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- Take Action Now: Change Begins Within
- Green Living Goes Mainstream
- The Story of Stuff
- Legalize It!
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- Community Gardening and Local Food
- The Importance of Gratitude
- Tough Times Ahead: Surviving Peak Oil
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great minds think alike: blogs of note
- alternet: peek
- green options
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- small failures
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- another limited rebellion design blog
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- amnesty international
unplug
unplug magazine asks you to unplug from your current modes of thought and look at life in a new way, whether this means unplugging from our toxic consumer culture, mainstream society, the tv, or a limiting mindset. author megan prusynski explores life's alternatives and discusses activism, progressive thinking, and moving towards a "green" & sustainable life.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Community Gardening and Local Food
It's been a while since I've posted, a lot has changed in the last month or so. I moved to the beautiful Mendocino Coast in Northern California and we're just settling in. So far I've been really impressed with the level of green consciousness here. There are quite a few organic and vegetarian restaurants, we actually get paid to recycle bottles (and we don't have to sort the recycling for curb-side pickup), and I've gotten involved with a great local non-profit group called Noyo Food Forest. My partner is taking a class on organic gardening from them, I am hoping to help them with some graphic design work, and they're starting a community garden near us that we are going to be a part of. We are really excited to be a part of the organization and get some organic veggies planted in the community garden. This area is certainly inspiring!
Being involved with Noyo Food Forest has been a great experience so far. They are an organization that began a learning garden next to the local high school where they teach classes on organic gardening, grow organic food for the high school cafeteria, and sell organic produce at farmer's markets in the summer. Their goal is to turn unused, empty fields in the area into thriving organic gardens that bring the community together.
Yesterday I volunteered with a group from Noyo to prepare a vacant lot for the community garden, where we hope to have a small plot of organic veggies and herbs. We cleared the land, shoveled poop (not a glamorous job but a big part of organic gardening and it really wasn't that bad), and started sheet composting over the garden site. The spot is beautiful and gets plenty of sun, and the workday went well. I met new people involved with the organization and learned a lot about organic gardening and what it takes to start a community garden.
Noyo Food Forest got me very excited about organic gardening and eating locally. Community gardens are a wonderful thing. Not only do they allow people to grow their own food (especially people who can't a garden at home), they're a great way to meet new people, get outside to commune with nature, and reduce your carbon footprint. Since eating locally helps reduce fuel needed for food transportation, it's a win-win situation. Many towns have community gardens and/or CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) programs, so even if you can't garden in your backyard, there are still lots of options for getting locally-grown organic food. CSAs are a great way to support local farmers. They usually entail subscribing to the program, and local farmers will provide a box of seasonal produce each week during the season.
In a world where even our food choices are political and every choice we make has enormous consequences, it makes sense to simplify our eating habits. Going back to agriculture's roots by gardening at home or in a community garden, buying locally-grown produce, and eating organic are all ways to simplify your food consumption all while reducing pollution and emissions. Green living has never tasted so good!
If you've ever had a garden, you know that not only is gardening a great stress-reliever and a way to connect with your natural environment, but garden-fresh produce tastes simply amazing. In your own garden (or a community garden that you're involved in), you know what is put into the soil and the plants. You have more control over what you grow, so you can grow organically to be sure there aren't any nasty chemicals getting into your body. There are so many benefits to being involved in a community garden or having your own. Stay tuned for more updates on our involvement with Noyo Food Forest and our forays into organic gardening. I hope that community gardens continue to increase in popularity and spark a true food revolution!
Labels: community, environment/sustainability, food, lifestyle
