are all interested in the benefits of horticultural therapy.
Look for exciting developments in this area this year!
----Fayette County Public Schools has obtained about 40 acres of land on Leestown Rd for a new school….a horticultural/agronomy Center…stay tuned!!!
---our friend, Beverly Forturne, columnist for the Lexington Herald- Leader has begun a weekly column on community gardening.
---The London Ferrill community garden will plant an orchard this year to harvest fresh fruit.
11) American Community Garden Association
The
ACGA Membership Conference brings together hundreds of individuals from
across the United States, Canada, and abroad, who are engaged in all
aspects of gardening and greening. The conference includes hands-on
workshops, keynote speakers, a film festival, and visits to parks,
school gardens, and community gardens. As a member of ACGA, you will
receive notice of upcoming conferences via your newsletter, on the
listserv, and by conference registration brochures. http://communitygarden.org/learn/training/annual-conference.php
February 2009 Teleconference - Wednesday, February 11-1:00 pm EST
Topic: Community Gardens in Parks and Recreation Departments
Hosted by Bill Maynard
Bill Maynard is the Vice President of ACGA, living in Sacramento, CA.
Bill is the Community Garden Program Coordinator for the City of
Sacramento Dept. of Parks and Recreation and founder of the Sacramento
Area Community Garden Coalition. His work with school gardens earned
him an appointment to the California State Board of Education School
Garden Advisory Committeet http://columbuscommunitygardening.blogspot.com
13) Growing Food and Justice Community, Growing Food and Justice for All Initiative (GFJI)
is an initiative aimed at dismantling racism and empowering low-income
and communities of color through sustainable and local agriculture.
Our next large group Community Call is coming up this next Tuesday, January 13th at 11:30-12:45 Eastern Call Topic: How to get from cauliflower to racism: Creating dialogue around dismantling racism in our communities. Please
join us as we build relationships and explore how to dismantle racism
in our community projects. Your voice is important.
https://www.growingfoodandjustice.org/Home_Page.html....
http://www.growingpower.org/,
publications: http://www.westernstatescenter.org/resources/drresourcebook.pdf,
http://www.globalexchange.org/about/AO_Reader_2007.pdf,
14) Will Allen in Lexington
Will Allen will be in Lexington April 13-14 as part of UK Gaines
Center lecture series .......is an urban farmer who is transforming the
cultivation,
production, and delivery of healthy foods to underserved, urban
populations. In 1995, while assisting neighborhood children with a
gardening project, Allen began developing the farming methods and
educational programs that are now the hallmark of the non-profit
organization Growing Power, which he directs and co-founded. Guiding
all is his efforts is the recognition that the unhealthy diets of
low-income, urban populations, and such related health problems as
obesity and diabetes, largely are attributable to limited access to
safe and affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. Rather than embracing
the “back to the land” approach promoted by many within the sustainable
agriculture movement, Allen’s holistic farming model incorporates both
cultivating foodstuffs and designing food distribution networks in an
urban setting. Through a novel synthesis of a variety of low-cost
farming technologies – including use of raised beds, aquaculture,
vermiculture, and heating greenhouses through composting – Growing
Power produces vast amounts of food year-round at its main farming
site, two acres of land located within Milwaukee’s city limits.
Recently, cultivation of produce and livestock has begun at other urban
and rural sites in and around Milwaukee and Chicago. Through these and
other programs still in development, Allen
is experimenting with new and creative ways to improve the diet and
health of the urban poor.
15)BUILDING
A SUSTAINABLE EARTH COMMUNITY Kansas
City, Kansas
January 16, 17, & 18th, 2009 www.breakingthesilence.us
Keynote
Speakers and conveyers: David Korten, Author of the Great Turning;
David Cobb, Democracy Unlimited &
2004 Candidate for the Green Party; Lloyd
Daniels, former member of the Missouri House of Representatives; Puanami Burgress, A Hawaii Community Building
Facilitator & cultural interpreter, Janith
English, Chief of the Kansas Wyandot Nation, Jim Embry, Eco-activist from Lexington, KY; Katherine Kelly & Daniel Dermitzel of the Kansas City Center for
Agriculture and many more.
16) Speaking engagements for Jim Embry, Director of Sustainable Communities Network:
1/7/09 Art and Community Engagement,
Transylvania University
1/16-18/09 Sacred Food Connections, Breaking the Silence Gathering, Kansas City
1/21-24/09 Faith and Food, Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, Chattanooga, TN
1/25/ Terra Madre-Bringing the Message Home, Lexington Public Library
2/1 Faith and Food, Faith Lutheran Church
2/8 Sacred Earth Connections, Bahai Faith Service
2/21 Community Gardening and Community Transformation, Berea College Class
4/17-18 Youth and Community Engagement, Community Garden Conference
..........................contact us to arrange speaking engagements and consultation
Love and
hugs to
all,
Jim Embry,
Director Sustainable Communities Network
http://sustainlex.org (859)312-7024
"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing." ~Arundhati Roy
"Human
progress is neither automatic nor inevitable ... It comes only through
the tireless efforts and passionate concern of dedicated individuals
... This is no time for apathy nor complacency. This is a time for
vigorous and positive action."~— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.