Big New Year Newsletter (new projects, lots of jobs and internships)
Christian M
Hey everyone,
Its been quiet on the listserv, we know, but we've been meditating on this new year's goals and figured you had too many emails to look at already. Anyways, here's a major update to get a look at what changes are around. We'll get back into regular updates now that things are warming up.
LOTS of job and intern opportunities below, plus some fresh news about food around the world, and of course, an update on where the farm is headed these days, from chicken domes to an organizational name change to more cultivation around the site. And finally, here's a greeting from our newest staff member Adam Schwartz:
"Adam is a DIY builder, ecological designer and longtime grower of food who has worked on several farms from New Hampshire, Maine, Ecuador and Maryland. Adam graduated from the University of Maryland in 2007 with a degree in Environmental Science and Policy and has years of experience in leading, organizing and facilitating community-based youth programs based in environmental education and outdoor recreation. He founded the Renaissance Youth Bike Shop, a bicycle recycling shop and afterschool youth program as well as the Green Guild Biodiesel Cooperative, a group dedicated to producing and distributing local and clean energy fuel alternatives. In 2010 Adam began studies in ecological design and green building at the Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Vermont and completed a 6 month apprenticeship in natural building and sustainable agriculture in rural New Hampshire. He currently lives in Mount Rainier, MD in his 1989 school bus, “The Appleseed,” which he converted into a sustainable living lab. His hobbies include riding bicycles, climbing mountains, carpentry and travelling. As a former ECO Board member, Adam is really excited to work as staff and get to know the community of volunteers that make the farm a success."
Peace,
ECO City Farms
4913 Crittenden Street
Edmonston, MD 20781
Facebook and Twitter us...
Volunteer Hours are:
Thursdays 9a-12p
Saturdays 9a-3p
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“The passive American consumer, sitting down to a meal of pre-prepared food, confronts inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, dyed, breaded, sauced, gravied, ground, pulped, strained, blended, prettified, and sanitized beyond resemblance to any part of any creature that ever lived. The products of nature and agriculture have been made, to all appearances, the products of industry. Both eater and eaten are thus in exile from biological reality.”
~Wendell Berry
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AT THE FARM...
The final crops are harvestable as we transition into spring. Just today, it would've been over 90 degrees had we not ventilated our hoophouses! The seeds for the new year are arriving, from heirloom tomatoes, to salad mixes, beans, edible perennials like asparagus, ground cherries, and more. We'll be selling transplants of some of these throughout the coming spring if anyone is interested for their home garden.
We've been selling to Eatonville and the Maryland Food Coop, but everyone is welcome to purchase food directly at the farm too. In fact, we are working on a nice farm stand on-site to encourage folks to buy from the farm during certain hours. Be on the lookout.
Adam has been spearheading some new projects, like an on-site commercial kitchen and cold storage facility to allow us to store not just our produce, but produce from other local farmers, and do processing and classes and more. He has also taken the lead in our chicken project, with a mobile coop and chicken dome. Finally, he's helping to setup the last hoophouse as a nursery, using solar hot water heating technology and more. If anyone is interested in getting their hands on some of these projects, come through on volunteer hours.
Related to these new projects, we are also developing a course catalog of workshops that will be held on the farm every season. It will include ECO City Farms' staff as well as local instructors. We're looking at offering 2 workshops per month and will put a call out to you all if anyone feels they have a class they think is appropriate and feel confident teaching. Some classes in the near future include composting, biochar, more beekeeping, natural building, and more. Stay tuned!
But some of you probably want to take classes now! This saturday is our second, and final, FREE beekeeping workshop with Jose Castillo. If the weather is well, we will hold the class at the farm in one of the hoophouses. Class starts at 10am, and will last about 2 or so hours. And in partnership with the Prince George's Community College, we are offering two courses, listed below in the "Events and Opportunities" section. Hope to see you at these events!
Finally, check out the latest two sweet blog posts by Natalya and Adam. They are about whats been going on at the farm lately and our recent field trip with Lynchburg Grows with our New Urban Farmer Training program. Enjoy!
http://www.ecoffshoots.org/category/blog/
NEWS
*Monsanto's Genetically-Engineered Alfalfa has been deregulated to the shock of organic producers who fear inevitable contamination of the organic supply:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/01/27-6
*In case you missed this a few months ago, check out this great satire on farmworkers in America by Stephen Colbert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1T75jBYeCs
*An article on the serious decline of some of our most importatnt pollinators, bees:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/03/bumble-bee-decline_n_803896.html
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/02/01-1
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EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
1) ECO City Farm classes in conjunction with Prince George's Community College
Prince George's Community College, located in suburban DC, in
conjunction with ECO City Farms, is offering urban agriculture coursesthis spring. They include:
AGR-301 Urban Agriculture: The New Frontier in the Green Economy
Thursday, February 24, 6:00pm-8:00pm or Monday, May 23, 6:00pm-8:00pm
Millions of people across the globe practice some form of growing food
in an urban setting--otherwise known as urban agriculture. Governments
and organizations at every level have become advocates for urban
agriculture as a means to enhance urban food security, public and
individual health, community building, sustainable livelihoods, and
environmental management. This course helps develop a shared
understanding of the main types and dimensions of urban agriculture--its
potential impacts, the constraints and opportunities facing it, the
stakeholders involved in it, the historical contexts shaping it, and the
local, regional, and international development trends bearing on it.
Sustainable energy applications relevant to urban agriculture will also
be explored. A local example of Urban Agriculture, Engaged Community
Offshoots (ECO) Inc's community farm in Edmonston and composting
facility in College Park, will be highlighted in this introductory
session.
Cost: $25
AGR-320 Composting for Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Landscaping
Tuesdays, March 1-15, 6:00pm-8:00pm
This course is an introduction to community composting, where to find
organic materials, and how to build relationships to obtain these
materials for free. Activities include a walk-through of the composting
process, explanation of the recipe for composting, and how to build and
load a compost bin. The course also includes an introduction to
vermi-composting, and how to incorporate worms into your compost system
for a value-added product (worm castings). The course also addresses how
to process and market compost products and how to use compost and worm
castings on your urban farm and in sustainable landscaping. A materials
fee of $20 payable to the instructor is due at the beginning of class.
Cost: $70
0.6 CEUs
There are more urban agriculture courses coming up in the summer and
fall, which I'll also post here closer to their start dates.
2) Sustainable Ag Summer Internship
The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) is seeking highly-motivated undergraduate students from a variety of different backgrounds, with a strong interest in sustainable agriculture, to participate in a unique 8-week summer internship (June 6-July 29, 2011). CEFS summer interns will learn about the concepts and practices of various aspects of sustainable agriculture from expert faculty and staff at CEFS and through hands-on farm work, lectures and discussions, community engagement, and field trips to local farms and markets. Additionally, students will work in pairs with a CEFS faculty mentor to learn about an aspect of sustainable agriculture research.
The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) develops and promotes food and farming systems that protect the environment, strengthen local communities and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond. CEFS was established in 1994 by North Carolina State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to serve as a center dedicated to sustainable agriculture research, extension and education.
For more information please see: http://www.cefs.ncsu.edu/getinvolved/internships.html
The deadline for applications is Tuesday, March 1, 2011.
Many thanks,
Lisa Forehand
3) Rooting DC Gathering! Volunteers Needed!
The 4th annual Rooting DC gardening forum is just around the corner. In addition to all types of edible gardening info, this year we will be focusing on school and youth gardening. Rooting DC will be held on Saturday, February 19th from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm at Coolidge High School located at 6315 5th Street, NW.
There will also be presentations and workshops on community gardens and food policy, as well as healthy cooking demonstrations , free child care and much more! Vinnie and Christian will be giving a workshop with another farmer, Kristin Carbone, on season extension and starting seedling ;)
PRE-REGISTRATION IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. Please call the America the Beautiful Fund offices at 202.638.1649 to register immediately.
Coolidge HS can be reached by public transportation: From the Takoma Metro Station stop (Red Line) take the 62 bus (Georgia Ave-Petworth) or 52 bus (L’Enfant Plaza). You can also take the 70 bus toward Silver Spring, get off at Georgia and Rittenhouse, NW and walk east.
Please help us with outreach and distribute widely to your networks!
Visit Rooting DC on the web: http://fieldtoforknetwork.org/rootingdc/
AND A MESSAGE ON VOLUNTEERING:
Hi all,
I'm looking for about 20 people to help make Rooting DC, the District's very own free gardening forum, go smoothly. The event is totally volunteer-powered and it's coming up quick: February 19 from 9:30 to 4:30 at Coolidge High School. More info on Rooting DC is availablehere.
Interested? Available? Reply to lizlizwhitehu...@gmail.com and let me know which of the following you'd like to help out with:
- Registration
- Speaker guides/AV
- Food
- Media team captain, plus photographers and videographers
- Cleanup team
Thanks in advance!
Liz
3) Multiple farm, conservation, and outreach jobs available in Southern Prince George's County through Accokeek Foundation!
The Accokeek Foundation currently has several job openings and we would appreciate if you could circulate this to anyone you know that may be interested. Thank you so much!
Current Job Openings:
Land Conservation Coordinator
Agricultural Outreach Coordinator
Ecosystem Farm Manager
Livestock and Pastures Manager
Please see http://www.accokeek.org/about/employment for more information on job descriptions and how to apply!
The Accokeek Foundation stewards 200 acres of Piscataway Park, a national park located in Accokeek, Maryland, on the shore of the Potomac River directly across from Mount Vernon. Our land serves as an outdoor classroom for our educational programs, research, agricultural and conservation projects. The park is open to the public year ‘round.
4) Interested in blogging and getting paid?
Care2 , the progressive blog and activism organization with 13+ million members, launches REAL FOOD, a channel on the issues surrounding food, farming, organics, obesity, school lunches and healthy food policy. We are looking for bloggers to contribute op-ed (+750 words) length posts from knowledgeable people. Please contact me if you are interested.
Cindy Samuels
Cynthia Samuels, Managing Editor
Care2 Causes Blogs <
cin...@care2team.com
202-726-0435 (O)
202-236-1844 (M)
Twitter http://twitter.com/csamuels
Skype: CobbleAssoc
5) Chicken Coop Workshop
http://www.cooptastic.bravehost.com/
- 15-20 mobile and stationary coops on display.
- Bring your measuring tape and walk through the coops!
- See what will work best on your farm!
20+ laying hen breeds and varieties on display
-See which breeds are good with children, lay different eggshell colors, are cold- hardy, and are good meat birds.
The Neighborhood Farm Initiative cultivates a resourceful community of adults and teenagers working together to engage in small-scale food production in the Washington, D.C. area.
Our Vision:
NFI aims to improve underutilized public green spaces by creating demonstration gardens for hands-on community-wide gardening education, thereby increasing access to fresh vegetables for all members of our community, regardless of income.
agriculture training. For info visit - www.mass-ave.org/springuatreg.htm
Are you looking for an opportunity to grow your community garden, add a
component to your neighborhood project, strengthen your youth program or
neighborhood outreach, learn strategies to address policy challenges, market
your city farm project or create value added products?
The Massachusetts Avenue Project’s Urban Agriculture Training features
practical, philosophical, and experiential opportunities to learn from MAP’s
success with urban, youth centered agriculture. In addition to witnessing the
components of a functional urban farm first hand, such as urban fish farming,
composting, and value-added food production, participants will be able to
engage and observe many of the successful elements in MAP’s youth training
program, Growing Green. Attending this training also means being able to hear
from regional experts on food system planning and development, and network with
other beginning or established urban farmers. The weekend workshop includes 4
meals, a cocktail reception, and intensive, hands-on training opportunities.
Workshops include
* Moving Local Food Policy Forward with Diane Picard, MAP's Executive
Director
* Introduction to Urban Agriculture with Jesse Meeder, MAP's Farm Manager
* Aquaponics with Jesse Meeder Compost and Worms with Jesse Meeder
* Urban Chickens with Jesse Meeder
* Youth, Social Enterprises and the New Food System with Zoe Hollomon,
MAP's Markets Manager
* Messaging for Local Food with Erin Sharkey, MAP's Creative Director
* and a workshop on Developing Youth-centered Programming with Erin
Sharkey, MAP's Creative Director and several youth participants from the
Growing Green Program.
* With a special presentation from Samina Raja, PhD- Associate Professor of
Urban and Regional Planning at the University at Buffalo entitled - Building
Communities as if People Eat
* *Introduction to Urban Agriculture will be offered for an additional $25
on Friday March 11 from 1-5pm
Preregistration is required, so visit www.mass-ave.org/springuatreg.htm to
register. Information is available there about traveling to the Buffalo
Niagara area including discounted hotel rates and additional visitor info.
Questions? Contact Erin at sha...@mass-ave.org or 716-882-5327 ext 4
and/or gardening, want to work with an awesome organization (if I can
say so myself), please get in touch! I'd be happy to answer questions
about the project and talk with those interested.
Erin Garnaas-Holmes
Volunteer Coordinator
Bread for the City
www.breadforthecity.org
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Rooftop Garden Intern
Southeast Center—1640 Good Hope Road SE, Washington, DC 20020
Bread for the City is growing a small potted herb and vegetable garden
on the roof of our Southeast Center. The garden will be a space for
community learning about eating healthily and growing one’s own food
and will be primarily used by the clients of Bread for the City. We
will host various classes in the garden, organize volunteers to care
for the plants and use the garden as a launch pad to get more clients
and community members involved in sustainable food access issues.
Read more about it on our blog:
http://breadforthecity.blogspot.com/2010/08/rooftop-garden-one-pot-at-time.html
Description and Responsibilities:
The Rooftop Garden Intern will help grow and maintain the small
container garden that Bread for the City is growing on the roof of its
Southeast Center. During early spring, the Intern will reach out to
several established donors and organizations for continued support
through in-kind donations of garden materials. The Intern will
coordinate clients and volunteers to attend events and help in the
garden, and will work with the Nutrition Consultant to plan courses.
The Garden Intern will also get involved with general food client
advocacy issues, the monthly cooking classes provided by our
Nutritionist, and some special events.
The Rooftop Garden Intern will need to work 10-15 hours per week, on a
flexible schedule. Bread for the City is open Monday through Friday
from 9a-5p.
Requirements:
The Intern must:
• Have a passion for broadening access to healthy foods in the
District;
• Have a knack for or interest in gardening and growing potted
vegetables;
• Be able to communicate with a wide variety of people, from clients
to donors;
• Have an interest in community organizing;
• Be responsible, dependable, and consistent;
• Have a desire for social justice.
To apply:
Please send cover letter and resume to: Erin Garnaas-Holmes,
eho...@breadforthecity.org. Also, please feel free to contact Erin
with any questions.
District Of Columbia Govt
810 1st Street NE
You can view and apply for this job at:
https://erecruit.dc.gov/psp/erecruit/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_JOB_DTL&Action=A&JobOpeningId=17235&SiteId=1&PostingSeq=1